The green flag flies on the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season Sunday, March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, with live coverage at 10 a.m. ET on FS1 and the INDYCAR Radio Network. The 45-lap race is the first of the 14-race season that airs exclusively on FOX Sports.
Second-year HMD Motorsports driver Caio Collet leads the returning drivers on the heels of a Rookie of the Year season. The Brazilian put together an impressive maiden season, finishing third in points on the strength of his first career pole and victory at The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July and nine top-five finishes in 14 starts.
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The upcoming season has an even deeper level of intrigue with some exciting moves and a talented driver lineup.
Myles Rowe and Callum Hedge switched to ABEL Motorsports from HMD Motorsports and should make a dynamic duo, especially with their strong offseason testing program. Their experience together should translate well into their sophomore seasons.
Andretti Global has a strong lineup, as well. James Roe returns, Salvador de Alba Jr. makes the jump from Andretti Cape NXT to Andretti Global, and talented rookies Lochie Hughes and Dennis Hauger bring a lot of pedigree.
Hauger, from Norway, won the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2021 and secured five wins and 13 podium finishes in FIA Formula 2 – the last official ladder step before Formula One – in the last three seasons. He also served as a Red Bull Junior Driver for six years and was named a Red Bull Reserve Driver for the 2022 and 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship season.
His background and accomplishments are quite strong for a rookie in the INDYCAR development series. Hauger was fastest at the two-day test at Sebring International Raceway, giving him a lot of momentum heading into the season. Hughes won the 2024 USF Pro 2000 championship.
It’s also fascinating to see drivers like Sophia Floersch and Hailie Deegan making the leap into INDY NXT. Floersch has plenty of open-wheel experience from her extensive Formula 3 career, while Deegan’s transition from NASCAR to open-wheel racing is a bold move that will be fun to follow. It is interesting to see more women breaking into the highly competitive series, too.
With such a deep, interesting field, it’s shaping up to be a thrilling season.
ABEL’s Turn To Beat HMD, Andretti?
Andretti Global and HMD Motorsports have combined to win five consecutive races around the 14-turn, 1.8-mile street circuit at St. Petersburg. Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Global) and David Malukas (HMD Motorsports) won in the doubleheader weekend, respectively, in 2021. Andretti Global’s Matthew Brabham won the single race in 2022 while Danial Frost (HMD Motorsports) won in 2023 and Nolan Siegel (HMD Motorsports) last year.
However, maybe this weekend’s season opener favors ABEL Motorsports, which had former driver Jacob Abel finish runner-up in last year’s race.
The last three INDY NXT by Firestone champions – Linus Lundqvist (2022), Christian Rasmussen (2023) and Louis Foster (2024) – were sophomores in the series when they won the title. There are seven second-year drivers this season, with three at ABEL Motorsports – Rowe, Hedge and Jack William Miller.
Rowe, 24, finished eighth last year in St. Petersburg and 11th in the series standings, highlighted by seven top-10 finishes and two top-five results. He won at St. Petersburg during the 2022 USF2000 Championship and the 2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship weekends.
Hedge, 21, racked up eight top-10 finishes last season, with five top-five finishes, and in June he scored his first series podium result at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. He finished 11th in last year’s season opener.
Sophomores Rowe and Hedge have been fast in the offseason tests, with Rowe quickest in October at the annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. At Sebring International Raceway, Hedge was second quickest and Rowe fourth.
Second-year driver Jack William Miller first tested an ABEL car earlier this month at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after his Miller Vinatieri Motorsports team aligned with ABEL.
Can Collet Pick Up Where Siegel, Foster Left Off?
Collet is in a strong position to make a big push for the title, especially with St. Petersburg being such a crucial early race. If HMD is to make it three straight wins there, Collet is definitely the favorite, as he brings both consistency and the confidence of the top returning point scorer.
His performance in road and street course events last season – particularly his win at Mid-Ohio and his consistent top-five finishes – gives him a solid base to build upon in the opening rounds of the 2025 season.
There are six road and street course races in the first seven rounds, a huge opportunity for Collet. His 4.9 average finish last season on those types of circuits shows that he can consistently be in the mix, and if he can pick up some early wins or podiums, it would set him up with a strong points lead heading into the oval-heavy part of the season.
Building that gap is important, especially with the final three races on ovals, where he hasn’t been as dominant in the past. That third-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway is promising, though, and if he can carry that momentum into the ovals, it could be a game-changer.
It’ll be fascinating to see if Collet can mirror the success of past drivers like Nolan Siegel and Foster, who both made major strides in their sophomore seasons.
Chip Ganassi Racing Returns
Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) returning to INDY NXT is significant news. The team has a legendary history in motorsports and is back this season with drivers Jonathan Browne and Niels Koolen.
Browne had a solid rookie season last year, consistently getting into the top 10, which shows his potential to build on that momentum. Meanwhile, Koolen’s experience across multiple series, including INDY NXT, Formula 2 and European Le Mans, makes him a versatile driver.
Track Specs: 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit
Qualifying Record: Nolan Siegel, 1 minute, 4.5759 seconds, 100.347 mph, March 9, 2024
Push To Pass Parameters: 150 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation