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Ed Carpenter Racing has signed the youngest ever World Endurance Championship race winner as a junior driver with a view to fielding him in IndyCar from 2025.
Josh Pierson will begin testing one of its IndyCars next year, alongside a partial campaign in IndyCar NXT (formerly Indy Lights) with HMD Motorsports and World Endurance Championship competition in the LMP2 class with United Autosports.
He is set to then embark on a full season of IndyCar NXT in 2024, “with the intent of competing in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2025 with ECR,” according to the team’s announcement.
“I have truly enjoyed getting to know Josh Pierson and his family,” said team owner Ed Carpenter.
“For such a young man, he has already accomplished so much in his racing career.
“Along with that, he is such a well-spoken and professional person.
“I am confident with the plan that we have in place that he will develop into a complete racing driver.
“We very much look forward to working with him as we finalise his path to the NTT IndyCar Series starting in 2025.”
Still only 16 years of age, Pierson began racing open-wheelers as a 13-year-old and was in USF2000, the first rung on the Road to Indy ladder, as a 14- and 15-year-old.
This year, he became the youngest driver to start the 24 Hours of Daytona and would then make history as the youngest WEC race winner when United won the LMP2 class in March’s 1000 Miles of Sebring.
The Oregon native is now ECR’s first ever ‘development driver’.
“I’m honoured by the confidence Ed Carpenter has placed in me and so incredibly grateful to have a path to IndyCar with Ed Carpenter Racing,” he said.
“I’ve been dreaming about racing in the NTT IndyCar Series for as long as I can remember.”
Pierson has already tested an NXT car last month on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The 2023 IndyCar NXT season gets underway in support of the top tier at St Petersburg on the weekend of Sunday, March 5.
