East Lansing racer Shekyla King is moving from karting toward open-wheel competition. FOX 2 Detroit reports that she qualified as the youngest female open-wheel licensed driver in SCCA history.
The milestone, reported by FOX 2 Detroit, comes as King takes her motorsport career into high gear. Her rise did not happen overnight. According to thelascopress.com, King was introduced to karting at the East Lansing Kart Track in 2020 by her stepfather, Rickey King. In its September 2025 profile, the outlet described her as an 11-year-old racing prodigy from East Lansing who had already become a multi-time kart racing champion.
What an SCCA license means
The Sports Car Club of America says drivers with driver's-school credit recorded on a novice permit can compete in regional events and may upgrade to a full competition license after three successful weekends. SCCA also says a minor without a driver's license must be at least 14, have previous racing experience and complete an interview with a Divisional Licensing Administrator to pursue its competition-license process. Its guidance does not establish which steps King completed.
From Kid Karts to Track Champion
King's track record includes both championship and season honors. The Lasco Press profile reports that she won the East Lansing Kart Track Kid Kart Championship in 2021 and, in 2024, became the first female in 25 years to receive the track's Driver of the Year honor.
Her 2025 results added two more titles: the West Michigan Kart League LO206 Championship and the East Lansing Kart Track's Swift Series Championship, according to the profile. It also reports that she won 14 of 15 starts over two weekends in August and, when the story was published, led the East Lansing Kart Track Jr. Sportsman LO206 points standings with two race weekends remaining.
A Roadmap That Points Toward Indy
The Lasco Press reported that King and her team had outlined a multi-year progression: Michigan late-model and modified division short-track racing in 2026, the Skip Barber Racing Series in 2027, and nationwide competition in the Formula 2000 Series in 2028.
According to the profile, King's long-term ambition is to become the first Filipino female IndyCar driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Her reported SCCA milestone and karting results are part of her record to date; the next stages described by the profile remain a planned progression.
License scope and Indy 500 history
The SCCA's published road-racing guidance describes its own licensing process, but does not establish that an SCCA competition license by itself meets eligibility requirements for the USF Pro Championships. It therefore does not answer whether King would need to meet separate series requirements. SCCA licensing guidance For historical context, INDYCAR reports that Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for and compete in the Indianapolis 500 in 1977, and finished ninth at Indianapolis in 1978. That milestone provides context for King's stated ambition, not a prediction of her prospects.
