Julia Steinbrenner will step into a leadership role at Steinbrenner Racing, which partners with Andretti Autosport in the fielding of the No. 29 Honda driven by Canadian rookie Devlin DeFrancesco, as she joins the team in a new co-ownership position alongside her brother George Michael Steinbrenner IV.

With Steinbrenner IV turning his attention towards fulfilling a new and unspecified role with the family-owned New York Yankees baseball team, Julia Steinbrenner will move in the opposite direction to run the Steinbrenner Racing program in his absence.

“Not only am I excited to join forces with my brother at Steinbrenner Racing from a family perspective, but I also love the sport,” she said. “As kids, we not only grew up watching baseball, but we grew up watching racing as well. During the season, it was always on in our house. I’m immensely proud of what George has achieved so far with Steinbrenner Racing, and I’m looking forward to working together to further advance our program.

“I’ve learned so much about the sport since George started the team. I have been a part of the Yankees organization for eight years, and I hope to bring a lot of that experience into my role with Steinbrenner Racing. George and I work really well together, and we’re excited to continue to build Steinbrenner Racing and develop our own legacy within motorsports.

“The future looks very bright at the moment for our sport and our team. For our IndyCar program with Andretti this year, we have a great collection of partners for Devlin’s rookie season with a heavy focus on green tech industries.”

Steinbrenner comes to the racing team after building her managerial skills as co-president of the New York Yankees Tampa Foundation.

“We’re seeing more women in all sports – not just in racing,” she said. “We have a female manager in the Yankees system, there are female referees and coaches across many sports.  The growing presence of women in sports shows that what you can contribute to your field matters more than your gender.

“There are thousands of women like me that grew up loving this sport, and it’s very exciting to see more and more of us get involved across all aspects.”