View source for Indy NXT

{{pp-move-indef|small=yes}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Indy Lights|Formula Lites|Super Formula Lights}}
{{short description|American automobile racing series}}
{{Infobox motorsport championship 
| title           = Indy NXT
| logo            = IndyNXTLogo.png 
| pixels          = 175px
| caption         = 
| category        = [[Open wheel car]]s
| country/region  = [[United States]]
| inaugural2      = [[1977 USAC Mini-Indy Series season|1977]] (predecessor)<br>[[1986 American Racing Series season|1986]] (original)<br>[[2002 Infiniti Pro Series season|2002]] ([[IndyCar]] sanctioned)
| folded          = 
| drivers         = 
| teams           = 
| chassis         = [[Dallara]]
| engines         = [[Mazda]]–[[Advanced Engine Research|AER]] (2015–2018)<br>[[Advanced Engine Research|AER]] (2019–present)
| champion driver = {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Louis Foster]]
| champion team   = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Andretti Global]]
| current_season  = 2025 Indy NXT
| website         = [https://www.indycar.com/INDYNXT Indycar.com/INDYNXT]
| tires           = [[Firestone Tire & Rubber Company|Firestone]]
}}

'''Indy NXT''' (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously '''Indy Lights''', is an American [[Minor league|developmental]] automobile racing series sanctioned by [[IndyCar]], currently known as '''INDY NXT by Firestone''' for sponsorship reasons. Indy NXT is the highest step on the [[Road to Indy]], a program of racing series leading up to the [[IndyCar Series]].

A similar series named Indy Lights filled the developmental role for the [[Champ Car|CART]] series, and ran from 1986 to 1993 as the '''American Racing Series''' and '''Dayton Indy Lights''' from 1991 to 2001. The current IndyCar sanctioned series was founded in [[2002 Infiniti Pro Series season|2002]] as the '''Infiniti Pro Series''' as a way to introduce new talent to IndyCar, with the moniker Indy Lights returning in 2008 when CART and IndyCar unified. The Indy Lights champion was awarded a $1M scholarship toward the IndyCar Series, and guaranteed three races including the Indianapolis 500 during this time. For 2023, [[Penske Corporation|Penske Entertainment]] announced a rebranding to the name Indy NXT.

==Early origins==
In the post-[[World War II|WWII]] era, through the early 1960s, [[American open-wheel racing]] cars were almost exclusively front-engined "roadsters". The primary ladder series included [[Sprint car racing|sprints]] and [[Midget car racing|midgets]]. By the end of the 1960s, the cars evolved into rear-engine [[Formula racing|formula-style]] machines. Likewise, the feeder series began to follow the same mold. When [[United States Automobile Club]] (USAC) became the primary sanctioning body for top-level open-wheel racing, the ladder of progression began to change.

===USAC Mini Indy Series===
The [[Sports Car Club of America]] (SCCA) [[Formula Super Vee|Super Vee]] and [[Atlantic Championship Series|Formula Atlantic]] series were among the first formula-based ladder series. However, neither had any direct tie to USAC. In 1977, USAC started the "Mini-Indy" series, using Super Vee machines. The series ended after 1980 when USAC stopped sanctioning Indy car races outside of the Indianapolis 500.

Following the end of the "Mini Indy" series, the driver pool in the early 1980s for [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] and the Indy 500 was drawn in a somewhat unorganized fashion among Super Vees, Atlantics, former [[Can-Am]] drivers, sprint cars, midgets, and even [[Stock car racing|stock cars]] and [[off-road racing]]. In addition, a number of CART series drivers during the 1980s and early 1990s were former [[Formula 1]] competitors, most of whom had climbed the European-based ladder series.

