Jamie Chadwick turned nearly 90 laps in her maiden NTT INDYCAR SERIES test Monday at Barber Motorsports Park.
Chadwick, 26, completed her second INDY NXT by Firestone season with Andretti Global, and the team prepared the No. 25 Honda for the English driver to test at the 2.38-mile road course in central Alabama.
“So cool to get behind the wheel of an Indy car,” Chadwick said. “Just to get that opportunity was pretty special. I think the actual test went well. I really enjoyed it.
“There are definitely good things to take from the test. I know what it kind of takes now and what I need to work on. It was a cool opportunity to be able to sort of run a whole day with Andretti (Global) at a track like Barber (Motorsports Park).”
Chadwick and Andretti Global attacked the test with three unified goals not involving a speed chart since 2022 Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich was the only other driver testing on site, with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Getting Chadwick comfortable in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car that is faster than INDY NXT by Firestone equipment, gaining experience on what it takes to be an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver, and Andretti Global getting experience at Barber Motorsports Park with the hybrid unit were the goals.
The new hybrid unit debuted July 7 in The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone race weekend at Barber Motorsports Park was April 28.
“These tests are super important for the team,” Chadwick said. “It was quite important to get through a bunch of test items and work with them, as well. I think that’s kind of relevant. I enjoyed being able to experience a lot of different setup changes and the kind of capacity the amount of engineers that you have on a test like that. I really enjoyed having that kind of additional support from a much bigger team to kind of lean on and learn from.”
Andretti Global surrounded Chadwick with a strong team for guidance, including Kyle Kirkwood, who just completed his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
“Being able to have those kind of people prepare you and give you the right feedback and give you the best opportunity to put your best foot forward on a day like Monday, I think helped a lot,” Chadwick said. “I think, for sure, being in a team like Andretti (Global) has helped me make that transition.”
INDY NXT by Firestone also has done a great job of preparing drivers for the transition. Between how the car races and the competitive nature of the field, the learning curve to NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition isn’t as wide as it once was.
“The INDY NXT car prepares you for that,” Chadwick said. “Definitely felt like a nice step up but not a crazy step up, which was a good feeling. Of course, the steering weight and effort is up from the INDY NXT car. That’s something that I need to work on now in the offseason, but it was not a crazy overwhelming step, which was nice and definitely feels like a car that I could get comfortable in quite quickly.”
The smoother transition helps her aspirations of eventually competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
Chadwick moved to American open-wheel racing in 2023 as the first full-time female driver in the INDYCAR development series in 13 years. The goal was to advance to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
“That’s the dangerous thing – now that you’ve got a test for INDYCAR, you don’t want to drive anything else,” Chadwick said. “Of course, INDYCAR SERIES remains the goal, but how that looks and where that looks and when that looks, I’m unsure. There are so few seats. If and when I potentially have the opportunity to make that step, I want to make it right with the right environment.”
That’s why Monday’s test helped Chadwick know what to expect when making the right move. Chadwick picked Barber Motorsports Park as a testing destination to understand how to prepare for that next step. She trained rigorously for the test but until she drove the car, how could she accurately know how much strength is needed?
Training is at the forefront of what made Chadwick a successful race car driver in the United States and learning the daunting task of driving a race car without power steering was a wake-up call during her first INDY NXT season in 2023. Wrestling a 450-horsepower INDY NXT by Firestone machine that weighs approximately 1,410-1,430 pounds, without fuel and driver weight, was challenging.
An NTT INDYCAR SERIES car weighs approximately 1,700 pounds on road and street courses, 1,690 pounds on short ovals and 1,655 pounds on superspeedway configuration. The hybrid adds 150 extra horsepower to the 650-700 already on the car depending on the turbo boost.
“It’s going to be another big step required,” she said. “I definitely wasn’t strong enough as I needed to be at that test. I think it’s going to be another huge push to see what I can get. I think just getting strong and stronger in these cars is always a benefit. Because I’m small I can afford to gain weight so it’s going to be a big offseason.”
The leap she took between a 2023 season, where she scored five top-10 finishes compared to a sophomore season highlighted with a podium finish on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and a win from the pole at Road America, is proof she can do it.
“I feel like I've done it before,” she said. “It's not a big step, but I think what the benefit of doing the test was I know the step required. I know how much stronger I need to get, where I need to get stronger and what I need to work on. That's just the goal now.”
Chadwick became 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.