Indy NXT Champion Foster ‘Waiting and Watching’ for IndyCar Options

Rarely has an Indy NXT Champion demonstrated the consistency and dominance that Louis Foster displayed to claim the title in 2024. His seven wins and 11 podium finishes, including a current streak of 10 consecutive first or second place finishes and an average finishing position of 2.1, are nothing short of extraordinary achievements that have enabled the Briton to secure the championship for Andretti Global with one race remaining on the calendar.

The mature-beyond-his-years 21-year-old enters the season finale at Nashville Speedway with a chance to secure his eighth win in 14 races. Foster also heads to Tennessee with a new home to find — in the NTT IndyCar Series paddock — as teams narrow their options for the 2025 season.

“We had a very good season in Indy NXT; we’re very happy with it, of course,” Foster told RACER. “If you look at the stats, I think we have the highest average finishing position in Indy NXT history, so hopefully that translates into an IndyCar team wanting me.

“Of course, we’ve been talking to different teams. Nothing’s on the table at the moment, so we’re just waiting and watching. It’s a very difficult category to get into. They’re the best drivers in the world. But we’re working flat out to try and get it done.”

By winning the NXT title, Foster will have $850,000 in promotion funds from series owner Penske Entertainment to bring to the IndyCar team, and he could have other sponsorships to offer, but like his championship-winning predecessors, he is a talent that should be hired for his skills. He hopes to show potential employers what he can do in the postseason test.

“We have some ideas for tests, hopefully soon, with a few different teams,” he said. “We should do a test; I imagine one, maybe two, with two different teams, maybe three. I have to prove myself in those tests and convince the team who I am and what I can bring to the team. I’m very lucky that there are teams that are interested and want me.”

Foster has become the face of what the second season of NXT racing can do to develop young talent, earning a pole position and two wins in his rookie year with Andretti — after claiming the 2000 Indy Pro title in 2022 — and taking everything he’s learned and turning it into an unstoppable force.

“Last year we were fast; I think we were the best qualifiers, but just the consistency of my riding, the way I approached things, I wasn’t happy with the whole year at all,” he said. “The plan was to do a second year and with Rob Edwards and Michael Andretti they wanted me to do a second year to win the title with them. Looking back it was definitely the right decision.

“If I had gone to IndyCar this year, I think I would have done well, but I don’t think I would have done as well as I could have. I think my second year in NXT definitely gave me a lot more confidence, a better understanding of the IndyCar paddock, the series, and a little bit more understanding of myself as a driver. This year was the first year in my career where I did back-to-back series. I’ve always improved after a year. It was just about being very smart about how I approached my second year and making the most of the experience.”