AUSTIN, Texas – The confetti had fallen and the podium was soaked in champagne. Many were celebrating, but even two hours after winning the inaugural INDYCAR Classic at Circuit of The Americas, victory hadn’t quite set in for George Steinbrenner IV.

The co-owner of Harding Steinbrenner Racing was as stunned as anyone to witness his rookie driver, Colton Herta, cross the finish line and earn their first NTT IndyCar Series win together on Sunday. It was the culmination of a friendship that developed and blossomed over the last seven years, with Herta becoming the youngest race winner in Indy car history and Steinbrenner the youngest team owner.

“The whole reason I'm here at such a young age,” the 22-year-old Steinbrenner said, “is because Colton and I looked at each other, we said, ‘We have the same dream, why not chase it together?’ We always would talk about what it would be like to win an Indy car race together. Now that it happened, we're still not really sure what it would be like. I don't think we really processed it yet.”

Herta recalled exactly where and when it all began.

“I've been friends with George since I was 12 years old,” said Herta, who turns 19 on Saturday. “He actually came to a Skip Barber race at Lime Rock, that's where we first met. That was my first year racing cars. I went to Europe and came back, and we partnered up with this crazy idea to race Indy cars one day. To have him with me along the way is spectacular.”

The incredible achievement gave Steinbrenner pause to reflect on what it took to reach this moment. Born into the family that owns baseball’s New York Yankees, he opted to carve his own path in racing and learned how to operate a team from the ground up.

“I'll start at the beginning of the journey when I interned at Bryan Herta Rallysport, the team owned by Colton’s father, for the 2016 season,” said Steinbrenner. “Learning the top to bottom of how a race team operates during the week and during the (race) weekend and everything.

“When Colton and I decided that we'd start this crazy journey together in Indy Lights (in 2017), being able to partner with Andretti Autosport in Indy Lights was huge. They're a buttoned-down organization, do everything right. To be able to learn from the folks there was a huge jump-start, the perfect jump-start I could have hoped for, for INDYCAR ownership.”

Steinbrenner acknowledged the many reasons why the top rung of the Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires was essential to properly preparing him to advance as a team owner to North America’s premier open-wheel championship. After two seasons partnering with Andretti to field Herta in Indy Lights, including a runner-up finish in the championship last year, Steinbrenner and his driver teamed with Mike Harding's NTT IndyCar Series outfit for 2019.

“It's just a great way for owners because the commitments aren't as strong, don't have to raise as much money,” Steinbrenner said of the Road to Indy, “and it's a great way to start and establish a program with a smaller amount of risk, really learn as a whole team to build these up.”

It is a path many have followed, including current NTT IndyCar Series team owners Trevor Carlin (Carlin), Ricardo Juncos (Juncos Racing) and Sam Schmidt (Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports).

“You saw how they've built up through the Indy Lights program and it's a great breeding ground for not only drivers, but for owners, teams, engineers and crew,” Steinbrenner said. “Really anyone.”

At some point, Steinbrenner said he’d like to field a car again in Indy Lights while he continues with Herta in the NTT IndyCar Series. For now, though, he’s content to savor his first win as an NTT IndyCar Series team owner. And, of course, dream of conquering the giant on the schedule, the Indianapolis 500.

“We got the next box checked off with the race win,” Steinbrenner said. “The 500, that's the big one.

“For the ultimate goal, it would be … in the future being able to come to the racetrack each weekend and go into each season saying, 'We've got a pretty good shot at the title here.' That's what we want to work for.”

The NTT IndyCar Series returns to action with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama race weekend April 5-7 at Barber Motorsports Park. The race airs live at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, April 7 on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.