==Original series (1986–2001)==
[[Image:Indy Lights driver Mark Smith winning pole position Phoenix.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mark Smith (American racing driver)|Mark Smith]] racing an Indy Lights car at [[Phoenix International Raceway]] in 1991.]]
The original Indy Lights series was an open-wheeled racing series that acted as a developmental circuit for [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] from 1986 to 2001. It was founded in 1986 as the '''American Racing Series''' (ARS). CART became the sanctioning body for the series in 1988, and it was renamed as ''Indy Lights'' in 1991, with title sponsorship by [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]. Later, Firestone's subsidiary Dayton Tires took over as tire supplier and title sponsor.

A [[Spec racing|spec-series]], CART Indy Lights used [[March Engineering|March]] chassis (essentially a modified [[March 85B|85B]] [[Formula 3000]] chassis, renamed to Wildcat) from 1986 to 1992. In 1992 [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] became the primary chassis constructor to the series, using a modified F3000 chassis. In 1997, a newly updated and modern-looking chassis was introduced based on an F3000 design. It would remain through 2001. [[Buick Indy V6 engine|Buick V6 engines]] were used for its entire existence.

The ARS/Indy Lights series' championship winners included two CART champions, two [[Indy Racing League|IndyCar Series]] champions, seven [[Champ Car World Series]] race-winners and two [[Formula One]] drivers.

The Indy Lights schedule closely followed that of the CART series, and typically had a gap of up to a month while the primary CART teams raced at the [[Indianapolis 500|Indy 500]]. The races were usually held the morning of the CART series races, as an [[undercard]] event. In early years, the Indy Lights series skipped superspeedway races such as [[Michigan International Speedway|Michigan]], but eventually found its way to race there. In some rare occasions, the Indy Lights ran at non-CART tracks, generally as a support race to a series other than CART. In 2001 Indy Lights ran at [[Road Atlanta]] the weekend of the [[Petit Le Mans]], and ran at [[Kansas Speedway|Kansas]] with the [[IndyCar|IRL]].[[Image:Lola B9720 Indy Lights Car.jpg|thumb|The Lola T97/20 was the specified chassis used from 1997 to 2001. It is pictured here at a vintage racing event in 2016.]]

By the late 1990s and early 2000s, CART was suffering from financial problems. Meanwhile, in 1996, the rival [[Indy Racing League]] was formed. CART canceled the minor league outright after the 2001 season. By this time, the [[Toyota Atlantic]] series was equally effective in providing CART with new drivers. In addition, the Atlantics served as a springboard for such drivers as [[Greg Ray]], [[Sam Hornish Jr.]] and [[Richie Hearn]] to enter the [[IndyCar Series|IRL]]. The Atlantics effectively became CART's primary feeder system, and later became Champ Car World Series' official in-house feeder championship for a time.

==Current series (2002–present)==
The Infiniti Pro Series was re-founded by the Indy Racing League and began racing in 2002, the year after the CART-sanctioned Indy Lights series' demise. It was a spec series using a [[Tom Walkinshaw Racing|TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing)]] developed 3.5L version of the V8 engine used in the [[Infiniti Q45]] combined with [[Dallara]] chassis producing {{convert|420|hp}}. The series initially struggled to attract drivers and some races have had fewer than 10 entrants. However, with the introduction of a number of road-course races to the schedule in [[2005 in IPS|2005]], many of America's top prospects like [[Marco Andretti]] and [[Phil Giebler]] were attracted to the series to run part-time schedules on road courses. In [[2006 in IPS|2006]], a boost in prize money even further increased car counts to 16 or more, with an even six oval and six road course mix. The selected races being double races, and a stand-alone race (independent of the IndyCar Series) were scheduled on the USGP weekend.[[File:Homestead-Miami Stadium.JPG|thumb|Green flag for the 2008 Miami 100 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.]]

The series was called the ''Menards Infiniti Pro Series'' (MIPS) until 2006 when both [[Menards]] and [[Nissan]] dropped their sponsorship of the series. It was then known as the ''Indy Pro Series''. On March 26, 2008, the series announced a changing of names, when the historical records and proprietary information of [[Champ Car World Series|Champ Car]] were acquired by the IRL. The series then became known as ''Firestone Indy Lights''.

