AJ Foyt Racing to Compete in INDY NXT by Firestone in 2026 

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Editor’s note: Story from A J Foyt Racing. It is great to see another IndyCar team affiliated with IndyNXT.

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INDIANAPOLIS (October 21, 2025) — AJ Foyt Racing will extend its program into the INDY NXT by Firestone championship beginning in 2026. The team will field a two-car effort as it looks to build a strong foundation for drivers, crew, engineers, partners, and more for the future. Backed by a Strategic Alliance with HMD Motorsports, this collaboration represents the next step in strengthening the connection between INDY NXT by Firestone and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, creating a more straightforward pathway for driver and team personnel development.

 

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The young drivers of the INDY NXT by Firestone championship get ready for the start at Nashville Superspeedway. (INDYCAR Photo)

While AJ Foyt Racing will maintain its own brand and identity, the new program emphasizes the team’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of INDYCAR talent. By working with not only drivers but also crew members looking to make a move to the INDYCAR SERIES earlier in their careers, the organization aims to provide a more integrated and structured approach to preparing all for the top level of American open-wheel racing.

Founded in 1965 by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt, AJ Foyt Racing is an iconic and respected name in motorsports. With multiple championships across the various sanctioning bodies of INDYCAR racing over the years, the team has built a legacy rooted in excellence, perseverance, and innovation. Under the leadership of Larry Foyt, the team continues to uphold its long-standing commitment to developing competitive talent and advancing the sport.

 

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The addition the program marks AJ Foyt Racing’s second foray into the INDY NXT by Firestone championship.. In 2002, A.J. Foyt IV won the first INDY NXT by Firestone championship. Ed Carpenter drove for the team in 2003 and won the Freedom 100, the Series’ inaugural race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

“This has been a long time coming,” commented AJ Foyt Racing Team President Larry Foyt. “We’ve

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played a significant role in developing drivers who have gone on to compete at the top level of INDYCAR. We felt it was time to get involved in the INDY NXT by Firestone program again. Forming a Technical and Strategic Alliance with HMD Motorsports provides the experience and technical support to make our INDY NXT program as strong and effective as possible.”

 

HMD Motorsports brings extensive experience in the INDY NXT by Firestone championship to the new alliance program. Since joining the series in 2019 and competing full-time from 2021 onward, the team has earned both a team title and two driver championships, multiple rookie of the year honors, and promoted several drivers into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. HMD will provide technical support and series insight to AJ Foyt Racing’s INDY NXT program.

 

“We are thrilled to announce this Strategic Alliance with AJ Foyt Racing,” commented HMD Motorsports Team President Mike Maurini. “This is the next step in making the pathway to INDYCAR more accessible to talented drivers throughout the INDY NXT paddock. Together, our teams will combine experience and resources to help develop the next generation of competitive drivers.”

 

The partnership will combine AJ Foyt Racing’s INDYCAR experience with HMD Motorsports’ success in INDY NXT to support driver development and prepare rising talent for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. AJ Foyt Racing will make its INDY NXT by Firestone debut in 2026 with further details on the driver lineup and program to be announced in the coming months.

IndyCar Series Oval Testing Tuesday and Wednesday

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Four today and two tomorrow. Today and Wednesday at IMS the IndyCar series will conduct two separate tests on the oval.

Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren and Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing will run a swingle day Firestone tire test. ECR’s Alexander Rossi and Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Takuma Sato will begin a two-day parts evaluation.

I like that a couple of the teams not normally included in tests are getting to participate.

The turn 2 mounds will be open for fans during the scheduled 9 am- 5 pm test.

