AP spent the IndyCar opener with Andretti leadership

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Cassidy Marie was docked first in line outside Turn 10 with an unobstructed view of IndyCar's season-opening race in downtown St. Petersburg. It was 8:30 a.m. on Sunday and Jill Gregory, the new president of Andretti Global, was weaving her way through pedestrian traffic to get to the yacht owned by her new boss, Dan Towriss. He and his wife were hosting a representative from Chili's, an existing partner of Towriss-owned Spire Motorsports in NASCAR, on a day the team was making its IndyCar Series debut. The Associated Press was allowed exclusive access with Andretti Global ahead of Towriss' first race as controlling owner of Michael Andretti's former team and Gregory's first as the only female team president in IndyCar. Things got off to a great start as Andretti drivers went 1-2 in the lower-tier Indy NXT race, prompting Towriss to skip the pre-race strategy meeting in favor of a trip to victory lane. Gregory is a former NASCAR vice president and marketing officer who left to run Sonoma Raceway before she was hired as chief operating officer of TWG Motorsports — Towriss' motorsports division — and president of the IndyCar team. Gregory went to the meeting, though she knows she has no business discussing race strategy. "Alright, I'm off to decide the gear ratios and tire strategy. I think it's going to be a three-stopper," Gregory cracked. "I'm dialed in." Commitment to women Gregory's skill set is not in the competition department. That didn't discourage Towriss, who routinely hires women for top leadership roles: He currently has 10 females in executive positions across the TWG Motorsports brands, and another five women at the top of Group 1001, a U.S. financial services firm with more than $66 billion under management. "With the changes at the team, it was really important to step in and make sure that there weren't any leadership vacuums," Towriss explained, noting that Rob Edwards handles all on-track aspects of Andretti Global while Gregory is consumer-facing and handling back-of-the-house elements of the company. "She's been consulting with me for probably the last year-and-a-half, maybe even two years," Towriss said. "So while a lot of her motorsports background was focused in NASCAR, I found her experience, her judgement, her skill set to be very broad. I think most people would describe Jill as a 'baller' or 'a badass in motorsports.' She just gets it." How Gregory fits Towriss noted Gregory's experience in marketing, culture and brand and team building is perfect for a growing team — and a busy one. On Monday alone, Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car program, majority owned by TWG, received an invitation to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The organization also announced Andretti Global will convert the former IndyStar Pulliam Production Center in Indianapolis into team headquarters for its IndyCar, Indy NXT and Formula E teams. That building is expected to become operational by summer 2025, not long after the team is scheduled to reveal its branding and other logistics of its Formula 1 team, which will be run from another shop being built in the Indianapolis-area. The Cadillac powertrains were approved last month to be assembled in Concord, North Carolina, on Hendrick Motorsports property. "Jill is just a talented executive — she sees things develop before maybe a lot of other people see it," Towriss said. "She's big on building teams and culture. We want to have the right strategy, people, resources and culture, and Jill's a big part of that, of bringing the right people and building the right culture so that these teams function together." Aside from the F1 and IndyCar teams, TWG Motorsports is also the majority owner of Spire, the NASCAR team, Taylor's two-car IMSA sports car GTP program and Walkinshaw Andretti United, and has a stake in the Bathurst 1000-winning race team competing in Australia's Supercars Championship. What is Gregory's role? As she settles into her new role, Gregory is looking at consolidation and best practices. She is sponsor savvy and can help leverage current partners across the TWG brands while also seeking new support. Her longtime role in NASCAR created a strong relationship with new IndyCar television partner Fox Sports and CEO Eric Shanks. Fox Sports has been a NASCAR partner since 2001. Gregory, who is a California native, will keep the house she bought when she moved to become president of Sonoma Raceway but is currently building a townhome in Indianapolis to be close to the two Indiana race shops. She found the decision to take the job for Towriss to be an exciting challenge in a series she is learning from scratch. Her first race was a success — Andretti drivers finished fifth, sixth and 16th — and there was a small champagne toast after to mark Gregory's debut. "I think this is an amazing time right now for IndyCar — it's the fastest form of motorsports," Gregory said. "The challenge is: How do you get more people to understand what's happening out here? I think the Fox partnership will be a big part of that, but we also have to build on that. Once the season is launched, how do we do our part to continue that momentum?" ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing