Note: This continues a series of 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone team previews on INDYNXT.com. The season starts Sunday, March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Starting Lineup: Nolan Allaer (No. 11 HMD Motorsports), Josh Pierson (No. 14 HMD Motorsports), Tommy Smith (No. 16 HMD Motorsports), Nikita Johnson, Max Taylor (No. 18 HMD Motorsports), Caio Collet (No. 23 HMD Motorsports), Sophia Floersch (No. 24 HMD Motorsports), Liam Sceats (No. 30 HMD Motorsports, St. Petersburg), Hailie Deegan (No. 38 HMD Motorsports), Bryce Aron (No. 39 HMD Motorsports).
2024 in Review: The two-year championship streak came to an end, but Caio Collet kept the hardware coming with Rookie of the Year honors. The Brazilian put together an impressive maiden season with his first career pole and victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July to go along with nine top-five finishes in 14 starts. Rookie Callum Hedge was another bright spot, earning five top-five finishes with a best result of third in June at Detroit leading to a fourth-place points finish. Nolan Siegel began the year with championship aspirations, earning the pole and victory in the season opener at St. Petersburg followed by a pair of runner-up finishes. But he got a last-minute call to compete in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and departed midseason. Christian Brooks replaced him and scored eight top-10 finishes in as many tries. Overall, the team had two victories and 10 podium finishes among 13 drivers to compete for it in 2024.
New for ’25: A lot. Just Nolan Allaer (competed in 10 of 14 races last season), Josh Pierson (14th in points last season) and Collet return to the eight-car lineup. However, don’t discredit a third championship in four years. Collet is the top returning point scorer from last season and can put together another strong season. Bryce Aron moves from Andretti Global to HMD. He ended 2024 with six top-eight finishes in the final seven races after scoring two in the first seven. The team also will earn a lot of attention from two female drivers with strong fan support. Sophia Floersch comes from FIA Formula 3 while Hailie Deegan gives open-wheel racing a try after spending several years coming through the NASCAR ranks. Tommy Smith is the final full-time driver after spending last season in F3 with Floersch. Teenagers Nikita Johnson and Max Taylor will split duties in the No. 18 entry, while USF Pro 2000 graduate Liam Sceats will drive the team's No. 30 car at St. Petersburg.
Keep an Eye on This: Collet has a prime opportunity to score a lot of points early. Six of the first seven races are on road and street courses. In 10 road or street course starts last season, Collet had a 4.9 average finish, including a victory from the pole July 7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and three runner-up results. Building a gap before three of the final five races on ovals is crucial. Collet had an average oval finish of 13th before his third-place finish in the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway.
Little-Known Fact: Aron is from Winnetka, Illinois. The significance? The house from the classic film “Home Alone” is also in that town. Aron was a frequent visitor to the house growing up.