Fresh off the high-octane thrill of the 2025 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, the roar of engines barely had time to fade before another wave of racing fever gripped Michigan. From the tight turns of downtown Detroit to the wide-open speed of Brooklyn’s Michigan International Speedway for NASCAR, with back-to-back race weekends, the state continues to be a motorsports mecca, showcasing not just horsepower but heart, heritage, and high stakes.
This year’s Grand Prix wasn’t only about cars speeding through the streets of downtown. It was about reclaiming the Motor City’s automotive legacy through a cultural lens, one driven by creativity, representation, and a sense of purpose.
Murals painted by young artists from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) lined the event space, community groups hosted tech showcases, and the presence of Black-owned Curry Motorsports sent a clear message: the future of racing includes everyone.
One of the most visible reflections of the Grand Prix’s community commitment came in the form of bold, eye-catching murals designed by BGCSM youth. This year marked the third consecutive year of partnership between the Grand Prix and the organization and the third year in which their artwork transformed the venue landscape into a gallery of aspiration and identity.
Michael Montri, President of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, presented by Lear, highlighted that the Grand Prix helps celebrate the city’s rich culture, along with the talent in the Detroit community.
“Thanks to the support of our dedicated Community Partners, the Grand Prix is able to create and foster unique engagement opportunities that give students across the City of Detroit an opportunity to shine,” Montri said.
And now, as the last streaks of tire marks fade from the track, the real story continues one that stretches from Detroit to Abu Dhabi, where a group of five BGCSM teens represented the city of Detroit on a global stage, coding autonomous vehicles and exploring the future of smart mobility.
Last summer, BGCSM traveled to Abu Dhabi, where they participated in an international mobility coding program centered on autonomous vehicle development. The trip, organized through a partnership with global technology firms and mobility researchers, represents a bold leap forward in preparing Detroit youth for the industries of the future.
The students collaborated to solve real-world transportation challenges using artificial intelligence, software programming, and design thinking. They’ll also tour innovation hubs and engage with mobility startups leading the autonomous revolution.
16-year-old Christian D says he was a bit nervous about taking the 12-plus hour flight out of the country but learned that he works well in a team setting.
“We were working most of the time, we were coding,” Christian said.
“We would get two test hours every day. We would use those hours to test out our code and make sure everything was going well. Before this trip, I’ve always loved technology, so this has helped me love it even more.”
BGCSM Sonya Draper, Executive Director of Talent & Innovation, emphasized that the trip reflects the organization’s mission to provide exposure and access to youth from underserved communities.
“We’re on the pathway for providing economic mobility for our youth,” Draper said.
“We like to be ahead of the curve,providing our youth with exposure and exploration to careers that are thriving. These opportunities are vital for our youth, especially dealing with Black and Brown youth who aren’t normally exposed.”
At the heart of Detroit’s continued passion for motorsports’ progress stands Curry Motorsports, the city’s first Black-owned racing team, founded by former University of Michigan football standout Julius Curry.
Curry Motorsports made a visible impact during the Grand Prix weekend, announcing its upcoming 5-week engine-building summer boot camp. They received a $25,000 investment, and it’s in partnership with the Detroit Auto Dealers Association and the Detroit Auto Show. Through these kinds of partnerships and technical training programs, Curry is building a pipeline that specifically introduces Black and Brown youth to careers in racing, automotive engineering, and high-performance vehicle technology.
“We wanted to just be a part of something in Detroit where we can really make sure we’re making an impact,” Curry said recently during the check presentation.
The significance of introducing Black youth to motorsports goes beyond education. It touches on culture, history, and identity. The late Wendell Scott, the first Black driver to win a NASCAR race, has paved the way for racers such as 22-year-old Rajah Caruth, William Alexander Lester III, Formula One icon Lewis Hamilton, and Bubba Wallace, who have become symbolic beacons for young racers of color. Yet the representation gap remains wide.
Groups like the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia and Detroit’s own mobility boot camps have shown how high-impact programs can shift narratives and open doors. The Grand Prix’s focus on inclusive programming is part of a national movement to diversify what’s long been a homogenous sport.
While the Grand Prix weekend delivered high-speed thrills and packed crowds, its broader impact is being felt far beyond the stands.
Grand Prix Chair Bud Denker spoke with youth media correspondents from BGCSM ahead of the Grand Prix about the significance of inclusion and the economic impact of the event on Detroit. He emphasized the importance of making the 2025 Grand Prix one of the most inclusive events that the city has ever seen.
“The fact that you can come down for half of our racetrack and watch for free, No. 1, that’s pretty good inclusion,” Denker said.
“The fact that we allow these Boys and Girls Clubs of Michigan to come in [through] an artistic program, a Photoshop program, to design our barrier walls which are so beautiful, and the fact that we’ve now got correspondence courses with you all to have you get experience and doing what everyone else is doing is all a part of being inclusive.”
Though the checkered flags have been waved and the engines silenced, the 2025 Detroit Grand Prix has left behind more than memories. It’s left momentum a renewed commitment to equity in education, innovation in mobility, and access in motorsports.
With Curry Motorsports championing representation on the track, BGCSM students showcasing their coding skills on the world stage, and a city invested in nurturing its next generation of builders and dreamers, Detroit isn’t just preserving its automotive legacy. It’s evolving it.
“Opportunities such as these will set these youth up on a pathway for success,” Draper said.
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