Photo: Joe Skibinski
Ed Carpenter Racing junior Josh Pierson has committed to spending a fourth season in Indy Nxt, and will leave HMD Motorsports for Andretti Global in 2026.
Pierson has spent the last three years with HMD, starting off with an incomplete 2023 campaign in which his best result was a sixth place.
His first full-time season did not reach the same heights, but this year he improved to sixth in the standings with two podiums at Laguna Seca, where he qualified a career-best third for both races, and four other top-five finishes.
“I’m super excited to be joining Andretti Global for the 2026 Indy Nxt season,” said the 19-year-old American.
“I’m proud to represent Andretti, and I’m really looking forward to furthering my career and taking another step toward my dream of racing in IndyCar.
“Going into my third full season of Indy Nxt with the reigning champions gives me the confidence to focus on myself and how I can improve as a driver. I cannot wait to get started with the team at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test.”
Pierson completes Andretti Global’s four-car 2026 line-up alongside Lochie Hughes, Seb Murray and Max Taylor.
“We first talked to Josh over three years ago, so we are delighted to now add him to the Andretti Global Indy Nxt family for the 2026 season,” said Andretti Global team principal Rob Edwards.
“We have watched Josh develop as a driver over the past few years, not just in Indy Nxt, but also through his experience racing in Europe. Josh put in many strong performances over the second half of the 2025 season, and we expect him to challenge for the Indy Nxt championship in 2026.”
When Pierson joined IndyCar team ECR’s new driver development programme in 2022, its plan was to get him into IndyCar by 2025. That target date was relaxed last year, and ECR’s current full-time drivers are on multi-year deals which began this season.
Other preparations for Pierson have included entering Formula Regional Oceania campaign this year, which resulted in three podiums, and racing in the World Endurance Championship’s LMP2 class.