Shift Up Now Foundation Announces ‘Race to a Million’ for Third-Annual Fundraising Event

The Shift Up Now Foundation is excited to announce that its highly-anticipated, in-person fundraising event, “A Night with the Shift Up Now Foundation” presented by PenFed Credit Union and Tom Wood Porsche, will return for a third year on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the Tom Wood Aviation Hangar and event space at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport in Fishers, IN.

This year’s event will feature an unprecedented twist: The ‘Race to a Million’ is a groundbreaking goal to provide a combined total of $1 million in grants—from previous years and current—to talented female racers. To date, the foundation has awarded more than $700,000 in opportunities to racers believed to have the talent and aptitude to succeed in motorsports, giving them access to more competitive equipment, seat time for testing and practice, and resources to help grow their careers.

The third-annual “A Night with the Shift Up Now Foundation” will take place from 6:00-10:00pm EST, with a VIP cocktail hour from 6:00-7:00pm. The “blue tie” event will feature a cocktail dress code where attendees are asked to show up decked out in their favorite shades of blue, in support of the foundation. There will also be an exclusive blue carpet experience with live photography, accessible immediately to guests during the event.

Participants will enjoy lounge-style seating while being treated to catering by Cunningham Restaurant Group, live music and a diamond pull from Master Jewelers. The event will also feature live Q&A panels throughout the evening, hosted by Julia Landauer, with Shift Up Now grantees, plus the women supporting women and male allies supporting women in the sport.

Similar to the past two years, the silent auction will be a can’t-miss part of the evening. Some of the most popular items from 2025 included a 1:18 INDYCAR diecast car autographed by the entire starting field, tickets to attend the Daytona 24-Hour Race as guests of Porsche, artwork by Betsy Becher, and a tasting menu experience from renowned local Indianapolis restaurant Bluebeard.

Between event ticket sales, the silent auction, and donations from generous Shift Up Now Foundation supporters, the “Race to a Million” is set to make history.

“PenFed is proud to have sponsored the Shift Up Now Foundation’s signature fundraising event since the beginning, and to continue supporting an effort that is creating meaningful opportunities for talented women in motorsports,” said PenFed Credit Union President/CEO James Schenck. “The ‘Race to a Million’ reflects the power of investing in athletes who have the drive, talent, and determination to compete at the highest levels. By standing with Shift Up Now, we are helping fuel the next generation of racers, breaking down barriers, and inspiring more women to pursue success on and off the track.”

Shift Up Now CEO Pippa Mann added, “The Shift Up Now Foundation was founded a little under four years go, and our 2026 event will fall very close to our fourth birthday as a 501c3 organization. To be in a position to be working towards this goal of writing one million dollars of grants in total for female racers before we even turn five years old is something of a fever dream. While motorsport is one of the most incredibly expensive sports on the planet to compete in, it remains one of the few sports where, with equal funding, men and women can compete as equals. And I’m proud that our efforts to help elevate female talent are starting to make an impact for so many racers across so many categories and series. I’m so grateful to everyone who believes in us, our mission, and our racers, and I think this goal gives us the opportunity to do something incredibly cool for talented women in this sport.”

There are several options for fans and supporters who want to get involved.

First, sponsorship opportunities are still available for companies and brands that want to support the Shift Up Now Foundation and its mission. Please reach out to foundation@ShiftUpNow.org to learn more.

Second, tickets will go on sale July 7th HERE, and the event is capped at only 200 guests. For the first three weeks (until July 28, 2026), early bird pricing will be $225 for VIP tickets and $125 for general admission. Starting July 29, 2026, prices will increase to $250 for VIP tickets and $150 for general admission.

Members of The Inside Track by Shift Up Now should log into their dashboard to claim their 2026 ticket discount code.

Lastly, fans who want to join the ‘Race to a Million’ but are not able to attend the event can donate HERE.

###

About Shift Up Now Foundation, Inc.

Shift Up Now Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping talented female racers in motorsport. By providing financial support to females in motorsport through corporate giving, gifts, donations, and grants, the foundation aims to create opportunities for women in motorsport to succeed and thrive.