The centerpiece of the Indy Lights schedule was the [[Freedom 100]], contested at [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]] on the Friday prior to the [[Indianapolis 500]]. The series also held a support race for the [[United States Grand Prix|U.S. Grand Prix]], the [[Liberty Challenge]], from 2005 to 2007. It was the series' first event that was not a support race to an IndyCar event.

On September 9, 2007, during the [[2007 in IPS|Chicagoland 100]], [[Logan Gomez]] beat [[Alex Lloyd (racing driver)|Alex Lloyd]] by 0.0005 seconds (approximately {{convert|1.65|in|mm}} at 188&nbsp;mph) which reflects what was the closest recognized finish in the over century-long history of organized automobile racing throughout the world, until the [[2018 in NASCAR|2018 Powershares QQQ 300]].<ref name="To the fourth degree">{{cite news| url =http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9929| title =To the fourth degree| publisher =IndyCar.com| date =2007-09-13| access-date =2007-09-14}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 2008, the margin was established by the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'' as the closest finish ever in a car race.<ref name="World record">{{cite news| url =http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9929| title =Closest finish recognized as world record| publisher =IndyCar.com| date =2008-03-04| access-date =2008-03-04}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

On May 24, 2013, Peter Dempsey captured his first Indy Lights win in the [[Freedom 100]] in the closest finish in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history (0.0026 secs) in a four-wide finish.<ref>Marot, Michael. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/24/peter-dempsey-freedom-100-late-pass-final_n_3333059.html Indianapolis Motor Speedway With Historic Final Lap], ''Huffington Post'', 24 May 2013, Retrieved 2013-05-24</ref>

In June 2013, it was announced that the series would be promoted by Andersen Promotions beginning in [[2014 Indy Lights season|2014]].<ref>[http://www.racer.com/report-andersen-promotions-to-take-over-indy-lights/article/299747/ Andersen Promotions to take over Indy Lights], ''Racer'', June 20, 2013, Retrieved 2013-10-22</ref> with IndyCar sanctioning remaining. In August it was announced that [[Cooper Tire]] would replace Firestone as the official tire of the series in 2014.<ref>[http://www.performanceracing.com/news/cooper-tires-named-official-tire-new-indy-lights-series Cooper Tires Named Official Tire Of New Indy Lights Series] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914081549/http://www.performanceracing.com/news/cooper-tires-named-official-tire-new-indy-lights-series |date=2017-09-14 }}, ''Performance Racing Industry'', August 22, 2013, Retrieved 2013-10-22</ref> This resulted in all three levels of the [[Road to Indy]] leading up to the IndyCar Series being promoted by Andersen and feature Cooper tires, beginning in 2014. The Andersen team implemented a number of cost-reducing updates to the chassis and engine package in 2014 and introduced a new chassis and engine combination in 2015. On October 31, 2013, the series announced that Dallara would be the manufacturer of the fourth-generation Indy Lights chassis and it would be named the Dallara IL-15.<ref>DiZinno, Tony. [http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/31/no-surprise-indy-lights-confirms-dallara-for-new-2015-chassis/ No surprise: Indy Lights confirms Dallara for new 2015 chassis], ''NBC Sports'', October 31, 2013, Retrieved 2013-10-31</ref> On November 1, 2013 a new logo was unveiled for the Indy Lights series<ref>[http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BX8YmQMCYAA0iIV.png:large new logo image]</ref> On November 26 it was announced that the engine for the new package would be a 2.0L [[turbocharger|turbocharged]] [[Advanced Engine Research#MZR-R|MZR-R]] four cylinder engine, tuned to last a full season of competition and producing 450 horsepower, with push-to-pass offering an additional 50 horsepower.<ref>Pruett, Marshall. [http://www.racer.com/indy-lights-series-selects-2015-engine-supplier/article/322778/ Indy Lights series selects 2015 engine supplier], ''Racer'', November 26, 2013, Retrieved 2013-11-26</ref>

[[File:Indy lights racing (47966362101).jpg|thumb|Indy Lights racing at 2019 [[Freedom 100]].]]

