Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
HMD Motorsports has signed Christian Brooks for the remainder of the 2024 Indy Nxt season, meaning it now has a 10-car line-up.
Brooks steps up from USF Pro 2000, where he has been racing since 2021. The 23-year-old only contested the season finale that year, then was set for a full campaign in 2022 but car damage from a qualifying crash meant he missed the season-opening races in St. Petersburg and then budget issues stopped him from racing again.
He returned to the series at the start of 2023 with a last-minute deal to contest the St. Petersburg season opener in an OnlyFans-sponsored car. He won the opening race from pole, finished sixth in the next one, then later in the year contested the Toronto round (substituting for an injured driver) where he finished eighth and fourth in the two races.
This year he signed with Pabst Racing for what was set to finally be his first full USFP2000 season, and he finished second in the opening race. He repeated that result in the two most recent races at Road America, where he also took a pole, to put himself fourth in the standings two thirds of the way through the season.
Two of the remaining three rounds, at Mid-Ohio and Portland, clash with Indy Nxt and on those two weekends he will race in both series. Before making his debut, Brooks will take part in Indy Nxt’s test at Iowa Speedway on June 28.
“This is a dream come true and an amazing opportunity for me,” Brooks said of stepping up to Indy Nxt. “My goal is ultimately IndyCar, but this is the next step in the climb to achieve that, and I couldn’t be more excited than to do that with HMD Motorsports.”
Mike Maurini, HMD Motorsports’ president, added: “[Christian] has moved through the ranks with some success, and now, with the proper funding programme in place and a clear path to where he wants to go, he will be a real threat for race wins, podium results, and championships for years to come.”