Two more Indy NXT drivers have been confirmed for 2024.
The first is Jacob Abel with his family-run Abel Motorsports team. The Kentucky native will have promising Wisconsin product Yuven Sundaramoorthy as his teammate for 2024 and the team run by John Brunner could field as many as four cars next year.
The Butler University marketing student is taking a final run at the NXT championship while planning to take a step up to the NTT IndyCar Series after completing his first test with the Dale Coyne Racing team earlier this month. Abel earned his first NXT pole last season and took four podiums on the way to placing fifth in the standings.
“The test was good and we were fast,” Abel told RACER. “And while we did have a really good year in 2023, we didn’t win any races or the championship, so when I get to IndyCar, I want to belong and deserve to be there. My dream would be to win for a big IndyCar team, and before I can do that, we’re going for having a big year next year in NXT.”
New Zealander Callum Hedge will make his NXT debut with HMD Motorsports, which comes after a dominant run to claim the 2023 Formula Regional Americas title.
“I have had a taste of the Indy NXT machinery and am ready for the challenge that 2024 will bring,” Hedge said. “I am thankful for the opportunity to join a championship-winning program in HMD Motorsports and for my partners who continue to make my motorsports dream a reality.”
Hedge is the sixth driver signed by HMD Motorsports GM Mike Maurini and team owners Henry and Daiva Malukas.
“We have a lot of time for Callum and are confident that he will have success in Indy NXT,” he said. “He is stepping into a program that has ascended rapidly and has been winning along the way. He is another piece to the growing puzzle and will be a threat for the top step of the podium all season. While the North American ovals and temporary courses will be new to him, he has a strong support system of drivers and engineers around him that will assist in making the transition seamless.”