The 2020 season was canceled through a combination of low grid numbers and the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].  

As of 2021, the Dallara IL-15 continues to be the chassis employed by the series, but engines are now provided by AER, Advanced Engines Research, modifying and tuning base 2.0 liter I-4 Mazda power plants turbocharged to provide the same power and push-to-pass capability of the former engines, with the added capability of longevity: the engines are designed and fabricated to run an entire season without a rebuild. A [[Halo (safety device)|halo]] was added to the IL-15 for the 2021 season.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Pruett|first=Marshall|url=https://racer.com/2020/10/07/revamped-indy-lights-to-return-in-2021/|title=Revamped Indy Lights to return in 2021|magazine=[[Racer (magazine)|Racer]]|date=October 7, 2020|access-date=April 21, 2021}}</ref>

Andretti Autosport's Kyle Kirkwood captured the 2021 series championship, while HMD Motorsports' David Malukas finished second and Global Racing Group w/HMD Motorsports' Linus Lundqvist was third. HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group secured their first Road to Indy team championship.

Firestone returned as the official tire supplier for the 2023 season. That season saw the series name changed to Indy NXT, and IndyCar assume direct operation of the series from Andersen Promotions, which continues to operate the affiliated lower-tier [[USF Championships]] under IndyCar sanctioning.

==Teams==

{| class="wikitable"
! Team || Base || Founding Year
|-
| [[Abel Motorsports]] || Indianapolis, Indiana || 2022
|-
| [[Andretti Global]] || Indianapolis, Indiana || 2008
|-
| [[HMD Motorsports]] || Brownsburg, Indiana || 2019
|-
| [[Juncos Hollinger Racing]] || Indianapolis, Indiana || 2012
|}

==Specifications==

===Specifications (2002–2014)===
[[Image:A 2008 Firestone Indy Lights car.jpg|thumb|right|2008 Firestone Indy Lights car during testing at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.]]
*'''Engine displacement''': [[Nissan]]/[[Infiniti]] built by [[Speedway Motors]] {{convert|3.5|L|cuin|0|abbr=on}} [[Overhead camshaft|DOHC]] [[V8 engine|V8]]
*'''Gearbox''': 6-speed [[sequential manual transmission]]
*'''Weight''': {{convert|1490|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} on ovals; {{convert|1520|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} on road/street courses
*'''Power output''': {{convert|420|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}
*'''Fuel''': [[Sunoco]] 100 RON unleaded
*'''Fuel capacity''': {{convert|25|usgal|L|0|abbr=off}}
*'''Fuel delivery''': [[Fuel injection]]
*'''Aspiration''': [[Naturally-aspirated engine|Naturally aspirated]]
*'''Length''': {{convert|191.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*'''Width''': {{convert|75|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*'''Wheelbase''': {{convert|117|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*'''Steering''': Manual, [[rack and pinion]]
[[Image:2017 Freedom 100 race - Matheus Leist.jpg|thumb|right|Dallara IL-15, driven by [[Matheus Leist]] in the [[2017 Indy Lights|2017]] Freedom 100]]

===Specifications (2015–present)===
*'''Chassis manufacturer''':[[Dallara IL-15]]
*'''Engine displacement''': [[Mazda]]-[[Advanced Engine Research|AER]] P63 {{convert|2.0|L|cuin|0|abbr=on}} [[Overhead camshaft|DOHC]] [[inline-4]]
*'''Gearbox''': 6-speed [[semi-automatic gearbox|sequential semi-automatic]] gearbox
*'''Weight''': {{convert|1400|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} excluding driver and fuel
*'''Power output''': {{convert|450|+|50|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} push-to-pass
*'''Fuel''': VP Racing Fuels 101 RON unleaded
*'''Fuel delivery''': [[Direct fuel injection]]
*'''Aspiration''': [[Turbocharger|Single-turbocharged]]
*'''Length''': {{convert|192|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*'''Width''': {{convert|76|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*'''Wheelbase''': Undisclosed
*'''Steering''': Manual, [[rack and pinion]]

