Kate Gundlach’s story is one you can’t help but cheer for. 

Chasing the next step in her motorsports career after studying engineering in college, she landed a systems engineering role with Chip Ganassi Racing, leading to her first NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in 2018 with Scott Dixon. She moved to Arrow McLaren in October 2019 and is now the performance engineer on the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet with Pato O’Ward. 

Proudly involved in the Indianapolis community, she is part of a group of women in STEM that helped shape the Indianapolis Children’s Museum’s Lilly and Girls in STEM exhibit. Kate’s efforts and passion for building diversity in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES paddock are clear through her involvement with programs like McLaren Engage with Path to the Pits. She uses her experience to assist women looking to get into motor sports to break down barriers and make a career in the field. 

In February 2023, she was announced as a finalist in Junior Achievement of Central Indiana's Indy’s Best & Brightest. On March 23, among 100 other young professionals in central Indiana, Kate was named the winner of the Technology category! 

We sat down with Kate following her achievement to discuss more about this opportunity, recognition and award. 

Question: When you were first nominated for this achievement with Indy’s Best & Brightest, how did that feel to be recognized? 

Kate Gundlach: “I had a teammate who saw this award and luckily thought of me after seeing the qualifications. It is very humbling to have any type of attention in that sense, honestly, because I’m so focused on my role here at Arrow McLaren during the season and in the offseason when this nomination took place. 

“Having that support is truly so humbling, because you don’t expect people to pay attention to have that recognition internally and thought to go external is so appreciated that I was considered for this award. It was such a supportive feeling. 

“When we first started having conversations about the application, I was like, ‘No way. This will never happen.’ There are so many people in Central Indiana that I see contributing to society, and then seeing my named selected as I finalist, I told myself ‘This is really interesting, and this is really cool.’ This is a pretty rare opportunity to be a part of this group, and I’m so appreciative and surprised. 

“I don’t often stop my focus in helping kids go fast in race cars to notice what I’m also contributing by working in motor sports. It’s a reminder that I have someone’s dream job and others want to know more about it, and it is great to build that momentum and it becomes more than helping these drivers go faster.” 

Question: There were 100 young professionals in central Indiana named as finalists. What was on your mind when you noticed such a diverse group of companies and individuals on the list? 

Kate: “I was able to meet so many people, and it was cool to have a meet-and-greet moment where I could meet some people nominated for their respective roles and fields. I got to talk to people in the non-profit world, law, education and others. It is so eye opening to see what their contributions are, and you start to think about how big the world is even right in front of you. 

“I made some new friends throughout this experience, and I am looking forward to volunteering with them and continuing to reach out to them to see how we can work together going forward. To see how many people are contributing to society, it makes me feel better about where we are going as a whole.” 

Question: What do you want others to know about this recognition as there were so many different categories involved? 

Kate: “In STEM there are a lot of awards out there, especially for those making advancements and major accomplishments. But, I think this award does more and goes a bit further. It doesn’t just measure the person’s accomplishments but factors in what they do for their communities and their respective disciplines. 

“The keynote speaker made a strong point, saying ‘Art influences every decision we ever make.’ I feel like that isn’t recognized as a discipline of something that should always be recognized. Coming from a family of artists, it was important to me to see that category of Arts included as well as Science. 

“There are people that excel in their field of law, finance, real estate, media and marketing, and even in those categories it was all about us bettering our communities. You’re blown away by those on stage who help their community and reach out to under-represented groups and the many ways they are giving back.  

“After talking with them, I can now look at their impact and think about how we can do more to give back as a race team as an important value to everyone here. Making these connections, you continue to see the impact we can have going forward to give more under-represented people the opportunity to learn about a path in motor sports. The mark we can leave in the world is much greater if we aren’t thinking just of ourselves.” 

Question: You were surrounded by your teammates from Arrow McLaren after winning the award, so tell us about having that support system around you. 

Kate: “My teammates here at Arrow McLaren prove that this team and organization is a family business. It’s a chosen family and I felt so supported, safe and part of a tribe when you have a group cheering for you at the event and away from the event. It goes back to being nominated and how humbling that was to start. 

“This all reminds you that we are a tribe and not just a working group. Everyone contributes, has a role, gives back and benefits with me. It is very special.” 

Question: In what way could you sum up winning this award and what it means going forward? 

Kate: “I recently read this quote, 'Instead of building a taller fence, you should build a longer table.' I think that perfectly sums up this award. You’ve reached a point where you are doing great work, but I know I still have lots to do and accomplish, but now it’s about including more people along the journey.  

“I want to reach more kids to hopefully be a role model or someone they can see striving for bigger things they may be passionate about. I want to prove to parents, too, that their kids will be safe and can make a living racing. 

“I haven’t had the perfect path to getting where I am today, but I want to share those experiences with others and hopefully make their paths easier and bring them along with me.”