[ad_1]
Jamie Chadwick will get his first chance to test an IndyCar with Andretti in September, at a crucial time in the championship’s ridiculous season.
Chadwick, a three-time W Series champion, is in her second season of competition in the IndyCar Indy NXT Series – formerly known as Indy Lights – and earned an impressive first win at Road America last month.
Her qualifying in particular was a huge improvement, something her race results, along with a win at Road America and a podium at the Indianapolis road course, didn’t always show due to some bad luck.
What Jimmy and the team said
Chadwick described herself as “incredibly excited” about the test.
“I would like to thank the team very much for this opportunity. I am sure I will enjoy it.
“The NTT IndyCar Series remains my goal, so I can’t wait to learn as much as I can on that day at one of the most challenging tracks on the calendar.”
“It has been a pleasure to watch Jimmy grow as a driver in our NXT Indy program,” added Michael Andretti, team CEO and chairman.
“The work she put in over the winter after her first season was evident, and we were impressed with the progress she made.
“The Indy NXT field is very competitive this year and what Jamie has been able to do is a testament to the level of skill and potential she possesses.
“We believe in rewarding hard work and results, and we are excited to give her this opportunity. We are all looking forward to seeing what she can do in September.”
Chadwick’s chances of winning an IndyCar seat
Chadwick is nearing the end of his second season in the support series — and in most driver situations it would be reasonable to expect a move to IndyCar or a switch elsewhere at that point.
However, Chadwick’s debut in Indy NXT in 2023 marked her first season in US racing – and this was always seen as a long-term project to get Chadwick comfortable and fast.
Chadwick has always said she wants to earn any opportunity she gets on merit.
She is currently fifth in the championship with four races remaining.
If Andretti decides it wants to promote Chadwick internally, it will need to run an additional car, which The Race understands it is unlikely to do given that the reduction from four to three cars for 2024 has had a positive impact.
Its three current drivers, Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood, are all under contract.
The team is certainly capable of funding a fourth car for Chadwick, but that seems unlikely at this stage, unless it is done in collaboration with others and with significant support.
Another option is to put Chadwick on another team, as Andretti did with Kirkwood at AJ Foyt Racing after he won the Indy Lights (now NXT) championship in 2021.
But Andretti already has a driver it would most likely want to do that with in Lewis Foster, who has a 77-point lead in the championship and has won five of the last seven races.
Foster is expected to win a title that will provide him with funding for a number of IndyCar starts, which would be a very favorable proposition for the teams.
There is certainly time to engineer that kind of move for Chadwick, though, as IndyCar seats are filling up for 2025. Only Dale Coyne, Ed Carpenter, Foyt, Juncus Hollinger and newcomer Prema are likely to have seats left, and all but Prema are currently fighting to stay in the top 22 in IndyCar in the championship, which is the difference between getting $1 million at the end of the year and not getting it.
As such, these teams tend to favor drivers with funding or a proven track record, and Chadwick may need to show more in his final four NXT races this season to prove himself worthy of any of these teams.
The final option is a third year of the Indy NXT Championship. With Chadwick still catching up in terms of U.S. racing experience, a strong 2025 could open the door to more options.
Was Chadwick’s season really that good?
Chadwick’s win at Road America was incredibly impressive and came from first in the series.
Her last five races have resulted in top-10 finishes, and while her Road America win didn’t start the streak of wins and podiums some had expected, it was the incidents earlier in the year that limited Chadwick’s championship position.
Saint Petersburg
He qualified 10th, but was hit by Josh Pearson to finish 20th.
barber
Qualified 5th, swerved while trying to overtake at Turn 1
indianapolis road course
He qualified sixth, and finished fourth before a gearshift problem occurred.
Detroit
Qualified in fourth place, after Yuvin Sundaramoorthy was eliminated.
Being behind two rookies and 200 points behind a teammate isn’t usually the kind of performance that gets you into IndyCar, but Chadwick has shown marked improvement in 2023.
The next four races – and an IndyCar test at Barber – will likely be crucial in showing whether Chadwick can qualify for the IndyCar grid with merit.
[ad_2]
Source