Cook Matches Best Finish of the Season in Porsche Carrera Cup at Watkins Glen

Shift Up Now Athlete Sabré Cook earned sixth and seventh place finishes, respectively, in round four of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Solairus Aviation, supporting the IMSA “Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen,” at Watkins Glen International Raceway on June 25-27, 2026.

Driving the all-white privé products No. 37 911 Cup Car for JDX racing, Cook’s race weekend began with two practice sessions on Thursday. Early in the day, the track was dry for the first session. When race control enforced firm track-limit guidelines, nearly the entire field lost at least one lap due to violations. Cook would finish eighth in the session.

Later that day, a wet-then-drying track provided challenging conditions for the Porsche Carrera Cup field. However, rain threatened the forecast for the remainder of the weekend so the entire 20-car field elected to run. As the track began to dry near the end of the session, Cook’s team sent her out on slick tires. Despite the challenging conditions, she ran fourth-quickest in the session.

On Friday, qualifying took place at 8:30am EDT on the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course. The forecasted rain stayed away to keep the session dry, and Cook qualified the No. 37 car in eighth place for both races.

Later that day, race one began at 3pm EDT under dry, sunny conditions. Cook was lined up on the outside of row four and the field ran one formation lap before the green flag flew. Although the inside row got a stronger run at the start, Cook saw an opportunity on the outside of turn one and emerged firmly with the lead pack as the field headed up the hill to the esses.

Behind her, several cars made contact and got stranded at the exit of turn one, causing a full-course caution. After a lengthy cleanup, 24 minutes remained in the competition.

The field ran single-file to the green, and Cook spent the following lap trying to make a move for the seventh-place spot. She looked outside as they headed towards the chute, then inside approaching the boot, but eventually had to settle back in line.

When the race leader had to pit due to a tire puncture, Cook and the lead pack advanced one position. She stayed focused on the pass ahead for sixth-place, with the gap of less than a half-second held firm for several laps.

With just a few minutes remaining on the race clock, Cook completed the pass. She then managed to pull a gap of more than two seconds before crossing the finish line in sixth.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny for race two, which began at 9am EDT. Once again, Cook started eighth, and the field completed one formation lap before the race went green.

This time, both rows accelerated nearly equally, and Cook held her position around the outside in turn one. She immediately got to work putting pressure on the seventh-place car, and the two went side-by-side into the esses on lap two. She got a run and made a move to the inside heading towards the bus stop, but the short braking zone forced her to slot back in line.

Just like in race one, an early incident—approximately 10 minutes in—further back in the field brought out a full-course caution.

When the green flag re-emerged, 20 minutes remained and the similarities to the previous day’s race continued. Cook had a solid restart, and resumed her efforts to take over the seventh-place spot. She filled the mirrors of the car ahead, staying within a half second at the stripe.

Then with just seven minutes left in the race, Cook completed the pass, where she pulled a gap of five seconds to secure her seventh-place finish, and complete her best weekend in the Porsche Carrera Cup series so far.

"I'm really pleased with my best Carrera Cup weekend yet and energized by our progress this season," said Cook. "The JDX crew and I have been hard at work to make incremental progress and it's been a pleasure working with them. I think our full potential hasn't quite shown yet as we've been impeded in the last two qualifying sessions - Miami and Watkins Glen - so I'm excited for what we can achieve with a clean run. Carrera Cup is so competitive and difficult to pass, especially at Watkins Glen, so I was really happy with the passes to move forward in both races. I can't thank my partners enough for their continued support and role in elevating my program's performance this season."

Next up, the Porche Carrera Cup North America presented by Solairus Aviation series heads to

Wisconsin for round five of the 2026 season at Road America on July 30-August 1, 2026.

Hayes Wins Second Victory at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Shift Up Now Athlete Laura Hayes backed up her 2024 victory with a statement win in the 104th running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 21, 2026.

Driving a Toyota Supra GT4 for TCB Racing, Hayes was supported by TCB Energy Services, Yokohama Tire, Encore Oilfield Services, Southern Transport, JTX Forged and Toyota of Colorado Springs, and was the only Supra in the GT4 Trophy presented by Yokohama class.

