Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced Oct. 9 that 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Louis Foster, who just completed a dominant run to his second open-wheel title in three years, will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut with the team in 2025 as part of a multiyear deal.
Details on the sponsorship for the entry will be announced at a later date.
Foster, 21, won a series-high eight of the 14 races this season in the INDY NXT championship for Andretti Global. He led the series in wins (eight), poles (seven), podiums (12), laps led (362 of 640) and completed every lap of competition to beat Abel Motorsports’ Jacob Abel to the title by 122 points. His previous title came in the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 series, where he won seven races en route to being named the champion in the season finale.
“I am really looking forward to working with the team,” Foster said. “Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have Indy 500 victories, obviously Bobby has won an Indy 500, and there is a great wealth of knowledge with the team. I want to thank Bobby, David (Letterman) and Mike (Lanigan) for their faith in my abilities, and I want to thank all my sponsors who have helped me achieve my dream of driving in INDYCAR, in particular Copart.
“I can’t wait to start my INDYCAR career with the team, and hopefully we can have a long and successful career together. I’m hoping that coming off the experience gained from winning the INDY NXT championship, that will leave me in a good stance to get the ball rolling. This is where the hard work starts. We will start the preparations and make sure we get hit the ground running in St. Pete.”
Foster, from England, tested an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car for the first time in September 2023 with Andretti Global at Road America. RLL is working to solidify Foster’s test program in preparation for the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, and that may include a test later this year.
“We are very pleased that we have been able to come to an agreement with Louis to have him drive for the team for the next several years,” team co-owner Bobby Rahal said. “He obviously dominated INDY NXT in 2024, and we feel he has a big future ahead of him and are happy to support the ladder system INDYCAR has created. We look at this as a long-term relationship that will go beyond the existing terms and are very excited to get started on preparations for the 2025 season and his series debut.”
The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 2 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 21st Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, with live coverage on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
“We are very excited to have Louis Foster drive for us over the next few years,” team co-owner Mike Lanigan said. “I look forward to watching him grow into a future INDYCAR star. He reminds me of another driver – the late, great Justin Wilson.”