He could have taken the easy path and been content to immerse himself with everything New York Yankees.
But George Michael Steinbrenner IV was infected with the racing itch at an early age. It became his life ambition to travel his own road and not just follow the legacy of his father and grandfather in running one of the most celebrated sports franchises in American history.
He set his mind to one day owning a racing team in the Verizon IndyCar Series. That day became official on Wednesday, when the 22-year-old Steinbrenner was announced as the youngest owner in series history in a merger with Mike Harding to form Harding Steinbrenner Racing, which will field teenage rookies Patricio O’Ward and Colton Herta in 2019.
“My goal was always to become an INDYCAR owner ever since I was a kid, seeing Roger Penske, Mario Andretti, A.J. (Foyt) drive by on their motor scooters,” Steinbrenner said in a conference call. “I wanted to be them, I didn't want to be the Scott Dixon on Will Power running by. Being an INDYCAR owner was always my goal. It came from my love and passion for open-wheel racing in America. Next to baseball, it's the one thing I found a deep, dying passion for.”
Steinbrenner’s father, Hank, is the Yankees’ part owner and co-chairman.
After getting acclimated for two years in Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires with Herta driving in a joint venture with Andretti Autosport, Steinbrenner is eager to take the next step. He has been for quite a while, stating this goal from the day he was introduced in late 2016 as an owner in the Mazda Road to Indy developmental series. He reiterated that ambition in interviews earlier this year.
“My grandfather actually partnered with (former Indy car team owner) Pat Patrick in the 1970s at the Indy 500 with Gordon Johncock and Wally Dallenbach behind the wheel,” he said. “My family has been involved in racing. My father partnered with (Darrell) Gwynn in the NHRA in the early 2000s.
“For my personal passion for INDYCAR, I point back to – sorry, Marco (Andretti), Michael (Andretti) – the 2006 Indy 500 as the moment I truly fell in love with Indy car racing and really caught the bug. (I) just started the deep dive that I haven't gotten out of and truly don't really want to get out of.”
That was Marco’s Indy 500 debut, when he led on the last lap but was overtaken in the final stretch by Sam Hornish Jr. Michael also led that day in his final Indy 500 start.
“It's surreal, to be honest, to be an INDYCAR owner at 22 years old,” Steinbrenner said. “Honestly, I could tell you it probably would be surreal if I were 52 or 72. It doesn't lighten that at all. It's certainly an accomplishment I take pride in, getting my feet wet in the IndyCar Series at such a young age.
“It's something that I'm definitely thankful for. It's a dream come true. It's a passion. So I'm really excited to be the youngest owner in Indy car history.”
The obvious advantage to adding Steinbrenner to the series is his connections through the Yankees to sponsorship.
“I do think the name certainly opens doors for companies,” he said. “We used it in the Indy Lights series to success in finding sponsors for our Indy Lights program. Mike Harding has plenty of business associates and people he knows in the realm of the Indianapolis area, central Indiana that we've certainly started contact with, (the) possibility of either sponsoring or helping to find sponsors. It's a team effort. We're fully invested in funding these two cars, using every tool at our disposal, be it my name, my connections, Mike and his connections. That's the plan.
“A Yankee car, it's a bit difficult logistically. Not sure about that. But, hey, maybe some time in the future.”
He didn’t waste any time publicizing his new venture on the big stage at Yankee Stadium.
“We do have something interested planned,” Steinbrenner said before Wednesday's home game with Boston. “We have a nice little ceremony here at Yankee Stadium, where we're sitting (now) in the offices here. We will have Pato and Colton out to throw out the first pitch at (Wednesday) evening's game against the Red Sox. We'll have Mike (Harding), myself, Al (Unser Jr.) and Mike's wife to present (Yankees manager) Aaron Boone with a present, a steering wheel from last year's Indy 500.”
The new kid catches on fast. And the hope is that O’Ward, the 19-year-old Indy Lights champion from Mexico, and Herta, the 18-year-old Indy Lights runner-up from California, will do the same on track next season. Both made their Verizon IndyCar Series debuts for Harding Racing in Sunday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix of Sonoma. O’Ward opened a lot of eyes by qualifying fifth and finishing ninth. Herta, the son of INDYCAR team co-owner and former driver Bryan Herta, finished 20th.
“I am just super excited about this whole thing,” said Unser, a two-time Indy 500 winner who is a team consultant and driver coach. “I feel super blessed and super fortunate to be a part of this team. I haven't seen an announcement like this made in Indy car racing for decades. This is something, the names that are involved here are just super, super big. What it's going to do for INDYCAR is super big at the same time.”
Colton Herta was equally ecstatic.
“I've worked with George for a long time, known him for a long time,” the young driver said. “He's a good friend of mine. Now he's my boss. Yeah, I can't be more excited for him to be joining with me into the IndyCar Series. I came back from Europe to go into American motorsports with him. He kind of took me under his wing then.
“He's going to bring the winning Steinbrenner name with him. He's going to bring the dynasty that goes along with baseball into auto racing. (I’m) just going to try to go out there, compete for wins, top fives, 500s, see what we can do.”
Yankee Stadium fans were treated to a special video on the scoreboard Wednesday night as the new partnership of owners and drivers was announced. Watch it here: