Racing legend A.J. Foyt is celebrating turning 87 on Sunday by adding a new driver to his IndyCar team.
A.J. Foyt Racing has announced that Tatiana Calderón will drive the No. 11 car during the 2022 season and become the first female driver with a full-time ride in the IndyCar series since 2013.
Calderón, 28, has spent the past four years as a test and development driver for the Alfa Romeo Formula One team while competing in several racing series, including Formula Two and Japan's Super Formula.
Tech and entertainment company ROKiT will sponsor Calderón, who will team with Kyle Kirkwood and Dalton Kellett in A.J. Foyt Racing's three-car effort.
Calderón tested in one of the team's cars at Mid-Ohio last July, putting in an impressive performance that sealed the deal.
"I can’t wait to get to St. Petersburg for the first race of the season! I’m well aware of the challenge ahead, but this is the chance of a lifetime and I’m keen on making the most of it," Calderón said in a news release on her signing.
Calderón won't be at every race, however. As Jimmie Johnson did in 2020, she will be skipping the oval tracks the series visits in her rookie year, including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A part-time driver will fill in for her at those events.
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2019 marked the first year since 1999 that no female driver had appeared during an Indycar season, but last year's Indy 500 featured the Paretta Autosport car with Simona de Silvestro the wheel for the one-off event and the team is aiming to return for the 2022 race.
Danica Patrick remains the only woman who has won an event in the IndyCar series and its predecessors, taking the checkered flag at the Japan 300 in 2008.
This story has been updated with additional details