 Team WRT Wins Rain-Hampered Indianapolis 8 Hour for Third Straight Year

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From IMS:

  MotoGP Legend Rossi Adds Four-Wheeled Victory at IMS

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025) – Team WRT earned its third consecutive victory in the Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a race hampered by severe weather during its second half. The team of Kelvin van der Linde of South Africa, Charles Weerts of Belgium and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi of Italy won the eight-hour race for the Intercontinental GT Challenge and GT World Challenge America powered by AWS in the No. 46 Team WRT BMW M4 under caution during a heavy rainstorm.
Just two laps of green flag racing took place on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course in the final four hours of the race due to waves of lightning and heavy thunderstorms that rolled through Central Indiana.
SEE: Race Results
This was the fourth Intercontinental GT Challenge victory in five races this season for van der Linde, who also clinched the series championship with the win. BMW also clinched its first manufacturers’ championship in the season finale for the global series for GT3-spec sports cars.
“It’s a bit of an anticlimax, to be honest,” van der Linde said. “It’s such a cool race, and to spend two hours behind the Safety Car is a bit of a tricky one. The 777 (Team WRT sister car) deserved the win today, so I feel a bit of mixed emotions for the team.
“Nonetheless, four out of five for BMW Motorsport has made me very proud. There are some years where you have luck on your side, and things work out. That’s one of those years.”
Seven-time MotoGP World Champion Rossi earned his first Intercontinental GT Challenge victory and the distinction of becoming an IMS winner on two and four wheels, as he also won the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP race in 2008. Ironically, that race also took place in torrential rain.
“I’m very happy because it was a great race, and at the end we were very lucky,” Rossi said. “Winning here for me is very special because I won here in 2008 with MotoGP, so it’s something fantastic. I’m very happy to help Kelvin win the championship.”
The No. 888 Mercedes-AMG Team GMR Mercedes-AMG shared by Maro Engel, Tom Kalender and Luca Stolz finished second. Team WRT also took the final spot on the podium with its No. 777 BMW M4 driven by Raffaele Marciello, Augusto Farfus and Al Faisal Al Zubair.
NTT INDYCAR SERIES standout Conor Daly was a member of the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 driver lineup that finished fourth. Two-time INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power finished sixth with the No. 75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG team in his first sportscar race since 2003.
The red flag first flew for lightning four hours and three minutes into the race. The 25 cars in the race returned to the track under caution behind the Safety Car with one hour, 32 minutes remaining.Track conditions improved and rain subsided enough for the race to return to green-flag conditions with 40 minutes remaining. But the field only ran under full power for two laps before the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG of Jules Gounon stopped at the entrance of the pit lane with an apparent gearbox problem. Gounon’s team started from the pole after the No. 51 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 that Philipp Eng drove to the quickest time in qualifying Friday was found to have a technical violation in post-qualifying inspection.
Then another heavy downpour soaked IMS, with large pools of standing water on the racetrack creating dangerous conditions that prevented green-flag racing. Despite attempts by sweeper trucks to clear the water, the race ended under yellow at its scheduled time of 8:20 p.m. ET.
While severe weather impacted the second half of the race, the first four hours featured feverish, caution-free action.
Van der Linde was running second, five seconds behind teammate and championship rival Marciello, when the approach of lightning triggered the first caution period and then the extended red flag.
When cars returned to the track under yellow with one hour, 32 minutes remaining, team strategists went to work on stands up and down pit lane to call cars to the pits for fuel and to reset drivers’ stint lengths, as a maximum stint of 65 minutes is allowed per series rules.
Team WRT called van der Linde to the pits in his No. 46 entry with 65 minutes remaining to reset his stint length a lap earlier than most other cars. Marciello did the same on the following lap, along with most of the leaders.That strategic ploy allowed van der Linde to jump ahead of Marciello in the running order before the green flag flew for the final time for just two laps, and Marciello couldn’t get past van der Linde during the brief full-power racing session. 

American Teams Lock Out Front Row for Indianapolis 8 Hour at IMS

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From IMS:

  INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 17, 2025) – The world’s best GT3 sports car racing teams have come to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete this weekend, but American teams defended home soil by locking out the front row Friday for the Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS.
BMW factory driver Philipp Eng joined Random Vandals Racing, based in Concord, North Carolina, this weekend for the season finale of the Intercontinental GT Challenge and GT World Challenge America powered by AWS series and won the pole for the eight-hour endurance race Saturday.
SEE: Pole Shootout Results
Eng, from Austria, turned a top lap of 1 minute, 22.271 seconds in the No. 51 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 that he will share with Americans Varun Choksey and Bill Auberlen in the race, which starts at 12:20 p.m. ET Saturday and finishes in darkness with race car headlights at 8:20 p.m. Eng won this race in 2023 driving with Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor in a BMW fielded by Team WRT.
“When we rolled the car off the truck straightaway, it was so well prepared by Random Vandals,” Eng said. “We improved the car step by step, and I’m very happy for the guys because this is my first time joining the team, first time being a Random Vandal, and I love it.
“I was very happy with the car, with the lap. It’s a long race ahead. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.”
Jules Gounon, from France, qualified second at 1:22.283 – just .012 of a second shy of pole — in the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG fielded by Mercedes-AMG Lone Star Racing, based in Denison, Texas. Gounon will share that car with Lin Hodenius of the Netherlands and Maxime Martin of Belgium.
The 10-car Pole Shootout session was tight, with just .235 of a second separating the top six drivers.
There will be 25 cars competing in the eight-hour race from renowned manufacturers Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. These are all GT3-specification sports cars, which resemble their showroom counterparts.
Particular attention will be paid to Row 2 of the starting grid, occupied by the two drivers vying for the season championship in the global sports car series driving for the same team, Team WRT.
Raffaele Marciello of Italy qualified third at 1:22.316 in the No. 777 Team WRT BMW M4. Teammate Kelvin van der Linde qualified fourth in the No. 46 Team WRT BMW after a best lap of 1:22.408. Van der Linde’s team includes MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who is making his four-wheeled IMS debut.
Van der Linde leads Marciello, 85-80, in the standings with 25 points available to the winner Saturday.
Van der Linde and Marciello teamed up to win this season at Nurburgring and Suzuka for the WRT BMW team, but they were separated at Bathurst and Spa and will continue to be rivals this weekend at IMS. There’s little to separate the two drivers, as van der Linde has three victories and Marciello two. The WRT team also has won the Indianapolis 8 Hour the last two years, so there’s no team advantage for either driver.
Row 3 was claimed by two teams featuring NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers. Connor De Phillippi qualified fifth at 1:22.445 in the No. 99 BMW M4 fielded by pole winners Random Vandals Racing. He will share that car with popular INDYCAR SERIES driver Conor Daly and Kenton Koch.
The No. 75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG will start sixth after Chaz Mostert’s best lap of 1:22.506. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power will compete in his first sports car race since 2003, sharing the car with fellow Australians Mostert and Kenny Habul.
Click these links to buy tickets and parking, to see the event schedule or to plan ahead for the Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS. 

Saturday at IMS

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INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 17, 2025) – Information about Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS track activity Saturday, Oct. 18 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
SCHEDULE (All times local):
8 a.m.: Public Gate Opens
8:10-8:35 a.m.: TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School Race 1
8:50-9:35 a.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Race 1
9:50-10:50 a.m.: GT4 America Race 1
10:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pre-Race
12:20-8:20 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Race
8 p.m.: Public Gate Closes
TICKETS: $45 for General Admission seating for selected grandstands, infield viewing mounds, garage area access and Track Limits Live area in Pagoda Plaza. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
PUBLIC GATE OPEN (8 a.m.-8 p.m.): Gate 6PARKING: Paid parking is available in Lot 2 for $10. ADA parking is also available in Lot 2 for $10.
CASHLESS OPERATIONS: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Please be prepared to complete your ticket, credentials, parking, concession and merchandise purchases with ease during your event via debit or credit card.Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions.
MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $25, seniors (55 and over) are $23, and military (former and active) are $18. Tickets can be purchased online at https://imsmuseum.org/tickets/. Indianapolis 8 Hour gate admission must be purchased as well as Museum admission.

