Nasr clear to pursue IndyCar options

Former Formula 1 driver and reigning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi title winner Felipe Nasr has received a special dispensation from his IMSA team to race in any non-conflicting IndyCar rounds next year.

With interest continuing to be shown in the Brazilian from inside the NTT IndyCar Series paddock, and the 27-year-old’s ongoing desire to embark on some form of IndyCar career, the Action Express Racing outfit has given its permission for Nasr to seek drives that fall between the 10 events on IMSA’s 2020 calendar.

“First of all, I’m happy to continue working with Action Express Racing for 2020,” Nasr told RACER after completing a simulator session for Cadillac Racing. “I’m also happy Action Express has kept open the door to IndyCar for me. It’s always been my passion, and considering the recent test that I did for Arrow SPM, they could see I’m super keen to be in IndyCar. Action Express understands I’m a racer, and they say that if I can race in other competitive series, it’s the best for our team. Everything is wide open for me.”

Nasr tested for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in August at Mid-Ohio, driving James Hinchcliffe’s No. 5 Honda as the team tried a variety of setup configurations throughout the day.

“It was good to get my first IndyCar test done,” Nasr added. “The test wasn’t focused on lap times; they had me try a bunch of suspension geometries and different dampers and a lot of setup changes to correlate my feedback to what they learned on the Mid-Ohio race weekend. I liked that they put me to work to concentrate on the car and we did a lot of runs on used tires to simulate the middle and end of stints.”

Four IndyCar teams are known to have contacted Nasr. With the IMSA season about to conclude in October at Petit Le Mans, his goal is to do more IndyCar testing while exploring possibilities with those who’ve inquired about his availability.

“The end of the season is almost here, and I’m going to chase another test opportunity if it appears so I can contribute my speed and knowledge,” he said. “The only thing missing is a chance to test on an oval, and that’s something I’d love to do and take that challenge.”