Note: The Penske Entertainment editorial staff is looking back at the five biggest moments of 2024 in INDY NXT by Firestone in this year-end series, with one installment appearing on the site per day in countdown fashion from Dec. 27-31.
Louis Foster dominated the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone season en route to the championship.
The 21-year-old from England won a series-high eight of the 14 races for Andretti Global. He led the series in wins (eight), poles (seven), podium finishes (12), laps led (362 of 640) and completed every lap of competition to beat Abel Motorsports’ Jacob Abel to the title by 122 points for his second open-wheel title in three years. His previous title came in the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 series, where he won seven races.
The dominating sophomore season Foster displayed wasn’t a surprise to him despite a rookie season plagued by inconsistency. Foster had two wins, four poles, six top-three finishes, six top-five results and nine top 10s in 14 starts in 2023. The problem areas were four races he failed to finish and not capitalizing on the speed of the car.
Foster recognized the weaknesses during the offseason to prepare himself for a championship run in 2024. That approach was put to the test early in the season. He finished third in the March 10 season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, but the second race at Barber Motorsports Park was a dismal race weekend. Battling mechanical problems in practice led him to start 21st without being able to make a qualifying lap. In the race, he charged to fifth.
Then a seventh-place finish May 10 in the opening race of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway doubleheader race weekend left Foster 58 points behind championship leader Jacob Abel.
For the second 35-lap event of the weekend a day later, Abel was on pole and Foster rolled off fourth.
That was the turning point of the season.
Foster gained three spots to beat Abel for his first win of the season. He then rattled off 10 consecutive top-two finishes to earn his first INDY NXT by Firestone championship.
Foster leaves INDY NXT by Firestone with 10 victories, tying him with Tommy Byrne, Alex Lloyd, Paul Tracy and Kyle Kirkwood for second-most all time. Greg Moore is the career wins leader with 13.
Foster’s 11 poles are also tied for second in series history with Robbie Buhl and Ed Jones. Byrne’s 12 are tops.
He moves to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES competing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2025.