After missing the 2025 event, this year marked Hayes’ third attempt at “the race to the clouds.”

Practice began on Tuesday in the middle section of the notoriously unpredictable 12.42-mile, 156-turn course. With an elevation gain of 4,720 feet, racing conditions are known to be warm and sunny at the start, and ending with freezing fog or snow at the finish. Due to several delays on Tuesday, Hayes and her competitors only got three runs in, with Hayes clocking the fastest time in class.

On Wednesday, practice in the upper section began on the “Devil’s Playground,” located just above the tree line and known for its highly-technical, fast-flowing sequence of corners. Hayes’ first run took place at 5:15am in the dark. After her third run as the sun began to rise, she was second-fastest in class.

Thursday marked the start of qualifying in the lower section. With the fastest time in class—and bettering her qualifying attempt from two years ago by two seconds—Hayes earned pole position and would roll off 10th overall on race day. 

On Friday, she was back to the middle section for practice, where she and her competitors got more run time. The preparation helped Hayes learn more about what she needed to do on race day and boosted her confidence heading into Sunday.

After practicing the course in segments all week, race day is the first attempt drivers get to connect the entire course in one run. Sunday dawned sunny with clear blue skies and ideal conditions for race.

Hayes had her sights set on a second GT4 class victory, along with besting her own record for the “Fastest Woman Up the Mountain.”

The first runs took place around 7:30am MDT, with Hayes being the 10th driver—and last GT4 car—to take her turn. She set the fastest time of the day with a 10:17.583, knocking three full seconds off her previous record, and finishing fully seven seconds ahead of her nearest in-class competitor. This also put her in the top 20 overall.

Hayes’ run looked to set her up for the “Fastest Woman Up the Mountain” title again, but was bettered later in the day by Emilia Hartford driving a Corvette ZR1 in the Time Attack 1 class with a 10:11.018.

To this day, Hayes still holds the record for the only woman ever to complete a sub-ten-minute run at Pikes Peak. However, her record-breaking run was set outside of the race weekend, and with spec modifications. Nevertheless, Hayes continues to break records wherever she goes.

“Months of prep and practice, early mornings, late nights, all came down to this,” said Hayes. “I couldn’t have done it without the entire team behind me, sponsors and partners supporting me, and all of the amazing motorsport fans and community.

“It has been incredible to watch this event continue to grow, even with such a long and iconic past. This year was full of fierce competition. Congratulations to everyone who made it to the summit!”

Podium Finish for Tabor in American Rally Association Southern Ohio Forest Rally

Shift Up Now Athlete Madelyn Tabor and co-driver Sophia McKee earned a third-place podium finish in the National L4WD class, competing for Tabor Racing Team in the American Rally Association (ARA) Southern Ohio Forest Rally on June 11-13, 2026.

Driving the No. 209 Madelyn Tabor Racing / Matrix Motorsports Ford Fiesta Rally 3, Tabor is competing as a third-generation rally driver, and is the first Shift Up Now rally athlete. She is also supported by WIMNA and Steven Redd Racing.

Southern Ohio Forest Rally is based across Chillicothe, West Portsmouth and McArthur, Ohio, with Thursday’s Yoctangee Street Stage, Friday’s Shawnee Forest stages, and Saturday’s Zaleski Forest stages.

The race weekend began with the pre-event test and recce under warm summer conditions. During recce, the driver and co-driver complete the stages in a street car at about 30 mph to make notes about the road before competing on them at speed.

The test day on the flowing forest roads gave Tabor time to settle in with her Ford Fiesta Rally 3, which she nicknamed “Jellybean.”

The race began in the evening on Thursday and ran through the night into Friday. Tabor started 20th under the lights at the Yoctangee Street Stage in Chillicothe before the rally moved into Friday’s Shawnee Forest stages near West Portsmouth. Friday’s route included two passes each of Diagon Alley, Disco Inferno Short, Top Gun North Short and Pound The Alarm South.

