Jamie Chadwick makes history with Andretti Global at INDYCAR test at Barber Motorsports Park 

Jamie Chadwick made history earlier this week at Barber Motorsports Park as the first female INDY NXT race winner in over a decade (Mann, 2011) to receive an NTT INDYCAR SERIES test.

On Monday, September 30, Chadwick joined the Andretti INDYCAR team at the iconic Alabama road course to gain valuable experience piloting an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car for the first time in her professional racing career. This track is notorious for its astounding 80 feet of elevation changes and 17 sweeping turns, making it well known to drivers as one of the most physically demanding and strategic tracks on the current INDYCAR schedule.

Chadwick ran consistently throughout the eight-hour test day, recording a total of 87 laps. She closed out her INDYCAR test debut with a fast lap time of 68.7 seconds, just one second off the fastest lap of last season’s Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber, set by the 2024 race winner.

Chadwick recalled her driving takeaways from the test day explaining, “It [the test] was very cool and as you continue the day, you quickly get frustrated and focused on trying to do the best job possible. This was definitely a day that I think took a lot from me, physically and mentally, but one that I really enjoyed.”

Despite this being her first INDYCAR outing on the road course, the 26-year-old has competed at Barber Motorsports Park twice while racing in the INDY NXT by Firestone Series. Her rookie year (2023) saw the Brit score a finish just outside of the top 10, while 2024 saw Chadwick battle it out near the front of the field for the majority of the race before a last-lap incident ruined her chances at a strong finish.

Chadwick’s road course success in her sophomore INDY NXT season has been impressive to say the least, most notably after sweeping the Road America race weekend scoring her first INDY NXT pole and win. Taking the green at the front and leading every lap of the race to checkered, Chadwick became the first woman to earn a pole on an INDY NXT road or street course, the first woman to win an INDY NXT race on a road or street course and only the third woman to capture victory in series history. Chadwick’s first time on the INDY NXT podium came just before the Road America race weekend when she scored a third-place finish on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. In addition to her first career pole and win highlights, Chadwick has collected 12 top-10 finishes and has led 20 laps over the course of her two-year INDY NXT career.

Andretti Global continues its commitment to providing learning opportunities for drivers that are transitioning into the next stage of their careers. From Chadwick’s time as an Andretti INDY NXT driver to this most recent INDYCAR test, the team has been happy to have been there to support her for every moment and milestone during this chapter of her racing career.

“It was an incredible experience to drive an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car for the first time,” Chadwick said. “Pulling out of the pit box and doing your first lap is, although a bit cliche, the kind of thing you dream of. I’ll be happy to look back and say it was my first day in INDYCAR.”