HMD Motorsports has signed Australian Tommy Smith to drive the team’s No. 16 entry for the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season.

Smith, 22, will test INDY NXT machinery for the first time Oct. 18 during the annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He joins Josh Pierson and 2024 series Rookie of the Year Caio Collet in the team’s 2025 lineup, which will grow with future driver announcements. Smith and Collet were teammates in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 season.

“I am excited to compete in America and am up for the challenge,” Smith said. “It was a great opportunity to watch the final INDY NXT race in Nashville with HMD. The series is competitive, and racing on ovals will be a new experience for me, but I’m excited to get behind the wheel for postseason testing later this month and start working with the team as we prepare for the 2025 season together.”

Smith, 22, was the guest of HMD during the 2024 season finale in mid-September at Nashville Superspeedway, where his deal with the team was finalized.

“It is great to finally announce Tommy as part of the HMD Motorsports program,” HMD President Mike Maurini said. “We are excited to have him aboard, and he is ready to work. I had the opportunity to work with his management team over the past few months and with Tommy directly in Nashville, and they are all a great group of people. They will be a welcomed addition to HMD Motorsports.”

Smith comes to HMD and INDY NXT after spending the last two seasons in FIA Formula 3, where he secured a best finish of fourth in 2024 at Silverstone, England. He didn’t start his racing career until 2017, when he competed in the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship and the Australian Formula 4 Championship. From there, Smith progressed through the Asian F3 Championship, the Formula Regional European Championship and the GB3 Championship.

The 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season starts Sunday, March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.