The 2024 Firestone Indy NXT Series was the 37th season of the Indy NXT open wheel auto racing series and the 22nd sanctioned by IndyCar, acting as the primary support series for the IndyCar Series. This was the second year of the championship running under the Indy NXT moniker following its acquisition by Penske Entertainment, the owner of the IndyCar Series, in 2022.
Louis Foster, driving for Andretti Global, won the championship at the penultimate race while taking his seventh race win of the season. His team also won the Teams' Championship, while HMD Motorsports driver Caio Collet won Rookie of the Year honors at the same race.
Series news
Indy NXT saw a revised qualifying procedure introduced for 2024. After the whole field previously had only eight minutes to set a time to form the grid, drivers were now split into two groups based on their practice times, with each group getting the track to themselves. The drivers of the faster group started from the odd-numbered grid spots, with the other group in the even-numbered spots. On double-header weekends, the fastest two laps of each driver were taken to form both races' grids. Teams and drivers All teams used Dallara IL-15 cars with an AER produced Mazda sourced 2.0 litre engine and Firestone tires. The following drivers and teams competed in the series.
TeamDriversStatusRound(s)Abel Motorsports21 Josh Mason 1–2 Jordan Missig 3–4, 6, 9, 11 22 Yuven Sundaramoorthy All 51 Jacob AbelAll55 Taylor Ferns 10–11, 13–14Andretti Global 26 Louis FosterAll 27 Bryce Aron All 28 Jamie ChadwickAll 29 James Roe Jr. AllAndretti Cape Indy NXT2 Salvador de Alba All3 Michael d'Orlando 1–6, 14 HMD Motorsports 7 Christian BogleAll 10 Reece Gold1–13 Nolan Allaer 14111–9 14 Josh PiersonAll 17 Callum Hedge All 18 Caio Collet All 23 Jonathan Browne All 33 Niels Koolen 1–8, 10 Jagger Jones9 39 Nolan Siegel 1–6 Kiko Porto6 Christian Brooks 7–14 HMD Motorsports with Force Indy 99 Myles Rowe All Juncos Hollinger Racing75 Ricardo Escotto 5, 7–8 76 Lindsay Brewer 1–8 Ricardo Escotto 12–13Miller Vinatieri Racing 40 Jack William Miller AllIconStatus Eligible for Rookie of the Year Rookie of the Year
Team changes On September 5, 2023, Andretti Autosport announced a rebrand that would take effect for the 2024 season, with all of its race teams running under the Andretti Global banner. On November 28, 2023, former IndyCar Series driver Jack Miller announced that his team Miller Vinatieri Motorsports would be joining Indy NXT in 2024. On January 15, 2024, Andretti Global and Cape Motorsports announced that the two teams had formed a "technical partnership" for the 2024 season, with the latter running its cars under the Andretti Cape Indy NXT guise.
Driver changes On September 6, 2023, reigning USF Pro 2000 champion Myles Rowe announced he would join HMD Motorsports in the No. 99 entry co-run by Force Indy. This meant Ernie Francis Jr. would leave the team. On September 18, 2023, Chip Ganassi Racing announced that development driver Kyffin Simpson would join the team full time in 2024. Simpson came tenth in 2023 driving for HMD Motorsports. On October 11, 2023, Andretti Global announced that Bryce Aron would step up from the Euroformula Open Championship to join the team in 2024. On October 25, 2023, Ed Carpenter Racing announced that reigning champion Christian Rasmussen would step up to the IndyCar series on a partial schedule. On November 20, 2023, HMD Motorsports announced Formula Regional Oceania runner-up and Formula Regional Americas champion Callum Hedge would graduate to Indy NXT and drive the No. 17 car. On November 28, 2023 coinciding with Miller Vinatieri Motorsports' announcement, the team confirmed that Jack William Miller would be driving the No. 40 car, graduating after three years of competing in the USF Pro 2000 Championship. On November 29, 2023, HMD Motorsports announced their sixth driver would be Jonathan Browne, who steps up after two years spent in the USF Pro 2000 Championship and drives the No. 23 car. On December 21, 2023, HMD Motorsport revealed that the eighth driver joining their squad in the No. 33 car would be Niels Koolen, who moved over from European Formula Regional competition, where his 2023 season saw him contest two championships, albeit without scoring points. On December 22, 2023, Juncos Hollinger Racing announced that Lindsay Brewer would be stepping up full-time to Indy NXT in 2024 after two years of competing in USF Pro 2000. On January 16, 2024, Andretti and Cape Motorsports announced Salvador de Alba would be driving the No. 2 car of the newly formed Andretti Cape partnership. The teams also already announced his 2025 Indy NXT campaign to be with Andretti Global. On January 24, 2024, SCCA National Runoffs Champion Nolan Allaer announced his graduation to Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports, jumping up from Formula Ford and F1600 competition. On February 7, 2024, HMD Motorsports announced the tenth and final driver of their lineup: Caio Collet joined the championship after competing in FIA Formula 3 for three years and collecting three wins over that timespan. On February 27, 2024, Abel Motorsports announced that it would expand to a three-car program in 2024, with former Formula 2 and Euroformula Open driver Josh Mason piloting the No. 21 car. On March 5, 2024, USF Pro 2000 driver Michael d'Orlando confirmed his step up to Indy NXT with Andretti Cape for the season opener at St. Petersburg. D'Orlando continued with the team on a race-by-race basis until he was forced to depart the series ahead of the Laguna Seca double-header due to budgetary issues. He later announced he would return to the championship to compete at the season finale.