==Champions==

===USAC Mini-Indy Series===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season
! Driver
! Chassis
! Engine
|-
!rowspan=2| [[1977 USAC Mini-Indy Series season|1977]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Bagley (racing driver)|Tom Bagley]]
| [[Zink (auto racing)|Zink]] Z11
| [[Volkswagen]]
|-
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Herm Johnson]]
| [[Lola Cars|Lola]] T324
| [[Volkswagen]]
|-
! [[1978 USAC Mini-Indy Series season|1978]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bill Alsup]]
| [[Argo Cars Ltd|Argo]] JM2
| [[Volkswagen]]
|-
! [[1979 USAC Mini-Indy Series season|1979]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Dennis Firestone]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 79V
| [[Volkswagen]]
|-
! [[1980 USAC Mini-Indy Series season|1980]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Peter Kuhn]]
| [[Ralt]] RT1/RT5
| [[Volkswagen]]
|}

*1977: Bagley and Johnson tied in the points and were declared co-champions.

===Indy Lights===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season
! Driver
! Team
! Chassis
! Engine
|-
!colspan=5| CART American Racing Series
|-
! [[1986 American Racing Series season|1986]]
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Fabrizio Barbazza]]
| [[Arciero Racing]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 86A
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1987 American Racing Series season|1987]]
| {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Didier Theys]]
| [[Truesports]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 86A
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1988 American Racing Series season|1988]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jon Beekhuis]]
| [[P.I.G. Enterprises Racing]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 86A
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1989 American Racing Series season|1989]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Groff]]
| [[Leading Edge Motorsport]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 86A
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1990 American Racing Series season|1990]]
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Paul Tracy]]
| [[Landford Racing]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 86A
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
!colspan=5| CART Firestone/PPG/Dayton Indy Lights Series
|-
! [[1991 Indy Lights season|1991]]
| {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Éric Bachelart]]
| [[Landford Racing]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 86A
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1992 Indy Lights season|1992]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Buhl]]
| [[Leading Edge Motorsport]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 86A
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1993 Indy Lights season|1993]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bryan Herta]]
| [[Tasman Motorsports]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] T93/20
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1994 Indy Lights season|1994]]
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Steve Robertson (racing driver)|Steve Robertson]]
| [[Tasman Motorsports]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] T93/20
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1995 Indy Lights season|1995]]
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Greg Moore (racing driver)|Greg Moore]]
| [[Forsythe Racing]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] T93/20
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1996 Indy Lights season|1996]]
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[David Empringham]]
| [[Forsythe Racing]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] T93/20
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1997 Indy Lights season|1997]]
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Tony Kanaan]]
| [[Tasman Motorsports]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] T97/20
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1998 Indy Lights season|1998]]
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Cristiano da Matta]]
| [[Tasman Motorsports]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] T97/20
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[1999 Indy Lights season|1999]]
| {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Oriol Servià]]
| [[Dorricott Racing]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] T97/20
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[2000 Indy Lights season|2000]]
| {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Scott Dixon]]
| [[PacWest Racing|PacWest Lights]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] T97/20
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
! [[2001 Indy Lights season|2001]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Townsend Bell]]
| [[Dorricott Racing]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] T97/20
| [[Buick]] [[Buick V6 engine|3800 V6]]
|-
!colspan=5| IRL Infiniti Pro Series
|-
