Shift Up Now Foundation Awards $300,000 in Grants to Female Racers for 2026 Season

Indianapolis, IN - March 18, 2026 - The Shift Up Now Foundation is proud to announce that it is celebrating Women’s History Month by awarding just over $300,000 in grants this season to more than 15 talented female drivers who are making history across 10 different racing series.

Several of the highlighted grant recipients include:

• Ashley Freiberg, Loni Unser and Erika Hoffmann driving for Kellymoss in Pirelli SRO GT4 America, with Unser and Freiberg in the Silver class piloting the “Be Your Own Hero” entry, and Hoffmann teaming up with Jack Parriott in a separate entry
• Laura Hayes, driving the No. 37 Mercedes AMG GT4 for Dome Motorsport in Pirelli SRO GT4 America with teammate Eddie Killeen
• Sabré Cook returning to JDX Racing in Porsche Carrera Cup North America and debuting the the Type 992.2 Porsche 911 Cup car, with the introduction of Pirelli as the official series tire supplier
• Charlotte Traynor and Ellie Gosset in Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin, with Traynor driving the No. 43 entry for Parker DeLong Racing, and Gossett driving the No. 77 for BSI Racing
• Melanie Johnson—Shift Up Now’s first drag racer to receive a grant—competing in Top Alcohol Dragster for McPhillips Racing 
• Madelyn Tabor—Shift Up Now’s first rally racer to receive a grant—competing in the American Rally Association for Tabor Racing Team in the Limited 4 Wheel Drive (L4) class, driving a Ford Fiesta Rally 3 car

In addition, the Shift Up Now Foundation collectively decided to add both a winner and runner up for the Loni Unser Karting Scholarship. This will be the foundation’s first time awarding funds to kart racers, with Ashlyn Taylor chosen as the winner, and Maddie Grace in the runner-up spot.

The Shift Up Now Foundation was launched in December 2022 and lives alongside the Shift Up Now for-profit business. The foundation continues to strive for gender equality for female athletes in motorsport, and contributes to furthering the mission by accepting tax-deducible gifts, donations and grants.

This year marks the foundation’s fourth round of grants, and the funds distributed for 2026 will take the total number to more than $750,000 since the Shift Up Now Foundation was launched.

“Women’s History Month is a powerful reminder that progress for women in sport happens when opportunity meets investment,” said Ariel Ream, CEO of the Shift Up Now Foundation. “With this year’s grants, the Shift Up Now Foundation will have distributed more than three-quarters of a million dollars since our launch in 2022—an important milestone that reflects our deep commitment to opening doors for talented female drivers. We’re proud to support athletes competing across an expanding range of racing disciplines, from sports cars to rally and drag racing, and to continue building a stronger, more equitable future for women in motorsport.”

The 2026 racing season is already underway. Fans and supporters can follow along by checking out the Shift Up Now racing calendar to find out when the various Athletes will be on track. 

Want to join the movement and help the foundation continue providing opportunities to talented female racers? Donations can be made to the Shift Up Now Foundation at ShiftUpNow.org.