Photo: James Black
IndyCar team Cusick Motorsports has announced it will expand into junior single-seaters next year by entering cars in Indy Nxt.
Its venture into IndyCar’s primary support series will be made possible by collaborating with HMD Motorsports, which currently runs six cars full-time and a further three part-time. For 2026 it will downscale to four cars.
Cusick’s founder and chief executive officer Don Cusick had teased in an interview last month that “Indy Nxt makes sense for us” since his team only competed part-time in IndyCar and did so by co-running cars.
“We’re excited to announce that Cusick Motorsports will make its debut in the Indy Nxt series in 2026!” the team announced via an Instagram post.
“Through a technical alliance with HMD Motorsports, we’ll be fielding a two-car programme with a clear mission: developing top-tier talent for the IndyCar stage. The journey to 2026 starts now.”
The team was founded in 2021 when Cusick was looking to support Stefan Wilson’s efforts to find a seat for that year’s Indianapolis 500. Through a company he was a shareholder in he was able to sponsor Wilson, and that resulted in him joining Andretti Global’s line-up for the race.
Cusick Motorsports was created at the same time, with Wilson the driver at its core. For 2022 the new team was able to enter him into the Indy 500 by co-running a car with DragonSpeed, then did the same with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2023. Graham Rahal replaced Wilson in the car after qualifying due to getting injured in a practice session.
That alliance has continued at the Indy 500 ever since, and has covered two cars since 2024. Cusick’s best result from its four races is a 10th place.
Cusick’s operation also supported the Hardpoint team in 2022 that Wilson drove for in IMSA’s endurance races.