! [[2002 Infiniti Pro Series|2002]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[A. J. Foyt IV]]
| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Infiniti]] [[Nissan VRH35 engine|VRH35]]
|-
! [[2003 Infiniti Pro Series|2003]]
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Mark Taylor (racing driver)|Mark Taylor]]
| [[Panther Racing]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Infiniti]] [[Nissan VRH35 engine|VRH35]]
|-
! [[2004 Infiniti Pro Series|2004]]
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Thiago Medeiros]]
| [[Sam Schmidt Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Infiniti]] [[Nissan VRH35 engine|VRH35]]
|-
! [[2005 Infiniti Pro Series|2005]]
| {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Wade Cunningham]]
| [[Brian Stewart Racing]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Infiniti]] [[Nissan VRH35 engine|VRH35]]
|-
!colspan=5| IRL Indy Pro Series
|-
! [[2006 Indy Pro Series|2006]]
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Jay Howard]]
| [[Sam Schmidt Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Nissan VRH35 engine|Nissan VRH35]]
|-
! [[2007 Indy Pro Series|2007]]
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Alex Lloyd (racing driver)|Alex Lloyd]]
| [[Sam Schmidt Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Nissan VRH35 engine|Nissan VRH35]]
|-
!colspan=5| INDYCAR Indy Lights
|-
! [[2008 Indy Lights season|2008]]
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Raphael Matos]]
| [[Andretti Green Racing|AGR]]&ndash;[[AFS Racing]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Nissan VRH35 engine|Nissan VRH35]]
|-
! [[2009 Indy Lights season|2009]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[J. R. Hildebrand]]
| [[Andretti Green Racing|AGR]]&ndash;[[AFS Racing]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Nissan VRH35 engine|Nissan VRH35]]
|-
! [[2010 Indy Lights season|2010]]
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Jean-Karl Vernay]]
| [[Sam Schmidt Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Nissan VRH35 engine|Nissan VRH35]]
|-
! [[2011 Indy Lights season|2011]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Josef Newgarden]]
| [[Sam Schmidt Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Nissan VRH35 engine|Nissan VRH35]]
|-
! [[2012 Indy Lights season|2012]]
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Tristan Vautier]]
| [[Sam Schmidt Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Nissan VRH35 engine|Nissan VRH35]]
|-
! [[2013 Indy Lights season|2013]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sage Karam]]
| [[Schmidt Peterson Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Nissan VRH35 engine|Nissan VRH35]]
|-
! [[2014 Indy Lights season|2014]]
| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Gabby Chaves]] <SUP>1</SUP>
| [[Belardi Auto Racing]]
| [[Dallara]] IP2
| [[Nissan VRH35 engine|Nissan VRH35]]
|-
! [[2015 Indy Lights season|2015]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Spencer Pigot]]
| [[Juncos Racing]]
| [[Dallara]] IL-15
| [[Mazda]] [[Advanced Engine Research#MZR-R|MZR-R]]
|-
! [[2016 Indy Lights|2016]]
| {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Ed Jones (racing driver)|Ed Jones]]
| [[Carlin Motorsport|Carlin]]
| [[Dallara]] IL-15
| [[Mazda]] [[Advanced Engine Research#MZR-R|MZR-R]]
|-
! [[2017 Indy Lights|2017]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Kyle Kaiser]]
| [[Juncos Racing]]
| [[Dallara]] IL-15
| [[Mazda]] [[Advanced Engine Research#MZR-R|MZR-R]]
|-
! [[2018 Indy Lights|2018]]
| {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Patricio O'Ward]]
| [[Andretti Autosport]]
| [[Dallara]] IL-15
| [[Mazda]] [[Advanced Engine Research#MZR-R|MZR-R]]
|-
! [[2019 Indy Lights|2019]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Oliver Askew]]
| [[Andretti Autosport]]
| [[Dallara]] IL-15
| [[Mazda]] [[Advanced Engine Research#MZR-R|MZR-R]]
|-
! [[2020 Indy Lights|2020]]
| colspan=4 align="center"| ''Season cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]]''
|-
! [[2021 Indy Lights|2021]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Kyle Kirkwood]]
| [[Andretti Autosport]]
| [[Dallara]] IL-15
| [[Advanced Engine Research|AER]] MZR-R
|-
! [[2022 Indy Lights|2022]]
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Linus Lundqvist]]
| [[HMD Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]] IL-15
| [[Advanced Engine Research|AER]] MZR-R
|-
!colspan=5| Firestone Indy NXT Series
|-
! [[2023 Indy NXT|2023]]
| {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Christian Rasmussen (racing driver)|Christian Rasmussen]]
| [[HMD Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]] IL-15
| [[Advanced Engine Research|AER]] MZR-R
|-
! [[2024 Indy NXT|2024]]
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Louis Foster]]
| [[Andretti Global]]
| [[Dallara]] IL-15
| [[Advanced Engine Research|AER]] MZR-R
|}
<SUP>1</SUP> Chaves and [[Jack Harvey (racing driver)|Jack Harvey]] ([[Schmidt Peterson Motorsports]] were tied in points and wins (4 each).  Chaves won the title based on more second-place finishes (5 vs 1).

