FRP Alumni Nolan Allaer joins HMD Motorsports for the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone Season
Driving for HMD Motorsports at the most recent INDY NXT by Firestone test at the Sebring International Raceway, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan’s Nolan Allaer will now join the multi-time championship-winning program full-time in 2024. After a pair of upcoming test days at the WeatherTech Raceway in Laguna Seca, Allaer will make his official INDY NXT by Firestone debut on the Streets of St. Petersburg, March 8-10.
“It’s a surreal experience for me to make the move to INDY NXT,” explained Allaer, the third-generation racer who recently earned a pair of SCCA Runoffs National Championships in 2023. “The whole idea came from a phone call from a friend who said you should look at the United States ladder program. I reached out to Mike Maurini via Direct Message on Instagram and the rest is history. The team has been so welcoming and the knowledge and experience that they bring to the table will help fast-track my learning.”
A three-time SCCA National Runoffs Champion, Allaer competed in the Formula Race Promotions F1600 Championship Series in 2022 with Team Pelfrey, tallying two wins and nine podiums as the top rookie in the series. 2023 saw a move overseas to the UK where Allaer raced for Ammonite Motorsports in the British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC) series. In the world-renowned Formula Ford Festival at the iconic Brands Hatch circuit, Allaer finished off his overseas season by winning his heat race - something only four Americans have ever accomplished at the historic event.
Allaer, who is currently a junior at Miami University in Ohio and studying mechanical engineering added, “Sometimes things just line up, and plans work out. After contacting HMD Motorsports and learning that they had a car available, the choice was easy. The timing just happened to be pure luck for us, but we were immediately on the phone with partners and were able to put together a program for 2024. I have already completed two days of testing in mixed conditions, but I learned so much with a wet, drying, and dry racetrack at Sebring. The car is incredible, and I can’t wait for more.”
“The jump from Formula 1600 to INDY NXT is big, but what most people don’t know is that Nolan was testing other vehicles as he prepared for INDY NXT,” explained HMD Motorsports General Manager Mike Maurini. “Despite the conditions at Sebring, Nolan learned a lot, and while two days of dry running would have been great to see where he stacked up, he was able to experience a lot of conditions and scenarios in just two days all while not running any new tires to better prepare himself for our upcoming Laguna Seca test.”
Born in Detroit, but moving to St. Petersburg at the age of three, Allaer spent 13 years living in the Sunshine State before eventually returning to Detroit. Lucky enough to have the opportunity to race in both cities, it will be dual hometown events for Allaer in March and June.
Allaer continued, “It is an absolute honor to take my passion to the streets of my two ‘hometowns’ and contend in these iconic events.”
Before the start of the season, INDY NXT by Firestone competitors, including HMD Motorsports and Nolan Allaer, will have two additional test days at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California February 5-6 before series Content Days take place in Indianapolis on February 8-9. The 2024 season will begin in the second weekend of March on the Streets of St. Petersburg.
For more information on Nolan Allaer, please visit him online at www.NolanAllaer.com or track his 2024 campaign and his future motorsports career by following him on his social media channels by searching @NolanAllaer.