Indy NXT – Syndication Server

USAC standout Ferns joins Abel Motorsports for oval Indy NXT races

Abel Motorsports will welcome USAC midget, sprint car and Silver Crown talent Taylor Ferns to its Indy NXT team for a four-race oval program. She joins the three full-time drivers led by Jacob Abel, Yuven Sundaramoorthy and John Mason. Ferns will …

Ferns will make her debut at Iowa Speedway and return for the races at World Wide Technology Raceway, the Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Speedway.

“I’m so grateful to Abel Motorsports and everyone who helped put this together,” Ferns said. “Excited is an understatement. Indy NXT has been on my radar for several years and I’m so happy to have it come to fruition, especially with partners like Bradford Allen believing in me and giving me the resources to fulfill a life-long dream. I know the team has been strong on ovals, with Jacob (Abel) taking pole at Iowa last year, so I know we will have a strong effort.”

Team owner Bill Abel has seen his single-car team undergo meaningful expansion during the offseason to add rising stars from all forms of racing.

“Taylor is a true racer,” he said. “She understands what’s involved in transitioning from Silver Crown and sprint cars to the Indy NXT car, and I’m confident that she’ll do well.

“It would be great if her experience re-opens the pipeline from USAC to this form of racing — we’ve seen drivers be successful in the very recent past. I know we’ll be able to transfer a good deal of knowledge about the car to her, but I’m sure we’ll learn a lot from her as well. We’re looking forward to getting her started on a testing program and see how things turn out — I’m sure she’ll do really well.”

Siegel dominates St. Petersburg Indy NXT opener

Nolan Siegel made a championship statement in the first race of the 2024 Indy NXT by Firestone season. The 19-year-old HMD Motorsports driver, who started from the pole, was never seriously challenged in leading all 45 laps at St. Petersburg. …

Siegel, starting from the pole, was never seriously challenged in leading all 45 laps. masterfully executed the start of the race, then handled a pair of late restarts to score his third career series victory and third win in the past 11 races. His final margin over Jacob Abel was 1.3959s, but he led by nearly seven seconds before the first caution occurred.

Best of all, Siegel looked the part of the driver signed for four NTT IndyCar Series races this season by Dale Coyne Racing and, of course, a title favorite in this series.

“It feels amazing,” the driver of the No. 39 HMD Motorsports entry said in victory lane. “We’ve worked hard for this. First (series) pole this weekend, led every lap. (I) should have won here last year — I made a mistake and redeemed myself today.

“The car was fantastic; the pace was there. It made it easy to drive. I’m so happy to start the season this way.”

Even Siegel acknowledged what this domination means for the rest of the Indy NXT by Firestone season. Now, the field is chasing him.

“I think it’s definitely making a statement,” he said. “We’re going to be the car to beat this season and I’d like to keep it up front as much as possible all the way throughout the year.”

For the weekend performance, Siegel earned the maximum number of points – 54 – and will take a 14-point lead over Abel heading to the next race, the Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, April 28. Between now and then Siegel will drive Dale Coyne Racing’s No. 18 Honda in the IndyCar $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club in Southern California on Sunday, March 24.

Abel was left to ponder what could have been. This second-place finish in the No. 51 Abel Construction machine was his third such result over the past two seasons, including following Siegel to the finish line last June at Road America. But Abel also deftly held back Louis Foster, another of the season’s championship favorites, in a spirited late-race, three-car battle for the podium positions behind Siegel.

Foster, who drives the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry of Andretti Global, finished third, with series rookie Michael d’Orlando grabbing fourth. D’Orlando was only four days removed from signing to drive the No. 3 Andretti Cape Indy NXT entry.

The season began relatively smoothly, with the first lap of the race nearly clean until Josh Pierson tried an inside pass of Jamie Chadwick entering Turn 13. Chadwick got the worst of the contact and was pushed wide in the No. 28 VEXT entry of Andretti Global. Pierson continued in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports car but was penalized for avoidable contact.

