Sean Hingorani hopes his historic win inspires others of Indian descent to pursue NASCAR careers

Sean Hingorani made his mark on the record books when he won the NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Irwindale Speedway on Apr. 1.

By fending off Landen Lewis in an intense battle that lasted for most of the evening, Hingorani with his victory became the first driver of Indian descent to score a victory in either NASCAR or one of ARCA’s three divisions.

Indian culture was a key part of Hingorani’s life during his childhood, which is why he was honored to represent those values during a major stock-car event in the United States.

“This means a lot,” Hingorani said. “Growing up, I spent plenty of time with my grandparents who are from India and celebrated all the holidays with them. To be the first driver of Indian descent to win a NASCAR race is very important to me.”

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The holidays allowed Hingorani to build strong bonds with his relatives and friends over food and commemorating Indian traditions. Some of his favorites are Diwali, which is a festival of lights that serves as the start of the new year in India; and Holi, a festival of colors that formally introduces Spring.

Hingorani’s fascination with India has only increased over the years, and he still wants to visit his grandparents’ home country soon. His trip to India had been planned, but it ended up being called off while the world dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Hingorani does find time in his busy schedule to travel to India, he intends to learn more from his extended family on how different life is in the country compared to the U.S., while also discussing his accomplishments as a stock-car driver.

Prior to Hingorani’s arrival in NASCAR, the most significant connection India had with the sport came from Narain Karthikeyan, who won the Most Popular Driver Award in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2010 after previously being the first Indian driver to break into Formula One five years earlier.

Hingorani believes NASCAR’s commitment to promoting diversity creates a path for more drivers like Karthikeyan to become involved. He hopes his triumph at Irwindale motivates others with a similar background to try auto racing for themselves.

“I’d love to see more diverse drivers get into [NASCAR],” Hingorani said. “There’s more coming in, which is great, but I want to see more people who are from India or are of Indian descent be a part of the sport, whether they are drivers or fans.”

For Hingorani, the best way to continue inspiring those of Indian descent is to follow the advice passed down by his team in Venturini Motorsports so he can become a factor in the ARCA Menards Series West championship.

After winning at Irwindale, Hingorani sits sixth in the West Series standings with a 13-point deficit to Tyler Reif following a tough race in the season-opener at Phoenix Raceway. Plenty of events remain for Hingorani to overcome that gap, but he knows consistency will be imperative to stay in contention across the next 10 races.

As he pursues a West Series crown, Hingorani plans to do everything he can to ensure Indians and those of Indian descent in the U.S. know about his story and how he is trying to establish a sustainable career in NASCAR.

He admitted his extended family in India has already gotten a head start on that mission.

“I’m getting all my ancestors, relatives and just about everyone I know from India invested into NASCAR,” Hingorani said. “They’ve all spread the word through their friends, as well. It’s helping a little bit but doing more through social media would be great, as well.”

While Hingorani is proud of his milestone win at Irwindale, he remains determined to leave behind a legacy in NASCAR that includes him being one of, if not the first driver of Indian descent to visit Victory Lane in the Cup Series.