News

Al Unser's legacy to live on through Purdue motorsports engineering scholarship

May 22, 2025

When you think of motorsports in Indianapolis, one name comes to mind foremost: Unser. Al Unser, Sr. won the Indy 500 four times, and his family have won it nine times. That incredible legacy will continue for future generations, thanks to a donation in Al’s name to Purdue University’s one-of-a-kind Motorsports Engineering program.

Grand Prix experience reveals a new career path

May 5, 2025
Purdue senior Mollie Parker became fascinated with racing when she joined the Windsor Grand Prix team as a sophomore. It was the beginning of a journey that led her to Dallara and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Boilermaker builds a fan cave dedicated to the Purdue Grand Prix

April 8, 2025
The typical fan cave likely features a few staple items: old sports memorabilia; campus photographs that hold personal meaning for the owner; lots of old gold and black. The Boilermaker-themed workout room in Travis Iles’ home in Columbus, Ohio, has all those things, but with a twist. Most of the adornments relate to a specific campus event that greatly impacted his Purdue experience and postcollege life: his four years spent driving a Sigma Chi go-kart in the Purdue Grand Prix.

Chris Andrews: Purdue Motorsports pioneer

January 20, 2025
In motorsports, you often meet people who have “been there and done that.” Chris Andrews (BSIDE ’92) is one of those people. As a lifelong race engineer, and current technical lead of Vasser Sullivan’s IMSA sports car team, Chris has had an influence on stock cars, open wheel racing, and even Purdue’s own pioneering motorsports teams.

Chris Finch helps Robert Wickens return to racing

October 31, 2024
In 2018, racing driver Robert Wickens suffered a violent crash which left him a paraplegic. He has since returned to racing with Bryan Herta Autosport, driving a modified car with hand controls. Purdue Motorsports Engineering professor Chris Finch describes how he worked with Bosch to supply a brake-by-wire system with proper feedback, so that Wickens can continue to compete and win.

Surfing an electric locomotive

October 22, 2024
Skateboards, bicycles, scooters and roller blades are common sights at Purdue University. Traversing campus in a timely manner requires a pair of wheels — and a little creativity — for the longer treks. Clacking through the engineering mall alongside the skateboards, scooters and roller blades is a motor-powered and accurate-to-scale blue, gold, green and black mini freight train, built by Ramon Pardo of the Electric Vehicle Club.

No driver required: Indy Autonomous Challenge is AI racing at its best

September 18, 2024
“Drivers, start your engines!” is the traditional call at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But what if the drivers were replaced by computers? Then you’d have the Indy Autonomous Challenge, a new competition featuring the world’s fastest autonomous race cars. Purdue AI Racing recently showcased its car maneuvering autonomously around the track at speeds up to 140 miles an hour.

Speed of light: Purdue Solar Racing successfully completes cross-country rally

August 30, 2024
Imagine driving 1,500 miles — from Nashville to Wyoming — without ever needing to refuel or recharge. That’s exactly what the students of Purdue Solar Racing accomplished in 2024: designing, building, and racing a custom solar-powered vehicle, which completed the American Solar Challenge for the first time in two decades.

Business major gets hands-on with EV go karts

July 2, 2024
Athreya Ramanan chose the major of Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE), which enables him to get hands-on with race cars while also learning how to get sponsors and manage a team.

Purdue Motorsports program to be housed in Dallara IndyCar headquarters

May 24, 2024
Purdue University’s nationally renowned motorsports engineering program has a new home. Dallara, the largest multinational Italian race car manufacturer, will house Purdue's motorsports program at their U.S. headquarters in Speedway, Indiana, just down the street from the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

These Purdue grads help the 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing' happen

May 20, 2024
These three Boilermakers work behind the scenes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to execute “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” — the Indianapolis 500. David Letherman, senior manager of event personnel; Meredith Walker, senior manager of VIP and talent experience; and Louis Kissinger, senior manager of events and administration, share how the problem-solving skills they learned during their time at Purdue prepared them to host hundreds of thousands of people at the iconic IMS.

Mentorship helps Lizzie Todd live out her dream as a racing engineer

May 8, 2024
Lizzie Todd fell in love with IndyCar racing as an 8-year-old attending the Carb Day practice session ahead of the 2006 Indianapolis 500. The motorsports engineering alumna turned that childhood passion into a career, as she now works as a systems engineer for driver Pato O’Ward and the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team.

