UW Grad Hits Track and Breaks Barriers

Oconomowoc and UW grad Yuven Sundaramoorthy Hits Track and Breaks Barriers

WATCH THE INTERVIEW ON TMJ CHANNEL 4

It's already been an eventful offseason for racer Yuven Sundaramoorthy. Graduating from UW-Madison with a degree in computer science, in 3 1/2 years.

"You go through high school, trying to get good grades to get into college," Yuven Sundaramoorthy says. "And then you go through college, trying to get good grades to graduate. So that's one, definitely one big weight off my shoulder.”

Now for more, in 2024, Sundaramoorthy will drive on the IndyCar NXT series. One step from making history. He's the first Indian-American in the series, with the goal of getting to the IndyCar Series.

"Yeah, it definitely at first was pretty huge," Sundaramoorthy says. "And seeing my name on different sites like Motorsport.com and all that stuff. And it all kind of is coming together, realizing that everything is kind of going where it is. So I'm excited to keep going and I think still have a chance at succeeding at all of the above which would be a pretty cool thing. Especially for my community and for the state as a whole."

And now for name recognition. Which even Yuven admits, gives him fits.

"That's the problem. I don't say it properly," Sundaramoorthy says. "They always get mad at me. My uncle especially. He gets really mad at me when they, people ask me how to say my name and I say it and he's like, that's not how you say it but.”

He's raced at Road America. Now he gets to compete even closer to his hometown of Oconomowoc. Sundaramoorthy says it'll be very surreal when he'll race at the Milwaukee Mile.

"Obviously no longer going to be in school," Sundaramoorthy says. "So, that'll be a different thing. But still have tons of friends who are around here and it's 20 minutes from my house. I can stay at my house, which will be really nice."

With the goal one day, of hearing his name before the Indy 500.

"Definitely, definitely have," Sundaramoorthy says. "I mean I went to the race a couple years back, right before Covid. And that was a really cool event. And just being able to see that, is something amazing."

What a day it would be to see Yuven represent Wisconsin, the Badgers, and his Indian heritage in IndyCar and the Indy 500 some day.