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Louis Foster Clinches 2024 Indy NXT Championship at Milwaukee Mile
Louis Foster of Andretti Global has been declared the 2024 Indy NXT champion following a commanding performance at The Milwaukee Mile, where he led every lap to secure victory from the pole position.
The 20-year-old British driver showcased exceptional skill by maintaining his pace throughout the race, finishing ahead of his closest championship contender, Jacob Abel, by a margin of 4.3602 seconds at the historic 1-mile oval.
“It’s amazing,” Foster expressed after the race. “I’m just speechless. I want to extend my gratitude to my team; they’ve supported me over the last two years. A massive thank you to everyone on the No. 26 crew and my sponsors… It’s been a wild two years, and I’m thrilled to come out on top.”
The victory marked Foster’s seventh win of the season, placing him alongside racing legends like Bryan Herta, Mark Taylor, Oliver Askew, and David Malukas in a tie for the fourth-most wins in Indy NXT history. He is poised to potentially move into third place along with Alex Lloyd in the upcoming season finale at Nashville Superspeedway. The all-time record is held by Greg Moore and Kyle Kirkwood, who each secured 10 wins in a single season, while Paul Tracy and Pato O’Ward are tied for second with nine wins.
Finishing in third place was Salvador de Alba Jr., followed by rookie Bryce Aron and Jamie Chadwick, who completed the top five.
Race Highlights
Foster executed a flawless start, quickly gaining an advantage over the field. In contrast, Abel experienced early struggles when he was hit from behind by HMD Motorsports rookie Christian Brooks, nearly jeopardizing his race and forcing him to drop to sixth place as the pack raced into Turn 1.
Despite the early setback, Abel demonstrated resilience by climbing back to fifth place and applying pressure on Brooks, although he wasn’t able to complete the pass. Meanwhile, Foster increased his lead, which was 0.7726 seconds over Chadwick by lap 10, expanding to 1.0905 seconds by lap 16.
As the race progressed, the competition settled into a rhythm, but a caution on lap 30 was triggered when Myles Rowe, driving the No. 99 HMD Motorsports car, spun in Turn 2. Fortunately, Rowe managed to avoid contact with the wall, allowing for a quick restart.
When racing resumed on lap 33, Foster exhibited a strong restart, while Chadwick was overtaken by de Alba for second place. Abel continued his charge to fourth past Brooks shortly after.
On lap 39, Abel executed a skillful maneuver to pass Chadwick on the outside, clinching third position. By the midway point of the race, Foster maintained a 0.5282-second lead over de Alba. However, the latter mounted a challenge, closing the gap to just a few car lengths before Foster regained his advantage.
As the race entered the later stages, the battle intensified for positions further back, notably between Brooks and rookie Yuven Sundaramoorthy, who engaged in a tense duel for sixth. Sundaramoorthy made an aggressive attempt to pass Brooks on lap 57 but lost ground instead, finishing seventh after a slight misstep.
Abel pressed on, initially keeping pace with de Alba before falling back again. The action for sixth continued to be fierce, with Roe eventually taking that position from Brooks on lap 69 after a close encounter.
As the race neared its conclusion, Foster’s lead over de Alba tightened to 0.4171 seconds by lap 70 but then expanded back to over a second within mere laps. With just 12 laps remaining, Foster navigated through traffic skillfully, eventually extending his lead to an impressive 5.4082 seconds by lap 85.
In the final moments of the race, Abel executed another impressive pass, surging ahead of de Alba, but it was Foster who crossed the finish line first, solidifying his championship title.
Source
www.motorsport.com