The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is a large community built on collaboration.

That spirit has helped Mystique Ro, a 31-year-old from Nokesville, Virginia, toward her Olympic dream.

Ro is competing on the IBSF Skeleton World Cup as she pursues a spot on the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team for the Winter Games in Italy. The World Cup opened Nov. 21 at the Cortina Sliding Centre and continued with stops in Igls, Austria, on Nov. 29 and Lillehammer, Norway, on Dec. 13.

Reaching this level of competition required more than dedication. Ro faced an urgent challenge before the start of the World Cup. She needed a new sled capable of meeting Olympic-level specifications. Skeleton athletes, she explained, often source their own equipment, whether buying, renting or engineering customized solutions.

“I was working with a couple of teammates to try and tune up my sled and make it fit me more custom,” Ro said. “We’re all different heights and builds, so to make the sled specific to me, there were some things we had to adjust. We were working with another company, but our schedules never (aligned) and it put me in a difficult spot.”

Ro needed a carbon-fiber sled with Olympic modifications. A friend suggested she reach out to Cara Krstolic, Firestone Racing’s Executive Director of Race Tire Engineering and Production. Firestone is preparing for its 27th consecutive season in 2026 as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ exclusive tire supplier and remains deeply embedded within the paddock.

Krstolic knew exactly where to turn.

She connected Ro with Nick Snyder, Performance Director at Arrow McLaren, in addition to introducing her to a design engineer at Dallara. Together, Arrow McLaren and Dallara volunteered their time and efforts while designing and manufacturing a new carbon-fiber sled in just one week -- well in advance for Ro to use on the World Cup circuit.

Dallara, the exclusive INDYCAR SERIES chassis supplier, added a new distinction to its résumé: producing an Olympic-level skeleton sled. Entering 2026, Dallara-built cars have won 397 INDYCAR SERIES races.

“It was a combination of effort from everyone,” Ro said. “It was exactly what we asked for. They went above and beyond, cutting holes for the post, making sure the shape and height were right. It looks great.

“The flexibility on my original sled was very noticeable. We needed something more responsive and stiffer. We took what we learned from the pod we built two years ago and brought it to this new one. It’s visually edgy, more angular. I’m very comfortable with it.”

Ro said there are more similarities between skeleton and racing than people might expect. Skeleton athletes navigate tracks at high speed, sometimes experiencing more than five G-forces through corners, requiring precision, quick reflexes and vision -- traits shared with NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers. She often studies race car driver training techniques to enhance her own performance.

“I watch more racing so I can kind of see the similarities, the terminology, the feel and learn what they're talking about,” Ro said. “That also helps me with visualization of how to transfer what they do into what we do. Just taking a bit of education from racing and applying it to skeleton. It's been really interesting.”

Ro entered the World Cup season as a proven contender, having earned individual silver and mixed team gold at the 2025 World Championships in Lake Placid. With her new sled, she hopes to secure her place at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, set for Feb. 6-22 in Italy.

“I still have to qualify, but I’ve been riding this sled and breaking it in,” Ro said. “It’s starting to articulate with the curves and different pressure feeling. It’s a good sign. Theoretically, if all goes well, then this sled will be in the (Olympic) Games for sure.”