Siegel had his largest lead with 13 laps to go when rookie Bryce Aron hit the wall with Andretti Global’s No. 27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield machine in Turn 10. That brought out the race’s first caution.

The second stoppage came four laps later when series newcomer Jack William Miller, the son of former IndyCar driver Dr. Jack Miller, bounced off the Turn 3 wall with the left side of the No. 40 Patterson Dental Haven Go by SAAM entry of Miller Vinatieri Motorsports entry. Neither he nor Aron was injured.

Reece Gold rounded out the top five in the No. 10 HMD Motorsports entry after being penalized three positions for improperly moving out of line at the start of the race. The field featured 21 car-and-driver combinations, the largest for a series-opening race since 2009.

RESULTS

Siegel romps to maiden Indy NXT pole in St. Petersburg

Nolan Siegel’s first career pole in Indy NXT by Firestone came at the right time Saturday. In the first race of the season, Siegel was in the first qualifying group for the Indy NXT by Firestone of St. Petersburg, proving to be the difference amid a …

Nolan Siegel’s first career pole in Indy NXT by Firestone came at the right time Saturday.

In the first race of the season, Siegel was in the first qualifying group for the Indy NXT by Firestone of St. Petersburg, proving to be the difference amid a competitive session.

New for this year, Indy NXT by Firestone competitors were divided into two qualifying groups, and Siegel’s group ran without a caution. The second group had two red flags, including one when the field was on what presumably would have been the fastest laps. That group came up a few tenths short of Siegel’s pace-setting time.

Siegel’s pole-winning and track-record lap around the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit was 1m4.5759s. Jacob Abel was quickest in Group 2, but he didn’t get a chance to finish his final lap due to the crash of series newcomer Callum Hedge in the final set of corners.

Second-year series driver Siegel will go for his third career series victory in the 45-lap race that begins shortly after 10 a.m. ET (Peacock, IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio Network).

“It’s my first pole in Indy NXT, so it feels really good,” the driver of the No. 39 HMD Motorsports entry said. “Starting 2024 up front is the best way to do it, for sure. Everyone’s worked super hard in the offseason, and HMD did a great job. It’s a nice reward.”

Abel settled for the second starting position in the No. 51 Abel Construction entry. His best qualifying lap was 1m04.5825s.

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Series veteran Abel was pleased with the new format and applauded series officials for trying to present a level playing field for qualifying. Having 21 cars on track would have been a lot for one group, and the format is similar to the one used for years in the NTT IndyCar Series. Drivers were placed in groups based on their best lap times from practice.

“With the format, there’s going to be a little bit of luck involved,” Abel said. “Today we got a little unlucky with all the red flags in our session.

“But we got the most out of our car there, and starting on the front row won’t be too bad.”

Abel led 27 of the 40 laps in last year’s race before finishing third, and he will be seeking his first series win in Sunday’s race. Siegel finished second in last year’s race, won by Danial Frost, and led four laps.

Series rookie Myles Rowe (No. 99 HMD Motorsports with Force Indy) and two-time Indy NXT by Firestone race winner Louis Foster of Andretti Global (No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies) will start Sunday’s race from the second row. Their best qualifying laps were 1m04.5985s and 1m04.6027s, respectively. Foster led four laps last year as the pole sitter, finishing 14th.

Sunday’s race will be the first of 14 events this year for Indy NXT by Firestone.

RESULTS

Foster paces first Indy NXT practice session in St Petersburg

Louis Foster is back where he feels he belongs, atop the field in the Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The Andretti Global driver, who won the pole for last year’s season-opening race of the Indy NXT by Firestone season, turned …

Louis Foster is back where he feels he belongs, atop the field in the Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

The Andretti Global driver, who won the pole for last year’s season-opening race of the Indy NXT by Firestone season, turned the quickest lap on the opening day of this season, too. Friday, Foster’s lap of 1m5.7384s in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry was more than 0.4s quicker than series newcomer and Andretti Cape Indy NXT driver Michael d’Orlando.

Foster’s pole time last year on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit was 1m05.1103s. This weekend’s qualifying session is at 1:05 p.m. ET Saturday.

