Andretti Global driver Jamie Chadwick is adamant that podium results are possible in her sophomore Indy NXT campaign, which gets under way this weekend in St Petersburg. Chadwick finished 12th in last year’s drivers’ standings and was the fourth-best-placed rookie, recording a best finish of sixth in Portland towards the end of the campaign.
After a slow start to the year, the three-time W Series champion established herself as a regular in the top 10, finishing five of the last eight races in the higher points-paying positions, albeit well behind team-mates Hunter McElrea (second), fellow Briton Louis Foster (fourth) and James Roe Jr (seventh).
“The thing that I like most about Indy NXT is that you know you’re rewarded if you have success,” says the 25-year-old. “It’s quite clear that, if you have a good year, there is an opportunity to progress into the big series [IndyCar].
“I want to be on the podium, I want to be trying to win races. It’s still a reasonable step from where we were last year. I just think that the progress we made throughout the year and with what I was able to learn, I’m confident that with the team that I’m in, that opportunity is there for me.”
This season 12 rookies will join the series, including British former Formula 2 driver Josh Mason. Of the continuing drivers, six finished ahead of Chadwick in the 2023 rankings.
“Honestly, I think we’re capable of being on the podium,” adds Chadwick. “Pre-season testing, the pace that we had, there’s a little bit of a step still to make to be committed to being constantly in the top five, but we’re floating around it.
Source: Autosport