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LEGACY of the
To understand the road ahead, you need a rear-view mirror. Force Indy runs the #99 to honor Rajo Jack, and, by extension, to connect our legacy with his, along with Charlie Wiggins before him and Willy T. Ribbs after him, all of them open-wheel pioneers. We're reclaiming the #99 to make it a winner, just as Rajo Jack should have been. Our red-tailed car also honors the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen, Black aces who prevailed in WWII combat—and against the racism that segregated their squadron.
Photo: Rajo Jack sitting in his #99 car.
A skilled mechanic and an equally talented driver, Rajo Jack just wanted to race, and quickly became known for his winning ways. After all the car numbers he chose to run, he inherited the #99 on a secondhand car he bought sight unseen for its alleged winning reputation, but that turned out to be a broken-down relic – and the last car of his career.
Teams and drivers strive to win in every form of motorsport – but some competitors face more obstacles than others on their way to victory and fame. Just as Charlie Wiggins did in 1920, Dewey Gatson, known as "Rajo Jack" (pronounced "Rah-jo") applied to run in the Indy 500 in 1937 and for a decade after that, only to see his application rejected year after year.
Photo: Rajo Jack.
Photo: Charlie Wiggins and his wife Roberta, after winning the Gold & Glory Sweepstakes in 1926.
Photo: Tuskegee Airmen - Circa May 1942 to August 1943 location unknown, likely Southern Italy or North Africa.
Photo: Willy T Ribbs, the first African American driver to compete in the Indy 500.
Photo: The 332nd's aircraft had distinctive markings that gave them the name "Red Tails."
In 2021, the #99 became the first car driven by a Black driver to win an INDYCAR-sanctioned race. We have miles of winning ahead of us – and a legacy behind us, urging us on.
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