Michael Harmon, an Air Force Veteran and Graphic Designer for Chip Ganassi Racing poses with the Be The One 10 Car at Chip Ganassi Racing Headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind. Photo by Hilary Ott /The American Legion

Veterans of INDYCAR: Michael Harmon

Throughout the 2023 INDYCAR season, we’ll be highlighting veterans who work within the racing series, whether for Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR), INDYCAR or other racing teams.

To kick off the series, we’re highlighting Michael Harmon, CGR’s Lead Graphic Designer and Graphic Department Group Leader. Harmon, who served in the U.S Air Force from 1992-1996, designed the livery for the No. 10 car that will be driven by 2021 INDYCAR SERIES champ Alex Palou in multiple races. Harmon is in his seventh season with CGR and resides in Charlottesville, Ind., which is less than 40 miles from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Harmon spoke with American Legion Social Media Manager Steven B. Brooks about his role with CGR and what it means to be a part of the Legion’s “Be the One” veteran suicide-prevention initiative.

The American Legion: How did you end up working for Chip Ganassi Racing?

Michael Harmon: By luck. I was working at a sign shop, and I headed up the wrap department over there. But it wasn’t where I wanted to be. The guy on the other side of the cubicle from me was a good friend of mine, and he received a phone call, and he stood up, looked over the cubicle and said, “You’re going to want to take this.” And I took it, and it was the person who used to be the HR person here, and she was just calling around because they needed a graphic designer … and just by chance I was looking. That was pretty awesome. I’ve always been a motorsports fan, so that was pretty nice.

Question: What was it like being able to have a hand in designing this livery, especially knowing the mission behind the “Be the One” campaign and your military background?

Harmon: It was a little emotional. When you’re designing stuff and you’re in the middle of it, you kind of just need to block everything out and focus on designing. But when you get done with it, that’s when you can reflect on what it’s about and what it displays. When you think about it, it does make the hairs stand up on your arms a little bit. There’s not a lot that I feel I can contribute to help anything, so my design aesthetic and making the car look good is where I feel like I can bring attention to it. You guys have obviously done all the legwork and power thinking behind (“Be the One”), so I just try to keep up with you guys. But it’s a special moment. Not a lot of people that go to the races understand what it takes to dedicate yourself to the military. I went to the Air Force for four years. It was like going to college for me. But I’ve got really good friends, and they’ve seen some stuff and sacrificed to be the military for everybody else. It’s staggering.

Question: What’s it like being a part of an organization (CGR) that has decided to support our mission of “Be the One” and trying to stem that tide of veteran suicides that has been a problem for a while?

Harmon: It gives you a different perspective of Chip and this organization that they’re thinking about this stuff. Chip’s been in this industry for 30 years, and he’s been so successful at it. And he’s taken his time to think about this stuff, and it just puts him in a different light for me. He’s not just an owner now. The more and more I have interaction with him, I can see he actually cares about stuff.