Im 16. How do I get good enough to race in the Indy Racing League?

First congratulations on pursuing your dream. You already know it's a lot of work and a long shot at best, but you are doing it anyway. You deserve a lot of credit for that. Lots of IndyCar drivers got started in karts.

First, you should start racing karts in an organized league, against serious competition. You'll also meet other people who can help coach you and develop your skills. And you'll find out how talented you are, and if you have the ability to pursue a racing career. Don't be discouraged if you get annihilated by a 12-year old at first. Half the joy of racing is the self-improvement you'll see over time. You might want to explore USAC midgets or quarter midgets. Try http://www.usacracing.com/ as a starting place to look for clubs near you. Lots of drivers like Sarah Fisher and Tony Stewart raced midgets early in their careers.

When you are ready to start racing bigger machines, you'll need a competition license from an appropriate sanctioning body. NASA http://www.nasaproracing.com/aboutnasa/ is a good place to start. You can begin with an unmodified street car, so it makes learning more affordable. You'll get instruction and will work you way up the Performance Driving Education ladder until you have the skills and judgement needed to compete wheel-to-wheel. Once you get there, you'll need a race car with appropriate safety equipment, but that is a ways off. There are other sanctioning bodies and PDE programs, but NASA is available pretty much anywhere. You'll also meet a great bunch of like-minded motorsports fans who will be happy to provide constructive advice.

There are also a number of race schools, like Skip Barber, and many others that you can find online, but they are an expensive way to get started and explore your interest in driving. For my money, you can race karts a whole season or take 10 PDE courses for the cost of a single weekend at a commercial course.

Finally, I found a nice site that outlines a number of different racing schools and paths. It was http://www.iwannagoracing.com/ but I just checked and it is currently parked. I hope it's back up soon.

Good Luck and have fun.

I think the point is that there is no one specific way to "make it" into IndyCar racing. FWIW, most of the drivers in today's Indy 500 had experience driving various types of formula, including some kart racing, in Europe before they ever got to Indy. Of course, much of that is because the majority of drivers in today's Indy 500 were not Americans. If you look through the current Indy driver bios or career stats, you'll very likely find a way to "get there" that would suit you. Unfortunately, you might find the big secret to "getting in" has more to do with any sponsorship you may bring and less about your talent level right now. The IICS has several "ride buyers" filling out the grid. Most of those drivers were literally signed to deals 1-3 weeks before the season started by their teams. Before that time, it was unknown if those teams would even answer the bell for 2010.

The IRL now sanctions what they call "The Road to Indy" which includes Indy Lights, Star Mazda and USF2000. However, one wonders how smooth that "Road" is when the winner of this week's Indy Lights race at IMS was Wade Cunningham. It was his third Indy Pro/Lights win at IMS, his 25th Indy Pro/Lights win overall and he won the Indy Pro championship in 2005. If the "Road to Indy" stops before the 500 for someone who has proved himself like Wade Cunningham but opens for someone bringing millions in sponsorship dollars like Milka Duno, exactly what does that say about the importance of racing talent? If Danica Patrick was "Dave Patrick" and "he" had the same racing resume, do you think GoDaddy would be paying millions to sponsor "his" car? In the cash strapped world known as IndyCar Racing, talent is an afterthought, not a prerequisite. Sadly, a trash can full of money will get you a ride more than a boatload of wins in lower formula will anymore.

Do you know how you become a millionaire through racing? You start with 2 million.