During the first half of the rally, a deer appeared on stage. After jokingly saying, “Oh deer” in the car, Tabor stayed focused and calm while keeping rally pace.

The biggest moment of the day came on Friday’s final stage. Coming off a fast straight into a right three onto pavement, the brakes locked and Jellybean went straight into the bushes instead of neatly making the corner.

Tabor and McKee got the car gathered up quickly, returned to the road, and were immediately back at race speed with the brakes working as intended. There was no major service drama afterward, but the team still had a full re-prep ahead.

After the Friday night stages, the No. 209 car was provisionally in P10 overall and P5 in National L4WD after SS10. The crew worked into the early morning hours to get Jellybean ready to keep rolling the following day.

Saturday’s stages were a strong finish to the weekend. Tabor found more pace on the second loop as confidence continued building in her car. On the first pass of Irish Ridge, the team had some communication trouble that became a distraction in the car, but Tabor and McKee resolved it and kept moving forward.

Once again in true rally fashion, the day also included a turtle crossing the road.

After starting the weekend P20 on the road, Tabor and McKee brought home an unofficial total time of 2:08:51.9, finishing on the National L4WD podium.

“I’m really proud to bring home a National L4WD podium for Tabor Racing Team, Matrix Motorsports, Shift Up Now, WIMNA, and Steven Redd Racing,” said Tabor. “Huge thank you to Sophia, our crew, and everyone who kept Jellybean ready all weekend. This was a big learning rally for us, and finishing P3 in class feels like a strong step forward.”

Next up, Tabor heads to Rangely, Colorado for the ARA Rally Colorado for 121 competition miles in and around Rio Blanco County on July 18-19, 2026.

Unser and Freiberg Narrowly Miss Podium in Best GT4 America Finish Yet at Road Atlanta

Shift Up Now Athletes Loni Unser and Ashley Freiberg earned a fourth-place finish in the Silver class (and top-ten finish overall) for Kellymoss, in round seven of the 2026 Pirelli GT4 America Championship at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on June 13, 2026.

Fellow Shift Up Now Athletes Erika Hoffmann and Laura Hayes also competed in the double-header weekend on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn natural-terrain road course, with Hoffmann in the No. 73 Kellymoss entry with teammate Paul Bocuse, and Hayes in the No. 37 Dome Motorsport entry with teammate Ed Killeen.

Freiberg and Unser—both supported by PenFed Credit Union, Acumatica, Mobil1, Speedway Motors, Radius, and Pagid—piloted the No. 24 “Be Your Own Hero” Porsche Cayman GT4.

The weekend began on Thursday with one promoter test and two official practice sessions in hot and uncomfortably humid conditions that would continue throughout the weekend, creating slick track conditions.

The practice sessions were strong for both the Kellymoss Porsches, with Hoffmann and Bocuse running in the top ten overall in the first, and Freiberg and Unser fifth in class for the second.

Qualifying took place on Friday at 11:25am EDT. The session was split into two 15-minute halves, with the first driver setting the grid position for race one, and the second for race two. Hoffmann, Hayes, and Unser were behind the wheel first.

Hoffmann had her strongest qualifying performance of the season, putting the car in 15th overall for the first race. Hayes also had a strong performance in her first GT4 America qualifying session since the season opener at Sonoma. She and teammate Ed Killeen would start 16th overall (second in the AM class). Unser qualified just outside the top 20 and would start on the outside of row 11. Freiberg, who was the second driver for the qualifying session, set the car in 16th on the starting grid for the second race of the weekend.

At 3:50pm on Friday, the 32-car GT4 field lined up for round six, the first one-hour race of the weekend. When the green flag flew, a majority of the field was running side-by-side into turn one. Hayes advanced one position as the field made it cleanly through the first turn and then spaced out to run single-file.

When the leaders began to pull away, a large mid-field pack from 7th through 15th developed. Hoffmann got shuffled back slightly during the opening laps and settled into 18th overall.

