Pierson moves to Andretti Indy NXT team

Josh Pierson’s fourth season of Indy NXT will be spent with Andretti Global after dedicating most of 2023 and all of 2024-25 with HMD Motorsports.

The 19-year-old Oregonian showed real growth last season as eight finishes inside the top six, including two podiums, propelled Pierson to sixth in the championship. In joining the defending, back-to-back NXT title winners, Pierson has given himself a strong chance to vie for the title in what will be his third full season in IndyCar’s main developmental series.

“I’m super excited to be joining Andretti Global for the 2026 Indy NXT season,” Pierson said. “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’s NXT roster and will have Lochie Hughes, Seb Murray and Max Taylor to race with in 2026.

“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 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.”