Jamie Chadwick took advantage of the lengthy break between the last INDY NXT by Firestone race July 13 at Iowa Speedway and the Aug. 8 Open Test at Nashville Superspeedway to resume her rigorous training regimen.
“I hit the gym pretty hard,” she said. “As the year has gone on, it’s been quite busy and hard to keep the training up. Having a couple weeks at home has been good to up the training.”
Her elevated training routine wasn’t just for the final four-race sprint to the finish of the INDY NXT by Firestone season. Chadwick was grateful for the extra gym time to prepare herself for her maiden NTT INDYCAR SERIES test with Andretti Global on Sept. 30 at Barber Motorsports Park.
“Definitely expect it to be physical,” she said. “The first year at Barber (in INDY NXT) was almost a disaster on how tough I found it, but the second year wasn’t a problem at all. I know now what it takes to get that strong, but obviously the INDYCAR is going to be another step again. That’s what we’re working on now.”
Training is at the forefront of what made Chadwick a successful race car driver in the United States. Coming to America 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.
With 14 races of experience last season with Andretti Global, Chadwick was aware of where she needed to strengthen her body to withstand the rigors of racing in the INDYCAR development series. She devoted a lot of time in the gym during the offseason.
“I’m a lot stronger this year,” Chadwick said. “I feel different.”
Her fitness is a big reason why Chadwick became the first female winner in INDY NXT since Pippa Mann in September 2010 at Kentucky Speedway when she drove to victory lane on June 9 at Road America. She also became the first female to win an INDY NXT race on a road or street course.
Her INDY NXT by Firestone experience also is helping British driver Chadwick gain comfort on ovals, as she had zero oval experience while racing in Europe. With three of the final four races beginning with Saturday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway on circle tracks, she’s excited to see how the oval-heavy conclusion to the season plays out.
“Andretti Global has strong cars on the ovals, so I’m looking forward to it,” she said.
Andretti Global finished 1-2 at the only other oval event this season, on July 13 at Iowa Speedway. James Roe earned his first career pole for the race and followed teammate and points leader Louis Foster to the finish line. Andretti Global alliance team Cape Motorsports finished third, with rookie Salvador de Alba Jr. taking the final step of the podium for his best career result.
Between Chadwick placing seventh and rookie Bryce Aron finishing eighth, Andretti Global boasted five of the top eight finishers at Iowa.
At the Nashville Open Test on Aug. 8, Andretti Global drivers produced four of the top five speeds, with Chadwick second quickest, .0411 of a second behind leader Foster.
She’s fifth in the standings after 10 races, 15 points behind rookie Callum Hedge for fourth but also 15 points ahead of teammate Roe for seventh.