During the pit stop cycle, Dome Motorsport elected to keep Hayes out as long as possible, cycling her to the overall race lead before handing the car to Killeen. For awhile, it looked as though this strategy might pay off with a podium finish, but Killeen was passed for third in class just before a full-course caution flew with 17 minutes remaining.

After the cleanup, race one ended with a 10-minute sprint to the finish. Bocuse in the No. 73 and Freiberg in the No. 24 each advanced one additional position to finish 6th and 7th, respectively, in the Silver class (15th and 16th overall). Hayes and Killeen finished 7th in the AM class.

On Saturday, the round-seven race began at 12:25pm EDT. Freiberg, Bocuse and Killeen were each behind the wheel first for the one-hour competition. Once again, the field ran side-by- side into turn one and completed another clean start before running single-file into the famous Road Atlanta esses.

Within the first five laps, Freiberg made two passes to advance into the top 15 overall. When the pit-stop cycles began, Kellymoss elected to leave both her and Bocuse on track longer into the window, trying to leapfrog several of the cars who pitted earlier. After the sequence of pit stops was complete throughout the field, this cycled Unser, now behind the wheel of the No. 24 up to 14th overall, with Hoffmann in 15th, just before the full-course caution flew.

The green flag flew again for a 17-minute sprint to the end of the race, with Unser advancing to 12th overall on the restart, and Hayes taking advantage of the packed-up field to move up from 25th to 20th position.

With only 10 minutes remaining, Unser made a pass to take over the 11th-place spot. As the race neared the finish, side-by-side action on the front straight made the last five minutes of the competition look similar to the way it started.

When the white flag flew, Unser was in 12th overall, with Hoffmann in 15th, and Hayes in 17th. However, a busy final lap saw Unser advance to 11th, Hayes to 13th at the checkered flag.  When a post-race penalty was assessed for a competitor that had finished ahead of them, all three racers moved up one position, putting Unser in the top ten overall, with Hayes in 12th, and Hoffmann in 14th. Coupled with the previous day’s result, Hoffmann’s finish allowed her to continue her top-15 streak.

“I am so excited that the No. 24 crew and I achieved our highest finish to date,” said Unser. “It shows that the hard work is paying off, and I’m so grateful to be part of such a dedicated crew of people. I am thankful for all of our sponsors—PenFed, Speedway Motors, Acumatica, Mobil1, Pagid, Shift Up Now, and Sabelt.”

Freiberg echoed that statement, saying, “I’m very grateful to have this result this weekend. We’ve been working so hard all year, and I know we will take this motivation to keep moving further up the field. A big thank you to all of our sponsors for supporting us this season. We wouldn’t be here without you!”

Next up, Hoffmann, Unser, Freiberg, and Hayes head to Wisconsin for rounds eight and nine of the Pirelli GT4 America championship, at Road America on August 28-30, 2026.

Dominant Victory for AE Victory Racing in World Racing League at Daytona

Shift Up Now Athletes Laura Hayes, Michele Abbate and Hannah Grisham earned their second victory of the season piloting the No. 120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 for AE Victory Racing (AEVR) in the World Racing League (WRL) 14 Hours of Daytona event at Daytona International Speedway on June 4-6, 20206.

The Daytona weekend was only AEVR’s third event fielding a two-car effort, which also showcased the continued success of its driver development program.

During Thursday’s Max Track Time event and Friday test and practice, both AEVR entries  appeared at the top of the timing charts. With a competitive field in class, the team focused on maximizing track time for all drivers while refining race strategy and pit stop execution. Lap times across both entries remained remarkably consistent from driver to driver.

The performance gave team leadership the confidence to place current Development Driver Brenna Schubert in the No. 119 and program graduate Alana Carter in the No. 120 for both qualifying rounds and the opening stints of the race.

The No. 120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 went on to qualify on the front row with Carter behind the wheel. She would lead the team into the green flag before handing over to teammates Sally Mott, Hayes, and Abbate as the race unfolded.

The No. 120 immediately established itself as the car to beat, taking the lead early and steadily extending its advantage throughout the opening hours. Nearly two hours into the race, the Supra was still running approximately half a second per lap faster than its nearest competitor and had built a gap approaching ten seconds. From there, the team never looked back.