Last year, Foster won two races and four poles, and he said Friday’s effort shows his season is off to a proper start.

“We were fast here last year; we had pole,” the 20-year-old Englishman said. “We just wanted to continue where we (left) off, really. That’s where we expected to be, where I wanted to be.

“So, we’ll just keep pushing and trying to stay (on top).”

Foster finished fourth in last year’s series standings, one spot behind Nolan Siegel, who returns to the series with HMD Motorsports.

D’Orlando was the last driver to be confirmed to this 21-car field, and he debuted in strong fashion in the No. 3 Andretti Cape Indy NXT entry. His fastest lap was 1m06.1681s. Last year, he won four races and six poles in finishing fourth in the USF Pro 2000 Championship standings.

HMD Motorsports is fielding 10 cars in this event, and the fastest of those – third overall – was Caio Collet, a 21-year-old Brazilian. His best lap of the session was 1m06.2604s.

Indy NXT by Firestone veterans Jamie Chadwick of Andretti Global (No. 28 VEXT) and Jacob Abel of Abel Motorsports (No. 51 Abel Construction) were fourth and fifth, respectively, at 1m06.4073s and 1m06.4207s. Abel had the fastest lap of last year’s first practice in St. Petersburg, and he led a race-high 27 laps before finishing third.

The weekend’s field includes 13 series rookies. Among the notables is Myles Rowe, the 23-year-old driver who won last year’s USF Pro 2000 title with five race wins. Driving the No. 99 HMD Motorsports with Force Indy entry, he was ninth on Friday’s speed chart at 1m06.6646s.

The second practice of the weekend is Saturday at 8:25 a.m. ET

d’Orlando set for Andretti Cape Indy NXT debut

Andretti Cape Indy NXT has announced the second of two drivers for 2024, signing Michael d’Orlando to contest his rookie season in the series alongside teammate Salvador de Alba Jr. “We’re all excited to have Michael back on our team for the season …

Andretti Cape Indy NXT has announced the second of two drivers for 2024, signing Michael d’Orlando to contest his rookie season in the series alongside teammate Salvador de Alba Jr.

“We’re all excited to have Michael back on our team for the season opener in St Pete,” said Nicholas and Dominic Cape. “Michael spent three years with us in USF2000 culminating in a championship in 2022, so we know what he is looking for. I think our guys will all work really well together, and we are all very motivated this year.”

The Hartsdale, NY native, a student at the University of North Carolina, returns to a familiar team in an unfamiliar setting, having driven for the Cape brothers through three seasons in the USF2000 series – and captured the team’s historic 14th championship title.

“I’m extremely excited to be racing in the Indy NXT series in St. Petersburg this weekend with Andretti Cape Indy NXT,” said d’Orlando, who turns 22 today.

“Although there is still a lot of uncertainty around the remainder of the 2024 season, I’m very thankful for all the work that Rising Star Racing, Priority Technology Holdings and the Andretti Cape team have put in to make this event happen for me. I know that everyone involved will continue to work together collectively to generate enough support to enable me to run the full season. Being able to work with Cape Motorsports, now with the additional support through their Andretti Global alliance, will be very helpful in our efforts to be competitive.”

Starting his karting career at age six, d’Orlando scored numerous championship titles. Transitioning to cars in 2018, d’Orlando competed in four USF2000 race weekends that year, and four F4 US Championship Powered by Honda events in 2019. He had a breakthrough season with the team in 2020, earning a dominant victory at Mid-Ohio along with four additional podiums to claim fourth in the season-ending championship. In 2022, d’Orlando came from behind to capture the championship title in the final race of the season, finishing the year with four wins, three poles and eight podiums in 17 races. He finished fourth in USF Pro last year with four wins, three poles and six podiums in 18 races.

The team knows that the learning curve continues to be steep, but d’Orlando is ready for the challenge, especially in such familiar surroundings.

“My previous experience with Dominic and Nicholas means there is less of a learning curve for me,” d’Orlando said. “I am confident that the Andretti Cape program will provide a very competitive package. But to sum it up, I’m stoked to hit the track in St. Petersburg this weekend and plan to make the most of this opportunity.”