==Graduates==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jacob Abel (racing driver)|Jacob Abel]]
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Didier André]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Andretti]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Marco Andretti]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Richard Antinucci]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Ian Ashley]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Oliver Askew]]
*{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Éric Bachelart]]
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Fabrizio Barbazza]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Dillon Battistini]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Bia Figueiredo|Ana Beatriz]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jon Beekhuis]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Townsend Bell]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Boat]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Brian Bonner (racing driver)|Brian Bonner]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Geoff Boss]]
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Claude Bourbonnais]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Matthew Brabham]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Bren]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Jason Bright]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Buhl]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Buzz Calkins]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}{{efn|name="indycarchampion"|has won an IndyCar Series championship}}
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Jaime Camara]]
*{{flagicon|CHI}} [[Juan Carlos Carbonell]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ed Carpenter (racing driver)|Ed Carpenter]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Patrick Carpentier]]{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Hélio Castroneves]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}{{efn|name="indy500winner"|has won an [[Indianapolis 500]]}}{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Alfonso Celis Jr.]]
*{{flagicon|COL}} [[Gabby Chaves]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ross Cheever]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[P. J. Chesson]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Max Chilton]]
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Zachary Claman DeMelo]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Bryan Clauson]]
*{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Wade Cunningham]]
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Guido Daccò]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Wally Dallenbach Jr.]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Conor Daly]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Cristiano da Matta]]{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}{{efn|name="cartchampion"|has won a CART/Champ Car World Series championship}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Paul Dana]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Airton Daré]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[James Davison]]
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Luis Díaz (racing driver)|Luis Díaz]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Dismore]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Scott Dixon]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}{{efn|name="indycarchampion"|has won an IndyCar Series championship}}{{efn|name="indy500winner"|has won an [[Indianapolis 500]]}}{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Mario Domínguez]]{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Fredrik Ekblom]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[RC Enerson]]
*{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Wim Eyckmans]]
*{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Juan Manuel Fangio II]]
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Adrián Fernández]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Louis Foster]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Stan Fox]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[A. J. Foyt IV]]
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Franck Fréon]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Luiz Garcia Jr.]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Affonso Giaffone]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Felipe Giaffone]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Phil Giebler]]
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Jorge Goeters]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Marco Greco]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Michael Greenfield (racing driver)|Michael Greenfield]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Groff]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Groff]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dean Hall (racing driver)|Dean Hall]]
*{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Matthew Halliday (racing driver)|Matt Halliday]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Scott Harrington (racing driver)|Scott Harrington]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Jack Harvey (racing driver)|Jack Harvey]]
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Naoki Hattori]]
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Shigeaki Hattori]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Jack Hawksworth]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jon Herb]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Bryan Herta]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Colton Herta]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[J. R. Hildebrand]]
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[James Hinchcliffe]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Jay Howard]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ken Johnson (racing driver)|Ken Johnson]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Davy Jones (racing driver)|Davy Jones]]
*{{flagicon|UAE}} [[Ed Jones (racing driver)|Ed Jones]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[P. J. Jones]]
