Brickyard weekend added to Indy NXT schedule

The Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix will take place Friday, Aug. 11 on the IMS road course, joining the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series on the schedule. It will serve as the 10^th of 14 rounds in the calendar for Indy NXT – formerly Indy Lights.

“To feature Indy NXT by Firestone during this elite NASCAR-IndyCar weekend is a tremendous opportunity,” said series director Levi Jones. “This season, 19 Indy NXT entries will compete for the 2023 championship – the most since 2009. It is a growing series matching the growing IndyCar paddock and a phenomenal moment to showcase the next generation of stars on a huge stage.”

This change will put Indy NXT into the spotlight on two marquee weekends at IMS instead of just one, as Indy NXT was due to race twice in support of IndyCar’s GMR Grand Prix in May. Now what was the May 12 race in the former double-header is replaced by this Aug. 11 date, keeping the schedule at 14 races.

Last month, IndyCar announced an increased $1.4 million purse for the 2023 Indy NXT championship with the champion receiving benefits to be applied to an oval test at Texas Motor Speedway, the Indy 500 Open Test and Rookie Orientation Program, and entries for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and one other 2024 NTT IndyCar Series event.

This follows disappointment for 2022 Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist who earned only $500,000 compared with the $1.2m (in value) received by previous Lights champs. Consequently, two of the drivers he beat last year – Sting Ray Robb and Benjamin Pedersen – have found IndyCar rides for 2023, but Lundqvist currently has nothing.

The Indy NXT season begins Sunday, March 5 on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Peacock will provide live streaming of the race in the U.S. with additional coverage available from the IndyCar Radio Network via the IndyCar App powered by NTT DATA.