Mid-season
On March 26, 2024, Abel Motorsport announced they would enter a fourth car for the four oval events, piloted by USAC short-track driver Taylor Ferns. On May 2, 2024, Abel Motorsport released a statement stating Josh Mason would not drive the No. 21 car in the Indianapolis Grand Prix for budgetary reasons. Jordan Missig was named as his replacement a day later, with the American making his Indy NXT debut after spending the last three years in USF Pro 2000. Missig would also join the team for Road America, Mid-Ohio and Gateway, while Abel did not field the No. 21 car at the rest of the races. On May 31, 2024, Juncos Hollinger Racing announced it had signed USF Pro 2000 competitor Ricardo Escotto for a part-time schedule comprising the races at Detroit, Laguna Seca, Milwaukee and Nashville. Escotto also entered the round at Portland with the team, but was absent from Nashville. On June 8, 2024, HMD Motorsports announced that Nolan Siegel would withdraw from the race at Road America so he could focus on his new IndyCar duties with Juncos Hollinger Racing, replacing Agustín Canapino for the round. HMD Motorsports would later announce that Kiko Porto would replace Siegel for the Road America round, making first his Indy NXT start since Laguna Seca last season. On June 18, 2024, HMD Motorsports revealed that USF Pro 2000 race-winner Christian Brooks would compete for the team for the rest of the season. On the same day, IndyCar team Arrow McLaren announced it had signed Nolan Siegel on a multi-year deal that would begin at Laguna Seca. On June 12, 2024, HMD Motorsports announced the departure of Niels Koolen after the double-header at Laguna Seca. Jagger Jones, 13th in last years' championship, returned to the series to drive the No. 33 car at Mid-Ohio. Koolen later initially confirmed he would return to see out the season with his team from Iowa onwards, but did not do so. On July 4, 2024, Juncos Hollinger Racing announced it had dropped Lindsay Brewer from its team due to unfulfilled contractual obligations. That meant that the team did not enter any cars at Mid-Ohio, Iowa, Gateway and Nashville. On July 10, 2024, HMD driver Nolan Allaer announced that he would not continue his campaign from Iowa onwards, instead electing to focus on securing his budget for 2025. Allaer would later return to contest the season finale with HMD, replacing Reece Gold, who was absent from Nashville after already withdrawing from Milwaukee because of a crash in practice.
Schedule The 2024 schedule was announced on October 4, 2023. The IMS weekend in May became a double-header again as the second IMS weekend was removed, while the Detroit weekend only held a single race. The Laguna Seca double-header was moved to June following the rescheduling of the Monterey Grand Prix. The round at Nashville became the season finale to follow the same move for the Music City Grand Prix. The championship returned to the Milwaukee Mile for the first time since 2015.
On February 14, It was announced that the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix would be moved from the downtown Streets of Nashville to the Nashville Superspeedway instead due to anticipated construction beginning on the new Tennessee Titans Stadium, which interfered with the course for the race.
Rd.DateRace nameTrackLocation1March 10Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Streets of St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, Florida2April 28Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports ParkBirmingham, Alabama3May 10Indy NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road CourseSpeedway, Indiana4May 115June 2Indy NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix Detroit Street CircuitDetroit, Michigan6June 9Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Road America Road AmericaElkhart Lake, Wisconsin7June 22Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey WeatherTech Raceway Laguna SecaMonterey, California8June 239July 7Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseLexington, Ohio10July 13Indy NXT by Firestone Iowa 100 Iowa SpeedwayNewton, Iowa11August 17Indy NXT by Firestone Outfront Showdown World Wide Technology RacewayMadison, Illinois12August 25Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland Portland International RacewayPortland, Oregon13August 31Indy NXT by Firestone Milwaukee 100 Milwaukee MileWest Allis, Wisconsin14September 15Indy NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix Nashville SuperspeedwayLebanon, TennesseeIconMeaning Road/street course Oval track
Race results Rd.TrackPole PositionFastest lapMost laps ledRace winnerDriverTeam1Streets of St. Petersburg Nolan Siegel Reece Gold Nolan Siegel Nolan SiegelHMD Motorsports2Barber Motorsports Park Jacob Abel Caio Collet Jacob Abel Jacob AbelAbel Motorsports3Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Jacob Abel Jacob Abel Jacob Abel Jacob AbelAbel Motorsports4 Jacob Abel Louis Foster Caio Collet Louis FosterAndretti Global5Detroit Street Circuit Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis FosterAndretti Global6Road America Jamie Chadwick Jacob Abel Jamie Chadwick Jamie ChadwickAndretti Global7WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis FosterAndretti Global8 Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis FosterAndretti Global9Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Caio Collet Caio Collet Caio Collet Caio ColletHMD Motorsports10Iowa Speedway James Roe Jr. Caio Collet James Roe Jr. Louis FosterAndretti Global11World Wide Technology Raceway Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis FosterAndretti Global12Portland International Raceway Louis Foster Louis Foster Jacob Abel Jacob AbelAbel Motorsports13Milwaukee Mile Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis Foster Louis FosterAndretti Global14Nashville Superspeedway Louis Foster Jacob Abel Louis Foster Louis FosterAndretti Global
Season report
Opening rounds