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Niclas Jönsson]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Kyle Kaiser]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Tony Kanaan]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}{{efn|name="indycarchampion"|has won an IndyCar Series championship}}{{efn|name="indy500winner"|has won an [[Indianapolis 500]]}}{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Sage Karam]]
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Dalton Kellett]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Charlie Kimball]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Kyle Kirkwood]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[David Kudrave]]
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Rodolfo Lavín]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Eddie Lawson]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jaques Lazier]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Matheus Leist]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Alex Lloyd (racing driver)|Alex Lloyd]]
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Linus Lundqvist]]
*{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Arie Luyendyk Jr.]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[David Malukas]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Pippa Mann]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Raphael Matos]]
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Hiro Matsushita]]
*{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Hunter McElrea]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Casey Mears]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Thiago Medeiros]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Chris Menninga]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dr. Jack Miller]]
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Greg Moore (racing driver)|Greg Moore]]{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}
*{{flagicon|COL}} [[Carlos Muñoz (racing driver)|Carlos Muñoz]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Brad Murphey]]
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Hideki Mutoh]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Josef Newgarden]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}{{efn|name="indycarchampion"|has won an IndyCar Series championship}}{{efn|name="indy500winner"|has won an [[Indianapolis 500]]}}
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Hideki Noda]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ryan Norman]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny O'Connell]]
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Patricio O'Ward]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Benjamin Pedersen]]
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Franck Perera]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Spencer Pigot]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Martin Plowman]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ted Prappas]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Graham Rahal]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Christian Rasmussen (racing driver)|Christian Rasmussen]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Ray]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}{{efn|name="indycarchampion"|has won an IndyCar Series championship}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Renna]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[André Ribeiro (racing driver)|André Ribeiro]]{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Sting Ray Robb]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Roe]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Mario Romancini]]
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Felix Rosenqvist]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Marty Roth]]
*{{flagicon|COL}} [[Sebastián Saavedra]]
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Gualter Salles]]
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Vinicio Salmi]]
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Franco Scapini]]
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Oriol Servià]]{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Nolan Siegel]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Simmons (racing driver)|Jeff Simmons]]
*{{flagicon|CAY}} [[Kyffin Simpson]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Guy Smith (racing driver)|Guy Smith]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Smith (American racing driver)|Mark Smith]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Toby Sowery]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Sammy Swindell]]
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Mark Taylor (racing driver)|Mark Taylor]]
*{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Didier Theys]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Brian Till]]
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Paul Tracy]]{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}{{efn|name="cartchampion"|has won a CART/Champ Car World Series championship}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Robby Unser]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jimmy Vasser]]{{efn|name="cartwinner"|has won a CART/[[Champ Car]] event}}{{efn|name="cartchampion"|has won a CART/Champ Car World Series championship}}
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Tristan Vautier]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Zach Veach]]
*{{flagicon|NED}} [[Rinus Veekay]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Dan Wheldon]]{{efn|name="indycarwinner"|has won an IndyCar Series event}}{{efn|name="indycarchampion"|has won an IndyCar Series championship}}{{efn|name="indy500winner"|has won an [[Indianapolis 500]]}}
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Stefan Wilson]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Cory Witherill]]

<br>{{div col end}}{{notelist}}

==See also==
*[[IndyCar]]
*[[Freedom 100]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{commons-inline}}

{{Indy Pro Series}}
{{Andersen Promotions}}
{{Class of Auto racing}}

[[Category:Indy NXT| ]]
[[Category:Auto racing series in Canada]]
[[Category:Auto racing series in the United States]]
[[Category:One-make series]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1986]]
[[Category:Formula racing series]]
[[Category:Road to Indy]]
[[Category:2006 in formula racing|Indy Pro Series]]