Taylor Lynn Ferns Bio
Taylor Lynn Ferns (born December 12, 1995) is an American racing driver, team owner, lawyer, writer for SpeedSport, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She last competed part-time in Indy NXT driving for Abel Motorsports, as well as in the USAC Silver Crown Series driving for her own team, Taylor Ferns Racing. Her multifaceted career spans competitive motorsports, legal practice, automotive journalism, and charitable advocacy.
Ferns represents a new generation of racing professionals who combine elite athletic pursuit with advanced academic credentials and business acumen. She earned her Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in May 2024 and holds an MBA from Wayne State University alongside an undergraduate degree in finance and economics from Grand Valley State University. Her background uniquely positions her at the intersection of motorsports governance, entrepreneurship, and competitive driving.
Early Life and Background
Taylor Lynn Ferns was born and raised in Shelby Township, Michigan, in the United States. She grew up in a motorsports-oriented family, with her uncles racing late models and stock cars in Michigan during the 1980s and 1990s. That environment immersed her in racing culture from a young age and shaped her understanding of the sport’s traditions and demands.
Her father formally introduced her to racing when she was six years old, placing her in a quarter midget — a small, entry-level open-wheel category designed for young drivers. That early start gave her a foundation in car control and racecraft that few competitors can match in terms of sheer developmental timeline. Growing up in Michigan, a state with deep roots in American motorsports, provided her with access to regional tracks and a community of racers who supported her progression through the developmental ranks.
Path to Indy NXT
Ferns built her racing resume through developmental open-wheel categories before advancing to national-level competition. Her path reflects both persistence and a willingness to compete across different disciplines, from regional midget and sprint car events to the higher-profile series that serve as feeders to IndyCar. Alongside her driving career, she pursued higher education with deliberate focus, earning degrees that would later inform her work as a team owner and advocate.
Her education at Grand Valley State University, Wayne State University, and Wayne State University Law School produced a rare combination of legal training, business knowledge, and financial literacy within the paddock. In 2023, she launched The Safety Bank, a charitable initiative designed to make racing safety gear more accessible to competitors who might otherwise be unable to afford proper equipment. In 2024, she announced a partnership with the Shift Up Now Foundation, extending her impact beyond the track into advocacy and driver support. These initiatives reflect her commitment to using her platform to improve conditions across the motorsports community.
Taylor Lynn Ferns Career
Indy NXT Career
Ferns competed part-time in Indy NXT, the premier development series for IndyCar, driving for Abel Motorsports. Her participation in the series placed her on the same stages as some of the most promising young open-wheel drivers in North America. Abel Motorsports, her team in Indy NXT, is a respected organization with a history of developing competitive entries in the Road to Indy ladder system.
Beyond Indy NXT, Ferns fielded her own team, Taylor Ferns Racing, in the USAC Silver Crown Series, demonstrating her ability to operate at both the driver and team owner levels. Running her own program requires managing logistics, sponsorship, equipment, and personnel — responsibilities that her legal and business education directly support. Her simultaneous involvement as a competitor and entrepreneur across two distinct racing series is uncommon and highlights her versatility within the sport.
Taylor Ferns Racing Era
Through Taylor Ferns Racing, Ferns entered the USAC Silver Crown Series as both driver and team principal. The Silver Crown Series is one of the oldest and most prestigious dirt-track open-wheel championships in the United States, demanding a blend of oval and dirt-track skill that tests drivers in ways that pavement-only series do not. Her decision to field her own team reflected both confidence in her operational capabilities and a desire to create opportunities for herself and potentially other drivers in a series where ride availability is often limited.
Driving Style and Strengths
Ferns’ quarter-midget foundation and her experience across both pavement and dirt surfaces give her a versatile skill set suited to the varied demands of open-wheel racing. Her academic background in finance, business, and law contributes to her strategic approach to race weekend preparation and team operations. Her dual role as driver and team owner requires her to balance competitive focus with business management — a combination that demands discipline and clear prioritization.
Notable Races and Milestones
Her participation in Indy NXT with Abel Motorsports marked a significant milestone, placing her in one of the most competitive developmental open-wheel series in the world. Her entry into the USAC Silver Crown Series through her own team represented an entrepreneurial milestone in her racing career, demonstrating that she could build and operate a competitive motorsports organization while continuing to drive at a high level. Her launch of The Safety Bank in 2023 stands as a career milestone beyond the track, reflecting a commitment to driver welfare that extends to the broader racing community.
Taylor Lynn Ferns Career Wins
Indy NXT and USAC Silver Crown Highlights
Ferns has competed at the Indy NXT level with Abel Motorsports and in the USAC Silver Crown Series with Taylor Ferns Racing, representing two distinct disciplines within American open-wheel racing. Her Indy NXT participation placed her in the direct pathway to IndyCar, while her USAC Silver Crown involvement connected her to one of the country’s most historic dirt-track racing series. Specific win totals and top finishes for each series are not currently available in verified sources.
Other Wins and Performances
Ferns’ early career included extensive developmental racing on quarter midgets and regional sprint car competition in Michigan, though specific win records from those years are not currently documented in verified sources available. Her career highlights are defined as much by her cross-disciplinary achievements — her law degree, her team ownership, and her philanthropic work — as by any single race result.
Taylor Lynn Ferns Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Ferns was born and raised in Shelby Township, Michigan, in a family where motorsports was a multi-generational presence. Her uncles raced late models and stock cars in Michigan during the 1980s and 1990s, providing her with early exposure to competitive racing as a spectator and participant. Her father played a direct role in her racing development, introducing her to quarter midget racing at the age of six and guiding her first steps in the sport.
Personal Life
Beyond her racing career, Ferns pursued higher education at Grand Valley State University, where she earned a degree in finance and economics, followed by an MBA from Wayne State University and a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in May 2024. She has worked as a writer for SpeedSport, contributing automotive journalism to a well-regarded motorsports publication. Her philanthropic efforts through The Safety Bank and the Shift Up Now Foundation partnership demonstrate her commitment to giving back to the racing community. No verified information is currently available regarding her marital status or children.
2025 Season Performance
Taylor Lynn Ferns entered 2025 having recently earned her Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School and established herself as both an active competitor and a team owner. Her part-time Indy NXT program with Abel Motorsports alongside her own Taylor Ferns Racing entry in the USAC Silver Crown Series reflects a dual-discipline approach that allows her to remain competitive across different racing formats while managing her legal career and philanthropic initiatives.
Her 2024 partnership with the Shift Up Now Foundation and the ongoing work of The Safety Bank positioned her as an active voice in driver welfare advocacy heading into 2025. Her combination of legal training, business education, and hands-on racing experience gives her a distinctive platform within American motorsports. As she continues to compete and manage her own team, Ferns represents a model of the modern multidisciplinary racing professional.