Purdue Baja Racing rises from the mud to the top of the podium

November 17, 2023
Every year, the intrepid students of Purdue Baja Racing design and build their own off-road race car, competing against other universities in a series of challenges. In 2023, Purdue Baja capped a season of top finishes with a 1st place triumph at Backwoods Baja in Wisconsin.

Josefine Eskildsen rapidly rising up the racing ranks

November 13, 2023
Josefine Eskildsen’s racing career is accelerating as rapidly as the 350-horsepower touring cars she works on. A whirlwind 2023 is wrapping up for the 22-year-old Motorsports Engineering graduate, who just completed her second season with Bryan Herta Autosport. Already a full-time systems engineer for drivers Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi, Eskildsen was a key member of a team that won a series-best three races this season in the International Motorsports Association’s (IMSA) Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Jonathan Hassler races to success as a NASCAR crew chief

August 23, 2023
Behind every successful driver is an equally hard-working crew chief. NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Team Penske Ford, relies on crew chief Jonathan Hassler (BSME '07) for information, decision-making, and in-race encouragement.

56-year-old graduate student competes in Purdue Grand Prix

August 11, 2023
56-year-old Ramin Ansari had a long and successful career before deciding to enroll for a Ph.D. at Purdue University. He was surprised to learn that graduate students are eligible to participate in the Purdue Grand Prix, the prestigious annual go-kart race. So he assembled a team of fellow graduate students to make it happen.

Purdue University in Indianapolis joins Stewart-Haas Racing for Verizon 200 at the Brickyard NASCAR Cup Series race

August 10, 2023
Speeding toward the official launch of its first comprehensive urban campus in 2024, Purdue University is partnering with championship-winning NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing and driver Ryan Preece in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard. The iconic Boilermaker gold and black will adorn Preece’s Ford Mustang, with Purdue University in Indianapolis serving as the No. 41 car’s primary sponsor at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one of the most prestigious annual stops on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar.

Purdue's Motorsports Engineering program is fueling the industry's future

August 8, 2023
There’s only one institution in the country providing an undergraduate motorsports engineering program that’s recognized by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology... in the “Racing Capital of the World,” no less. Located less than a 15-minute drive from where the Indianapolis 500 captures international attention every year, Purdue University in Indianapolis is helping launch racing careers and creating unparalleled opportunities for students.

Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan to drive Purdue livery for SRX

July 6, 2023
Purdue University is announcing a full-season partnership with the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) to introduce its new urban campus in Indianapolis. The iconic Boilermaker gold and black will adorn the race car shared by Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan, racing legends and fan favorites throughout the state of Indiana and beyond.

Kayli Peterson is driven to succeed

June 29, 2023
To Kayli Peterson, who drives in NASCAR's Super Late Model and Modified series, the art of the comeback isn’t an unfamiliar concept. Winning, falling behind and getting back on top is all just part of success.

Purdue alums help Penske win the Indy 500

May 29, 2023
Matt Kuebel (BSME '22) and Mike Koenigs (BSAAE '03) are engineers for Team Penske, who just won the Indy 500 with Josef Newgarden. Matt and Mike talk about how their experiences at Purdue gave them the persistence, grit, and determination to succeed at the highest level of motorsports.

Behind the scenes with Juncos Hollinger Racing

May 26, 2023
Not every internship showcases your work at 200 miles per hour on national television! For Purdue mechanical engineering student Zachary Nelson, an internship with IndyCar team Juncos Hollinger Racing is making his motorsports dreams come true.

Eyes on the checkered flag

May 5, 2023
From Chip Ganassi to Rahal Letterman Lanigan, IndyCar teams open their doors to Boilermakers every year. Purdue ME students Zach MacNab and Jennifer Short talk about their summers on the racetrack.

Purdue Motorsports reveal event on April 4 to be bigger than ever

February 22, 2023
This year's Purdue Motorsports reveal event is bigger than ever! Purdue students will unveil FOUR new custom-built race cars that will compete against other universities this summer. The event is open to the public, and will take place in Loeb Playhouse on Tuesday, April 4, at 5:30 p.m.

IndyCar Intern Jennifer Short: Fully Committed

September 12, 2022
During the school year, Jennifer Short is a typical mechanical engineering student at Purdue. But when the racing calendar begins, her true passion for motorsports takes over. She discusses her recent internship with 14-time INDYCAR champs Chip Ganassi Racing.

