Louis Foster is aiming to begin his Indy NXT campaign with success as the season gets underway at St Petersburg this weekend.
Foster, 20, starts his second season with the Andretti Global team, at the first track he ever raced on in the US.
He scored a pair of podiums on the street circuit in his 2022 Indy Pro 2000-winning campaign, and followed that up with a pole position on his Indy NXT debut last year.
Andretti and Foster have been working hard in the off-season to develop the package they will race with and had successful tests to prepare for the season starting.
“It’s been what feels like a long off-season since we last raced in September, so I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of the #26 Andretti Global car,”
says Foster, who is backed by Copart, a global leader in online auto auctions which recently renewed its relationship with Foster.
"It’s no secret that we weren’t happy with how last year ended and that we want to be fighting for the drivers’ and teams’ championships this year."
"St Pete was my first race in America when we made the switch in 2022 so it holds some happy memories for us, but we’re focusing fully on the future as we try to prepare and execute to the best of our abilities on track this weekend.”
Foster had two wins, six podiums, four pole positions and narrowly missed out on being the top rookie in the Indy NXT field in 2023, and St Pete is a great way to start off a new season to contend for top honours.The 1.8-mile, 14-turn circuit is built around an active airport on the Pinellas Peninsula and is famed for its number of sunny days in a year.“St Petersburg is a good test for any driver," adds Foster.
"It’s not the bumpiest street circuit we go to, but it’s still tricky and has plenty of places to catch you out. The long run to Turn 1 gives you the chance to overtake or be overtaken, so it’s really important to get a good run out of Turn 14.“
It’s usually sunny in St Pete so it’s a cool place to start the season. Hopefully we can have another pole position and start the race off in the right way.”
St Petersburg schedule
Friday March 8
Practice 1
1335-1420 (1835-1820 UK)
Saturday
Practice 2
0825-0910 (1325-1410 UK)
Qualifying
1305-1335 (1805-1835 UK)
Sunday Race
1000-1115 (1500-1615 UK)
Notes to editors
Louis Foster
Louis Foster is a 20-year-old British racing driver from Hampshire aiming to take the racing world by storm. He’s a member of the BRDC SuperStars and races for the Andretti Autosport team in Indy NXT by Firestone.
Son of British Touring Car and GT racer Nick Foster, Louis has been around motorsport for the majority of his life.
Foster had a successful karting career before making his debut in Ginetta Juniors where he won nine races and scored 19 podiums in his first season.
A step up to the British F4 championship delivered six wins and 13 podiums in his first season of single-seater racing, while his debut BRDC British F3 campaign kept up a 100% winning record in his car racing career with three victories and six podiums.
In 2021 Foster stepped up to racing in Europe and added three wins in Euroformula Open, took a further 10 podiums and two pole positions in a series which raced in front of Formula 1 on occasion this year.
His performances led to a nomination for the prestigious Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, an honour which was repeated a year later.The following year he made his debut in America and won half of the races on the way to the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 championship. He won on all three types of tracks, including on street courses and ovals which he hadn’t raced on before.
He took wins and poles in his first Indy NXT by Firestone championship season, and he returns to that series in 2024.
Outside of motorsport Louis is a keen rugby and hockey player as well as enjoying off-road mountain biking and training in the gym.
Foster is sponsored by auction giant Copart, which sells more than 300,000 cars per years in the UK and more than 3 million cars per year worldwide. He is also backed by Chambers Recycling Solutions, Novara Technologies, One Sports Management Group and Poggesi.
For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact barry@onesmgroup.com
Indy NXT by Firestone
Indy NXT (formerly Indy Lights before a major rebrand for 2023) is the top level of junior racing in the United States.
It is organised and promoted by Penske Entertainment - which also owns NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - and is the premier route for drivers hoping to reach INDYCAR.
It races on road courses, street circuits and ovals, just like the stars of INDYCAR.
The series races with cars made by Dallara, with the distinctive Halo device used to help protect the drivers. The cars feature turbocharged, 2-litre engines producing 450bhp, and are tricky to control which gives drivers a good learning curve ahead of reaching IndyCar.
Winning the series awards a prize fund worth a reported $1.4 million, and includes tests at Texas and Indianapolis, an Indy 500 start and an entry into one additional IndyCar race.
Past champions of the series include Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward.
Indy NXT by Firestone calendar
March 10 St Petersburg
April 28 Barber
May 10-11 Indianapolis road course (double header)
June 2 Detroit
June 9 Road America
June 22-23 Laguna Seca (double header)
July 7 Mid-Ohio
July 13 Iowa
August 17 Gateway
August 25 Portland
August 31 Milwaukee
September 15 Nashville Speedway
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