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Dr. Jim Logan is the driving force behind Logan Racing and his goal is to field the first African-American owned IRL team to compete in the Indianapolis 500.  His team became the first black-owned group to run at the Texas Motor Speedway and in Other IRL events.

America's Center - Dr Jim Logan  has a dream, but he'll be the first to tell you it is an expensive one.  Logan, owner of Logan Racing is working on his goal of being the first African-American owned Indy racing League team to compete in the Indianapolis 500.  With the Memorial Day Weekend classic nearing, Logan faces long odd in getting his sleek, black Indy Car  into the 2002 race, however, he wants to compete during the current IRL season which lasts until September.

"I am the first African American owner to enter a car at Indianapolis, but because of the policies and some other things, we didn't get a chance to run during qualifying. We never ran the car," Logan said during the World Of Wheels Custom Auto Show held in St. Louis last week.

"We did run at Texas Motor Speedway in 2000, as the first African American owned team." When his driver, Billy Roe, took the checkered flag in qualifying for the Casino Magic 500, the St. Louis chiropractor became the first African-American with sole ownership of a team to put a car in the field of an Indy Racing event. This stretches back to the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. "I finally got a chance to qualify and make a race," said Logan as Roe pulled off the racing surface. "Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come in the future."

Logan's car is a 1999 Dallara / Oldsmobile / Firestone. It was assembled by a crew headed by David Bleke, a former Formula 2000 driver who owns a shop in Whiteland, Ind. The Oldsmobile engine was built by a new Chicago company, Indy Engine Development, formed by Matt Bradford and Bill and Gary Dyers. Logan competed in open-wheel racing as a car owned in USAC's Silver Bullet and Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Series. "And I was the first African-American owner in that division," he said.

Among his drivers has been Indy Racing regular Donnie Beechler. Logan first became involved in organized car racing when he raced his sons in quarter midgets during the late 1970's in southern Illinois. He joined USAC in 1993 and competed on a semi regular basis until this year, when he decided to join the Indy racing Northern Light Series.

Logan's partners include Gateway Classic Cars of Fairmont City, Illinois, the largest Classic Car Dealer in the Midwest specializing in classic, collector, antique, exotic and race cars in a complete indoor showroom.

Logan has the automotive experience, the drivers, and the technical know-how to produce a winning car, he explained. "The only things missing now are major marketing partnerships. As the only African-American owner, I'd like to see African-American owned businesses get behind us,' Logan said. "I think people do not realize what a bargain being a sponsor is. The races are televised worldwide, and up to 1 billion people watch some of them. You can't get that kind of exposure. Advertisers pay $1 million for a 30 second spot during the Super Bowl. When you compare that to our marketing opportunities you can see the value."

The investment to advertise a product or business on Logan's car runs from $10,000 to $125,000. If all the areas on the car were sold, it would be carrying almost $500,000 in advertising. "Even at that cost, other teams have no problems getting sponsors. I need for the African-American business community to back us in the same way," he said.

Marketing partners will also be supporting urban education, according to Logan. Logan Racing sponsors the "Race To Read" program, and the team is also backing an "Exposure to Engineering" plan. "Our goal is to be well financed, highly competitive, but we also want to give something back to the community," Logan said. "we're making history, for No. 1. No. 2, all of us like racing, we love racing. We're here doing what we really want to do. To make history on top of it is just a bonus. We're trying to open up this sport to people who haven't been here before, mechanics, technicians, engine builders and also as fans. So I think this is going to be good for the sport in the long run. Everything has to have a start and this is a good place to do it."

Logan, an Air Force veteran says, "There is no other way to feel coming from the lower classification of automobiles as far as racing is concerned, and to be able to participate is just a privilege. And this is a privilege to be involved with an organization such as this.