But will this year’s Champion be able to find a
ride in Indy Cars?
Think the IndyCar grid had an agonizing 42 days
sabbatical between Long Beach and it’s season kickoff at St Pete, Florida on
March 10th? As the Indy NXT grid had to wait a further week’s time before
resuming racing at Ye Barbers’, nee Barber Motorsport Park in Alabama on April
28th!
Thanks to El Capitano’, nee Roger Penske and
His Penske Entertainment buying control of North America’s premiere Feeder
series from Anderson Promotions at the end of 2021. And the Knottsoe’ clever
marketing brains at Penske Entertainment! What forever will be known as Indy
Lights is now known as Indy NXT, Ralf!
Having scribbled
my thoughts upon this stupendous rebranding here upon No Fenders, which Y’all
can read below…
http://www.nofenders.net/2022/11/penske-entertainments-nxt-great.html
Otay, now that I’ve gotten that out of my
system Cough-cough! I’ll try giving a brief rundown on IndyCar’s “Minor
League”, ergo Triple-A feeder series. Although I won’t go back to it’s very
beginnings, when it was simply known as USAC’s Mini-Indy series from 1977-81.
Whilst it becomes harder every year to know I
can still vividly remember how Quaint it was being in the Portland
International Raceway Paddock some thirty-five plus years ago! Seeing
somebody’s American Racing Series (ARS) racecar trundle past Mwah. With it’s
Buick 3800 V-6 normally aspirated exposed plenum stacks sporting six bright
banana yellow tennis balls in them to keep from having any foreign objects
dropped into it’s motor!
As that was during the late 1980’s, since the (1986-90)
ARS was the forebearer of the original 1991 Indy Lights series, known as the
Firestone Dayton Lights Championship – which folded at the end of it’s 2001
season. As Lola dominated the series after March chassis won the first two
seasons, all with the same Buick V-6 lump’, albeit at some point de riggour
Airboxes were introduced…
Between 2002-05, the Indy Racing League’s (IRL)
ran the Infiniti Pro Series, before Nissan and Menards pulled out in what
became the Indy Pro Series instead for 2006-07. As All competitors raced in
Dallara IP2 chassis with Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) derived Nissan 3.5-litre
normally aspirated Infiniti Q45 V-8 engines.
As the Split continued running it’s unwieldly
course, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and Champ Car World Series (CCWS)
final rung became the Toyota Atlantic and lastly Champ Car Atlantic
Championship circa 2002-07. Which of course is recognized as a separate racing
category.
Finally, in 2008 the IRL and Champ Car merged
after twelve ridiculous years of infighting! And today’s Indy NXT championship
began with the resumption of the Firestone Indy Lights Championship, which
remained until 2022. When Penske Entertainment butchered the championship’s
Advancement prize and left that year’s champion Linus Lundqvist Hanging in the
Breeze!
http://www.nofenders.net/2022/11/lights-drivers-lost-in-indycar-shuffle.html
Now in it’s second season, NXT sports another
14-race calendar, which began at St Pete, Florida on March 10th, and concludes
at Nashville’s Super Speedway on September 15th. All rounds are single events
except for the Indianapolis Road Course and Laguna Seca weekends being Double
Headers. While there a total of four Oval’s, i.e.; Iowa, Gateway, Milwaukee and
Nashville. With all races running in conjunction with IndyCar.
All teams utilize the Dallara IL15 chassis
propelled by an AER Mazda sourced 2.0-litre inline four cylinder turbocharged
engine, which I believe makes 450bhp.
Being the last rung on the IndyCar ladder
system, naturally the competition rachets up another notch! With there being no
guarantee of graduating to IndyCar, America’s top Open Wheel Racing category.
As reigning USF Pro 2000 Champion Myles Rowe
and 2022 U.S. F2000 National Championship winner Michael D’Orlando have both
made the jump up to NXT as rookies. Although D’Orlando’s searching for further
funding, typical of many promising drivers…
By my unscientific research, I came up with a
total of 17 of the current 32 IndyCar drivers who’ve contested a race this year
at St Pete and Long Beach; being over 50% of the grid.
With six former Indy Lights Champion in IndyCar
from the past quarter century. With Scott Dixon being the Oldest in 2000.
Followed by Josef Newgarden, (2011) Pato O’Ward, )2018) Kyle Kirkwood, (2021)
Linus Lundqvist (2022) and Christian Rasmussen. (2023)
A further five Indy Lights Runner-up’s
consisting of Jack Harvey, Colton Herta, David Malukas, Graham Rahal and Rinus
VeeKay are currently on theIndyCar grid.
And a total of 16 of these 17 drivers, for
which I’ve included Ed Carpenter and Katherine Legge, both expected to run an
Ovals Only program. Have won races in Indy Lights or it’s relative
Championships, i.e.; Infiniti Pro Series, Toyota Atlantic and Champ Car
Atlantic. With the only Indy Lights Alumni to not win a race being IndyCar
rookie Kyffin Simpson.
Meanwhile, current HMD Motorsports NXT driver
and current points leader Nolan Siegel also made His official IndyCar start at
Long Beach. Although Siegel made His IndyCar debut in the $1.0 Million
Challenge exhibition race at the Thermal Club, and will contest a total of four
races this season.
As the 19yr old Californian will contest the
entire Indy NXT season in hopes of being crowned series champion. Along with
attempting to qualify for this year’s Indianapolis 500 and race at Toronto. Running
only four IndyCar races in order to keep His eligibility for a Full season
IndyCar campaign competing for the 2025 IndyCar Rookie Of the Year (ROY)
Honours…
As Siegel’s one of the favourites to join
IndyCar next year as reigning NXT Champion. But surely Andretti Global’s Louis
Foster has something to say about that? As who knows who’ll be the next driver
to graduate to the Big Boyz’ ranks. And better yet, as history’s shown. Will
they be able to succeed and have a long and fruitful IndyCar career?
Since IndyCar’s landscape is littered with past Indy Lights Champions no longer racing in the series. Just ask 2019 Lights Champion Oliver Askew, or David Malukas…
