HMD signs Brooks for remainder of 2024 Indy NXT season

HMD Motorsports has confirmed Christian Brooks for the rest of the 2024 season in Indy NXT, beginning with this weekend’s round at Laguna Seca.

“This is a dream come true and an amazing opportunity for me,” said Brooks, who will also have an Indy NXT oval test at Iowa Speedway on June 28.

“My goal is ultimately the NTT IndyCar, but this is the next step in the climb to achieve that, and I couldn’t be more excited than to do that with HMD Motorsports and with the support of Deploy Surveillance.”

A 23-year-old from Santa Clarita, California, Brooks will also continue racing in the USF Pro 2000 Championship, where he currently sits fourth in the overall standings courtesy of three runner-up results through 12 of 18 races.

The ramped-up schedule means Brooks will be pulling double duty at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July and Portland International Raceway in August.

“It will be busy those weekends, but my goal in Indy NXT is to learn as much as I can,” Brooks said.

“With four oval races remaining, I will have the opportunity to do a pair of test days and compete at Laguna, Mid-Ohio, and Portland, gaining more knowledge and experience which will hopefully help put me in the title fight in 2025.”

Mike Maurini, Team President of HMD Motorsports, added, “Christian is a talent, and that has been proven all the way back to when I watched him in karting. He has moved through the ranks with some success, and now, with the proper funding program in place and a clear path to where he wants to go, he will be a real threat for race wins, podium results, and championships for years to come.”

And the opportunity for Brooks comes after some rotation of seats within in the team, notably at the recent round at Road America, which saw Nolan Siegel withdraw from the weekend after receiving a call to step up to IndyCar as a substitute for Agustin Canapino at Juncos Hollinger Racing. With Siegel bowing out of his Indy NXT ride for the weekend, HMD called on Kiko Porto, who finished 12^th.

Juncos Hollinger Racing confirmed Canapino will return and race the rest of the IndyCar season, but the status of Siegel, who now sits fourth in the Indy NXT championship standings, remains unknown.

 “In the past few weeks, we have had several phone calls, texts, and emails from drivers looking to fill some of our seats in 2024 and 2025,” Maurini said.

“Looking at now and the future, Christian quickly became the obvious choice.”