Guided by race engineer Kevin Tong, the No. 120 squad executed a flawless strategy over the full fourteen hours. Quick driver changes, efficient pit stops, perfectly timed service under changing course cautions, and longer fuel stints than the second-place Singler Racing BMW allowed the team to control the race from start to finish.

After fourteen hours of competition, the No. 120 crossed the finish line in first place with Hayes completing a dominant performance that highlighted the strength of both the driver lineup and the crew behind the wall.

While the No. 120 celebrated in victory lane, the No. 119 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 showed equally impressive pace before misfortune struck.

Current AE Victory Racing Development Driver Schubert qualified and started the No. 119 entry, quickly moving into contention at the front of the field. Just over an hour into the race, she advanced into the class lead before contact while navigating lapped traffic sent the car off course. The incident caused significant damage to the left-front suspension and forced the team into the garage for extensive repairs.

Despite the setback, the crew worked tirelessly throughout the day to return the car to the track. Ashley Freiberg eventually took over driving duties and completed a systems check lap before the team elected to retire the entry.

Although the result did not reflect the pace of the No. 119, the performance reinforced the progress of AE Victory Racing's development program, with Schubert demonstrating race-winning speed before the incident.

Beyond the results, the weekend represented a significant milestone for the organization. One year ago at Daytona, AE Victory Racing spent 13 of 14 hours in podium contention with Hayes in the car before an  on-track incident sidelined the team and ended its chances for a breakthrough result. At the time, the organization was still in the early stages of developing its Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 program and had yet to record a podium finish.

“This was redemption at Daytona after last year,” said Hayes. “The drivers and crew executed a flawless race from start to finish, making for an incredibly rewarding weekend. It was a true pleasure to share the car with Alana, Sally, and Michele, and I hope we’ll have the opportunity to do it again. Thank you to Erin and the entire team for their support, hard work and for making this opportunity possible.”

Abbate echoed Hayes’ excitement, saying, “We did it! An iconic track with an iconic story. I am so proud of the entire AE Victory Racing Team. My teammates and I drove a flawless fourteen-hour race and it was everything I could’ve ever dreamed of personally for my debut at Daytona. I cannot express how grateful I am to be a part of this team and how proud I am of how our efforts are proving through our results. On to Road Atlanta!”

Next up, the six Shift Up Now Athletes on the AEVR team will head to Georgia for the next round of the 2026 WRL Championship, taking place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on July 24-26, 2026.

Fourth-Place Finish for Carter in Radical Cup Canada

Shift Up Now Athlete Alana Carter launched her 2026 Emzone Radical Cup Canada Championship campaign in strong form this past weekend, delivering a determined drive to secure a sixth-place finish in race one and an impressive fourth-place result in race two with FEL Motorsports.

Lining up seventh in a highly competitive 20-car field, Carter faced an early setback in race one, dropping back to ninth position on the opening laps. Showing resilience and racecraft, she methodically worked her way back through the field with decisive overtakes, ultimately crossing the line in sixth place overall and in class.

Building on that momentum, Carter returned in Race 2 with increased confidence and pace, battling at the front of the grid and narrowly missing out on a podium with a strong fourth-place finish — a clear indication of the team’s upward trajectory heading into the season.

Competing as part of the all-female Radical Academy team, Carter emphasized the progress made over the offseason and the strength of the program as a whole. With continued development and momentum on their side, the team is positioning itself as a serious contender for the 2026 championship.

“This weekend definitely showed us that we have the pace to be at the front and I'm so proud of this team,” said Carter. “I'm also very proud of my teammate, Sydney Cassels, who had a great debut in the series. Massive thanks to all my partners including Emzone, Vibrant Performance, Shift Up Now, ReactForge, Sim Hub Race Lounge, and Antara Marketing for all their support. I'm incredibly grateful for their help getting me out there this year and making my dreams a reality.”

With a strong start to the season and clear front-running pace, Carter and the Radical Academy eam now look ahead to the next round with confidence and determination.