Following two tests with the team's Dallara IL-15, Lindsay Brewer is Juncos Hollinger Racing's first signing for the 2024 Indy NXT season, as she steps up from USF Pro 2000.
Having made her Indy NXT debut in the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last October, Lindsay Brewer now announces she will step up from USF Pro 2000 to Indy NXT in 2024, signing a deal with Juncos Hollinger Racing. The 26 year old will pilot the #76 Dallara IL-15 for the full 14 race schedule.
Brewer competed full time in USF Pro 2000 this year under the banner of Exclusive Autosport, collecting two eleventh place finishes as her best results, following a partial campaign in 2022. Her career in single seaters followed an unconventional path but the Colorado-native has never hidden her ambition of racing on the Road to Indy with the aim of reaching Indycar - and she has now made a further step towards her goal.
“Driving at the top level of open-wheel racing in the U.S. has been a dream of mine ever since I was a young girl,” she said. “To be able to take this step up and drive Indy NXT is not only exciting for me, but it also is a dream come true."
“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."
The move represents a significant step in Lindsay's career, in a team that has recently announced a strategic alliance with Arrow McLaren and collected one win and two podiums in Indy NXT in 2022.
“Graduating to INDY NXT is a big challenge for any driver but Lindsay’s determination is there for all to see and we’re ready to give her all the support and coaching she needs to realize her potential in the series", commented team co-owner Brad Hollinger. "We made good progress during the end of season tests at Indy and Barber, and the aim is to build on that in the coming weeks and months.”
Brewer, who tested twice with the team after the season, is the second female racer to join the 2024 field after the signing of Jamie Chadwick for her sophom*ore campaign, and will be the first American woman to race in Indy NXT since 2007, when Leilani Münter contested one round at Kentucky Speedway for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
“To be representing America and women in a full season at this level of motorsport is something I can be proud of, and it is motivation for me to work as hard as I possibly can on and off the track", Lindsay continued. "I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish.”
Despite starting competitive karting aged 11, 2023 was effectively Brewer's third competitive season in motor racing, having focused on her studies until her return to the track in 2021. A promising karting prospect, Lindsay was back in the rhythm when she stepped up to the Skip Barber Formula Race Series, and also contested a partial campaign in TC America. She eventually focused on single seaters in 2022 with her first USF Pro 2000 season, where she immediately claimed a top ten.
In a highly competitive field, she made good progress in the following season, with stronger results on the familiar tracks and towards the end of the season - proof of a growing confidence. Having moved her first steps in the Indy NXT Dallara at Indianapolis, she continued the learning process at Barber Motorsports Park in November.
“It’s a proud moment to welcome another female driver to Juncos Hollinger Racing after competing with Julia Ballario and Tatiana Calderon in Pro Mazda previously", commented Team Principal Ricardo Juncos, mentioning the other female drivers that had raced for the Argentine-American team in the past. "We’re looking forward to working with Lindsay to build on her Road to Indy experience and to bring her up to competitive speed in Indy NXT as quickly as possible.”
The 2024 Indy NXT season will start from the streets of St Petersburg, Florida, on March 10, for the first of a 14 round calendar. The schedule includes three street circuits, six road courses and three ovals, with two double-headers - at Indianapolis Road Course and Laguna Seca respectively. The season will end on September 15th at the Nashville Street Circuit.