Collet becomes 10th and final HMD NXT driver

Caio Collet has been signed by the reigning and two-time Indy NXT champions at HMD Motorsports, which makes the Brazilian its 10th and final driver for its expansive NXT program. The 21-year-old, who brings FIA Formula 3 and other junior open-wheel …

Caio Collet has been signed by the reigning and two-time Indy NXT champions at HMD Motorsports, which makes the Brazilian its 10th and final driver for its expansive NXT program.

The 21-year-old, who brings FIA Formula 3 and other junior open-wheel experience to IndyCar’s top training category, arrives at HMD with high expectations.

“It has been a long process to officially confirm Caio as an HMD Motorsports driver in 2024,” said team president Mike Maurini. “While he will also have the title of Reserve and Sim Driver for Nissan in Formula E, Caio’s main focus will be Indy NXT with us in 2024.”

After dedicating his racing education to European championships, Collet hopes the rerouting of his career to the U.S. will eventually lead to having another Brazilian driver in the big series.

“The NTT IndyCar Series is a goal of mine for the future but right now, I am 100% focused on Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports,” Collet said. “I have a lot to learn, and I am thankful for the opportunity. I will put my best foot forward at achieving race wins, podium results, and the championship for both HMD Motorsports and myself.”

Allaer moving from Formula Fords to NXT with HMD

Nolan Allaer is set to make an almighty leap from racing Formula Fords, the junior open-wheel class that has introduced thousands of karters to car racing, straight to Indy NXT with the defending series champions at HMD Motorsports. The …

The Michigan-born, Florida-bred Allaer has been busy racing in the U.S. and in England, keeping himself busy testing all manner of cars in the interim, and impressed HMD GM Mike Maurini to the point of signing him to conduct his rookie campaign in NXT.

Formula F was one of two SCCA titles won by Allaer at last year’s Runoffs. Jay Bonvouloir/SCCA photo

“It’s a surreal experience for me to make the move to Indy NXT,” said Allaer, who captured two SCCA Runoffs National Championships last year. “The whole idea came from a phone call from a friend who said you should look at the United States ladder program. I reached out to Mike Maurini via direct message on Instagram and the rest is history. The team has been so welcoming and the knowledge and experience that they bring to the table will help fast-track my learning.”

Huge moves from the bottom of the open-wheel training ladder to NXT or IndyCar have been rare; the greatest attempt in recent history came with George Mack, a champion karter from Southern California, who completed the 2002 Indy Racing League season for 310 Racing — despite having no formula car or oval experience — and fared well throughout the wild one-year adventure.

“The jump from Formula 1600 to Indy NXT is big, but what most people don’t know is that Nolan was testing other vehicles as he prepared for Indy NXT,” Maurini said. “Despite the conditions at Sebring, Nolan learned a lot, and while two days of dry running would have been great to see where he stacked up, he was able to experience a lot of conditions and scenarios in just two days all while not running any new tires to better prepare himself for our upcoming Laguna Seca test.”

De Alba confirmed in new Andretti/Cape Indy NXT alliance

The long-rumored union between Andretti Global and Cape Motorsports has been confirmed and gives Andretti’s Indy NXT program two additional entries for the upcoming season through its relationship with the Cape brothers. Mexico’s rapid Salvador de …

Mexico’s rapid Salvador de Alba is the first driver to be confirmed in the new Andretti Cape arrangement, which comes on the heels of a strong run to third in last year’s USF Pro 2000 championship where he earned one win and four podiums, and competed in a number of other series.

“Joining Andretti Cape is the biggest step in my career so far, and I’m excited to be part of this team,” de Alba said. “Last year was great for me across NASCAR, Super Copa and USF Pro 2000, so I’m eager to start competing in Indy NXT for the first time. With the help of my sponsors, Michel Jourdain and the Andretti Cape team, we’re pleased to make the jump to Indy NXT, and I plan to work hard to make the most out of this season.”

