Ganassi expanding Indy NXT program to four cars

Chip Ganassi Racing’s return to IndyCar’s top developmental series featured a two-car Indy NXT effort in 2025 and will double in size for 2026.

“We're expanding to four cars,” CGR team manager Taylor Kiel confirmed to RACER. “We’ve got two of the seats filled, but we have two more to fill, and we've got some hiring to do. We’ve got great opportunities for drivers, mechanics and engineers alike to join the Chip Ganassi Racing family.”

After its factory IMSA GTP program for Cadillac reached its end last October, CGR moved into Indy NXT with Jonathan Browne and Bryce Aron in the No. 9 car and Niels Koolen in the No. 10 entry. Throughout the year, Kiel was constantly reminded of the value Indy NXT brings to the 17-time IndyCar Series champions.

“We’re committed to Indy NXT for the long-term, and even if we make a return to sports cars in the future, NXT is part of our plans,” he said. “We felt something was missing for us with having a development team for drivers and mechanics and everyone we’d want to be involved with our IndyCar program. For us, it’s become a necessary internal pipeline of talent.”

Kiel hopes to complete its driver roster before the Chris Griffis test to be held later in the month on the Indianapolis road course and has been busy recruiting staff to complete the NXT program.

“Most people probably think of NXT being about driver development and getting the next drivers ready for IndyCar, and that’s true, but it goes deeper than just the benefit for drivers,” he said.

“It’s hard when you’re looking at hiring somebody who’s new to IndyCar; maybe they’re coming from a local dealership or outside of motorsports, to go straight onto pit lane as a mechanic on Scott Dixon’s car. Or directly from university to step into the engineering group with Alex Palou or Kyffin Simpson.

“That’s a big ask of anybody, regardless of their education or credentials. That’s where NXT has become a really important tool for us to take in new people and work with them and train them before stepping up to IndyCar with us.”