Photo: Joe Skibinski
Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced that Matthew Brabham will drive its #76 car for the last two Indy Nxt rounds.
Reece Gold drove the car for the first two races of the season, then Rasmus Lindh took it over and made the podium at Iowa Speedway. The team has not announced why Lindh is unavailable to complete the campaign.
This is not the first time in 2023 that Brabham has been called upon by Juncos as an Indy Nxt substitute.
Matteo Nannini won from pole on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in the team’s #75 car, but he and the team parted ways in mid-July after seven races and no reason was initially given for the split.
A few days later Indy Nxt veteran Brabham was drafted in to replace him for the oval race at Iowa Speedway, which he finished fourth in, then Victor Franzoni was signed to contest the remaining rounds on road and street courses.
That meant there was still a vacancy for the Gateway oval race last weekend, and Juncos called up Brabham to drive in the #75 again. He rewarded the team’s faith with a seventh place finish, and now he will take Lindh’s place for this weekend’s race at Portland the double-header season finale at Laguna Seca the week after.
The 29-year-old American-Australian will be looking to make a return to the podium, having been runner-up at Portland and finishing third in the second Laguna Seca race last year while driving for Andretti Autosport. Strong results may reignite his chances of a return to IndyCar, which he last raced in back in 2016.