The two-year deal includes a move to the main Andretti NXT effort in 2025, and sees de Alba paired with a new race engineer in Trevor Green-Smith, who served as an assistant IndyCar race engineer at Dale Coyne Racing, at Andretti Autosport with former driver Alexander Rossi, and more recently, as a performance engineer with the Haas F1 team before the Californian returned to the U.S. and was hired to run de Alba.

“Bringing Salvador onto the Andretti Cape Indy NXT roster this year is an excellent move for us,” said Andretti Global president JF Thormann, the architect of the team’s junior open-wheel programs. “He has a strong resume in a variety of series and recently walked out of 2023 with two driver’s championships, which is an impressive feat that hasn’t gone unnoticed. We think that Salvador’s experience and eagerness will make him a great asset to the Andretti Cape IndyCar NXT team, and we’re looking forward to helping to develop his career and watching him grow through 2025.”

Frost hits pause on racing career to complete military service

Danial Frost was working on a plan to graduate from Indy NXT to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2024, but he’ll need to wait until at least 2026 before that dream can be realized as national military service beckons for the 22-year-old. The Singaporean, …

The Singaporean, who won the opening Indy NXT race last season and went on to add two more podiums to claim sixth in the standings, has been aligned with Dale Coyne Racing.

“I’m taking a brief pause from racing to fulfill a compulsory commitment,” Frost announced. “It’s time for me to embark on a new journey in the military, serving my nation in Singapore for the next two years. Some individuals successfully transition back into racing after their military service, while others do not.

“[I] will keep my passion and motivation for motorsports alive in the USA through [a] public relations efforts for our next goal: IndyCar. Until then, I have to put my racing career on hold. Truthfully, it has been disturbing me due to the disruption of my racing career.”

Frost began racing on the American open-wheel ladder in 2018 in USF2000, and moved to Indy Pro 2000 from 2019-2020, where he won three races and finished third in the championship prior to moving to Indy NXT with Andretti Global in 2021. A switch to HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing in 2022 produced his first NXT victory, and in his return in 2023, a second win was secured.

A strong IndyCar test with Coyne in October of 2022 and the signing of a development contract with the team gave rise to the hope for Frost to land one of Coyne’s two vacant IndyCar seats as the new season draws near, but with his military stint confirmed, the six-year USF Championships and Indy NXT veteran is no longer in play.

Brewer joins Juncos Hollinger for 2024 Indy NXT

Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced the addition of Lindsay Brewer to its Indy NXT team for 2024. The 26-year-old Brewer graduates from the USF Pro 2000 Championship and will drive the team’s No. 76 Dallara in the upcoming 14-race season. She will …

Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced the addition of Lindsay Brewer to its Indy NXT team for 2024.

The 26-year-old Brewer graduates from the USF Pro 2000 Championship and will drive the team’s No. 76 Dallara in the upcoming 14-race season. She will be the first U.S. female to race in IndyCar’s official feeder series since Leilani Munter in 2007.

“Driving at the top level of open-wheel racing in the US has been a dream of mine ever since I was a young girl,” said Brewer. “To be able to take this step up and drive Indy NXT is not only exciting for me, but also a dream come true.”

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After starting her racing career at the age of 11, Lindsay moved through the U.S. karting ranks before advancing to open-wheel race cars in 2021. Her competitive resumé includes the Skip Barber Formula Race Series, Indy Pro 2000, the F1600 Championship Series and USF Pro 2000.

The Denver native joins Juncos Hollinger Racing’s junior team after getting a first taste of the Indy NXT car at the Chris Griffis Memorial test in October. She also tested at Barber Motorsports Park in November.

“I’m incredibly thankful to Juncos Hollinger Racing and team principal Ricardo Juncos for allowing me to show what I can do, and for everyone that has supported me on this journey including my previous teams, my advisor Pieter Rossi, my manager Chris Young, and my sponsors C4 Smart Energy and Gtechniq,” Brewer added. “To be representing America and women in a full season at this level of motorsport is something I can be proud of, and is motivation for me to work as hard as I possibly can on and off the track. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish.”