Purdue Motorsports showcased on official This is Purdue podcast

August 18, 2022
Every year, the students of Purdue SAE design, build, and compete with custom race cars. This year, the Purdue Formula team finished 2nd among all competing universities. In this episode of the official This is Purdue podcast, we go behind the scenes of their first ever live unveiling event, and discuss why students devote their time to building race cars.

Podium finish for Purdue Formula

July 18, 2022
They say “slow and steady wins the race.” But does that apply to motorsports? For 30 years, Purdue Formula have been pushing their custom-built race car up the mountain, and in 2022, they reached their best-ever podium finish: 2nd place overall.

From the grandstands to pit row: Nathan O'Rourke

May 25, 2022
Nathan O'Rourke (BSME '04) has attended every Indy 500 since he was four years old. Today, he's the lead race engineer for for Andretti Autosport's No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, driven by Colton Herta.

Purdue's mark on the Indianapolis 500

May 16, 2022
Purdue has influenced the Indy 500 since its marching band first played there in 1919. Check out this collection of stories showing how Purdue and the Indy 500 go hand-in-hand.

Bill Pappas helps to make the Indy 500 the biggest stage in the world

May 12, 2022
At the age of 11, Bill Pappas saved enough money to attend his first-ever Indianapolis 500. In the years since, this Purdue grad has worked with some of the biggest names in racing - Juan Pablo Montoya, Emerson Fittipaldi and A.J. Foyt - and now serves as VP of competition and race engineering for INDYCAR.

Motorsports Led Me to Tesla and SpaceX: Morgan Fuller

April 20, 2022
As a lifelong motorsports fan, Morgan Fuller always has his eyes on the finish line. But his racing experiences at Purdue have taken him beyond the finish line, and on to internships with both Tesla and SpaceX!

Purdue Motorsports unveil three new race cars on April 15

March 28, 2022
Every year, Purdue students design, build, test, and compete with custom race cars. This year, they're hosting a public event to unveil three of their new race cars for 2022. The event will take place in Fowler Hall on Friday, April 15, at 4:00 p.m.

Angela Ashmore: living the dream in IndyCar

October 1, 2021
The power of a dream is undeniable – but without hard work, a dream will remain just that. Lifelong racing fan Angela Ashmore (BSME '10, MSME '13) put in her work, and is now living her dream: working as an engineer for Chip Ganassi Racing’s #8 IndyCar team.

Purdue Formula finishes top 10 in a crazy year

July 16, 2021
More success for Purdue's student auto racing teams! Purdue Formula SAE scored a 6th place finish at the most recent in-person race event at Michigan International Speedway. Combined with their previous 2nd place in the Design presentation, the team finished a combined 3rd overall – the best result in their 29-year history!

Purdue Baja: Building a race car during a pandemic

May 25, 2021
Designing and building a race car from scratch is a huge accomplishment. Changing from a 2-wheel-drive design to 4-wheel-drive requires even more perseverance. Doing so remotely, during a pandemic? That's a freaking miracle. Purdue Baja Racing not only pulled this off, but finished as a top ten team in the 2021 Baja SAE competition.

NASCAR crew chief Chris Gabehart brings Purdue engineering to victory lane

August 19, 2019
The pressure couldn't be any higher -- your first race as a top-level crew chief, and it's the Daytona 500. Your driver takes the lead, and manages to avoid crash after crash. How can you keep your team focused on the finish line in front of more than 100,000 fans? Actually, high-pressure scenarios like this are no big deal for Chris Gabehart. After all, if you can graduate from Mechanical Engineering at Purdue, you can accomplish anything!

The green flag is out for autonomous kart racing

May 8, 2019
Purdue Motorsports will again showcase its evGrand Prix for high school and college divisions. And for the second year, autonomous karts will take to the makeshift track inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grounds for the Student Karting World Finals presented by Hoosier Racing Tire.

Mitch Daniels drives hot laps in Purdue's student-built electric race cars

October 19, 2018
Purdue University President Mitch Daniels took the driver's seat of two student-designed electric race cars, at a demonstration at the Purdue Grand Prix Track. He drove 10 laps in a battery-powered go kart, and 10 laps in a mini-Formula electric race car, powered by a 300-volt battery.

Purdue Electric Racing: 300 Volts of Speed

June 27, 2018
There's something unique about the high-pitched whine of a fully electric race car, accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in four seconds, showing off insane amounts of torque instantly. "There's a lot of hype about electric vehicles taking over," says Matthew Flanagan, president of Purdue Electric Racing. "And after being involved with this car, I can say I totally believe it!"
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