Tomorrow at the Track

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Friday, Oct. 17  INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025) – Information about Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS track activity Friday, Oct. 17 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
SCHEDULE (All times local):
8 a.m.: Public Gate Opens
8:05-8:35 a.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Practice 2
8:50-9:05 a.m.: TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School Qualifying
9:20-9:35 a.m.: GT America powered by AWS Qualifying
9:50-11:20 a.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pre-Qualifying
11:35 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: GT4 America Practice 2
12:35-12:50 p.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Qualifying
1:40-2:30 p.m.: McLaren Trophy America Race 2
2:45-3:20 p.m.: GT4 America Qualifying (two groups)
3:35-4:35 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Qualifying (three groups)
4:50-5:30 p.m.: GT America powered by AWS Race 1
5:45-6 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pole Shootout
6 p.m.: Public Gate Closes
TICKETS: $20 for General Admission seating for selected grandstands, infield viewing mounds and garage area access. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
PUBLIC GATE OPEN (8 a.m.-6 p.m.): Gate 6
PARKING: Paid parking is available in Lot 2 for $10. ADA parking is also available in Lot 2 for $10.
CASHLESS OPERATIONS: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Please be prepared to complete your ticket, credentials, parking, concession and merchandise purchases with ease during your event via debit or credit card.Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions.
MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $25, seniors (55 and over) are $23, and military (former and active) are $18. Tickets can be purchased online at https://imsmuseum.org/tickets/. Indianapolis 8 Hour gate admission must be purchased as well as Museum admission. 

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers To Participate in INDYCAR Test on Oct. 21-22 at IMS

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From IMS:

 NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers, including three Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winners, will participate in an annual fall INDYCAR test Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 21-22 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.
Testing is scheduled from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET both days. On Tuesday, drivers Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren and Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing will test Firestone Racing tires and the newly repaved surface at the exit of Turn 2 of the oval. Alexander Rossi of ECR and Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will use both days to test and help evaluate the performance of brake and shock components under consideration for the coming years.
The Turn 2 Viewing Mounds will be open for public viewing.

WHO: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Teams/Drivers Scheduled To Participate (subject to change):
Arrow McLaren: Pato O’Ward
Chip Ganassi Racing: Alex Palou
ECR: Alexander Rossi
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Takuma Sato

WHAT: INDYCAR Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

WHEN: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET, Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 21-22

WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

VeeKay Signs with Juncos for 2026

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Rinus VeeKay will drive for Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2026. VeeKay drove for Juncos in Pro Mazda. Juncos is VeeKay’s third team in three years.

He began his IndyCar career in202 with Ed Carpenter Racing, where he won his only race, the 2021 Sonsio Grand prix on the iMS road course.

In 2025 VeeKay drove for Dale Coyne Racing, finishing 14th in the season standings.

The Dutch driver has finished each season between 12th and 14th in each of his sixth season in the series.

Until this past season, VeeKay has been an outstanding qualifier at the Indianapolis 500, with three consecutive front row starts, along with rolling off 4th and 7th. He has three top 10 finishes in the 500.

Juncos Hollinger team principalo Dave O’Neill said about signing VeeKay, “At Juncos Hollinger Racing, we’re fully focused on building a program capable of sustained high performance in the years ahead,” said Dave O’Neill, Juncos Hollinger Racing team principal.

“We have exciting plans across every area of the team – on and off the track – and bringing Rinus onboard is a major step in that direction.”

IMS Test Day Midday Report

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A random summary of this morning at IMS:

A cool crisp morning led to a slow first hour of testing at IMS. Action began to pick up after 10 am.

The first was mainly used by Dennis Hauger for pit stop practice.

Just before 11, the action picked up with several cars on track at the same time. The ECR cars took to the track around 10:45.

Mick Schumacher turned the fastest time in the morning session.

Schumacher had a crowd following him wherever he went. He seems genuinely interested in driving in IndyCar. As far as ovals go, Schumacher did not show the reluctance that many Europeans have toward driving in circles. In answer to a question about oval driving, he said,

“I think [I] might as well, that’s what the championship is about and I think it would be wrong to just say ‘Okay, I’m just going to do one part of it.’ If I were to commit, I would like to commit to it fully.”

James Roe may get the seat at Juncos Hollinger Racing. He said that he will talk with them next week.

James Roe

Dennis Hauger is very upbeat about driving in IndyCar. He seems very happy to be at the top American level, seeing a positive in his crash at Mid-Ohio last week.

Dennis Hauger

In Other News

While Will Power could not participate in today’s practice due to contractual restrictions,, he will see some track time this weekend as he drives in the Indianapolis 8 hour.

Power will drive car 75, with fellow Australians Chaz Moster and Kenny Habul. The Mercedes-AMG is entered in the Pro class of the GT 3 event.

Conor Daly will also participate with the Random Vandals team in the number 99 BMW GT World America Pro class.

It was nice to be at the track today to get one last whiff of IndyCar before winter.