Photo Credit: Travis Hinkle | Penske Entertainment

Chip Ganassi Racing’s return to Indy NXT in 2025 has been one eighteen years in the making for the 16-time IndyCar Series champions. The last time they took part in IndyCar’s top development series was 2007.

For Ganassi himself, it’s a series which he has had an eye on for a long time.

“We’ve had guys come out of that series from time to time,” Ganassi said. “(Indy NXT) deserves a closer look from our team, and that’s why we’re here.”

The team will run two entries in the 2025 season, both drivers who took part in the series in 2024. Irishman Jonathan Browne has had an illustrious journey in America from USF Pro Championships powerhouse Turn 3 Motorsport up to a 2024 rookie season in Indy NXT where he managed to put together eight top ten finishes. He has led the way so far in testing for Ganassi, securing a tenth place finish in the final test of the offseason at Laguna Seca.

He’ll be joined within the team by Niels Koolen, a Dutch driver who secured a tenth place finish at Indianapolis as his best result in a half-season last year. He also has raced in a half-dozen European championships, including rounds at Baku and Monza in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

The Chip Ganassi Racing Indy NXT program originated from the team’s managing director Mike Hull, who saw Indy NXT as an opportunity to expand the team’s operations.

“Roger Penske is pushing (Indy NXT) really, really hard,” Hull said. “It’s part of this dynamic and we want to be part of it going forward.”

Among the changes which have made Indy NXT a more profitable endeavor is the inclusion of the development series in the newest television deal. All Indy NXT races will be televised on either FOX Sports 1 or FOX Sports 2 this season.

The desire for Chip Ganassi Racing to enter Indy NXT was also prompted by the shop space that exists as the team prepares to re-enter sports car racing in the future, but said they currently don’t have the opportunity to do so. In order to keep some of the staff on board and keep the shop full, they saw Indy NXT as a way to achieve that.

“We’re doing it for more than one reason, the retention of people and being able to find out close-hand who the drivers are in Indy NXT,” Hull said. “So it’s a big, big opportunity for us and we’re proud to be a part of the program.”

With a fourteen-race schedule ahead of them, Chip Ganassi Racing is all set up to tackle the Indy NXT calendar for the first time in over a decade.

What’s left is to see how the team does in this new transition.

“People have commented on how good our cars look,” Ganassi said. “Let’s hope they go as fast as they look.”