Photo: Joe Skibinski
The speculation about whether Josh Pierson will graduate to IndyCar next year has ended following AJ Foyt Racing’s announcement that he will join its 2027 line-up.
A four-year spell in Indy Nxt for the American featured no victories or poles until his last two weeks in the championship, when he claimed back-to-back poles at the Milwaukee Mile and Laguna Seca and converted the latter into a maiden win.
Retirement in the season-ending race the next day left him 11th in the standings, meaning he earned zero FIA superlicense points. He had earned the first three of his career by coming sixth in Indy Nxt’s 2025 season, in which two podiums at Laguna Seca was the highlight.
Foyt ran Pierson in tests using a previous-generation Indy car this year, then in a contemporary chassis on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course. IndyCar officials required Pierson to do another test, which he only became eligible for thanks to his Indy Nxt win, to assess his driving abilities and earn a competition license.
“Racing in IndyCar has been my dream for as long as I can remember,” said the 20-year-old.
“The variety of racing I’ve done has all been in preparation for this incredible opportunity. I’m grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way and tremendously appreciative of the commitment of a new partner that will be announced shortly.”
Pierson began his single-seater career back in 2020, racing in the F1600 Championship Series and USF2000. In his sophomore USF2000 campaign he came fourth in the standings with five podiums, then switched to sportscar racing for 2022.
He came fourth overall and won the LMP2 class on debut in the World Endurance Championship’s 1000 miles of Sebring, became the youngest ever driver to race in the Le Mans 24 Hours aged 16, and another class podium in the season finale put Pierson and his team-mate third in the LMP2 standings. Back home in IMSA he was sixth in the LMP2 points table thanks to a Petit Le Mans podium.
A second season in WEC resulted in a win, a runner-up finish and fifth in the standings, while he also raced part-time in IMSA and Indy Nxt.
Pierson’s rookie campaign in second-tier single-seaters with HMD Motorsports featured a best result of sixth, and as a full-timer in 2024 he improved one spot to 14th in the standings but never finished higher than seventh. He switched teams to Andretti Global for 2026.
After Pierson’s IndyCar graduation was confirmed by Foyt, the team’s president Larry Foyt commented of his new signing that “few drivers at his age have his depth of experience, and his maturity and work ethic are remarkable”.