IndyNXT driver Lindsay Brewer attends Mercedes-AMG “Speed City” event on November 14, 2023 … [+]
Every driver knows that the first race of the season after making the jump to the next top tier is nothing short of a trial by fire. No one knows this better than Indy NXT newcomer Lindsey Brewer.
Brewer started 21st on the starting grid at Indy NXT's season kickoff race in St. Petersburg, Florida. At the end of the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, Brewer ended up finishing the race in 15th place with the better sport.
“When I look back on my first Indy NXT weekend, I can say it was a great experience,” Brewer said. “This car was great to drive and it's clear that our journey is just beginning.”
The 26-year-old driver of Juncos Hollinger Racing's No. 76 Dallara IL-15 earned two points for the 2024 season of Indy NXT, the American auto racing series sanctioned by IndyCar.
“I knew going into this first weekend in this new series it was going to be a challenge,” Brewer said after the Grand Prix.
Brewer admitted it was a “tough start to the weekend” after the first practice round was cut short due to a mechanical issue. “But our team worked hard to fix this problem and energize me for the next day.”
Brewer added, “I'm proud of the fact that we were able to pick up six places in the race and stay clean on one of the toughest street courses on the calendar.”
Founded in 2002, the Indy NXT Series was originally established as the Infiniti Pro Series to introduce new talent to IndyCar.
The 2024 series will consist of 14 open-wheel races, with the next race taking place on April 28th at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
Other scheduled IndyNEXT stops include Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500, in May, Road America in Wisconsin and Monterey, California.
Brewer's Dallara IL-15 custom model puts out nearly 500 horsepower and weighs 1400 pounds, which is light for an open-wheel racer. Most of the drivers at last month's Grand Prix and each Indy NXT grid have several years of open wheel experience. Prior to 2024, Brewer primarily raced touring cars such as the No. 29 Honda TC Type R, a custom-built model by Honda Performance.
driver and entrepreneur
In preparation for a career as a professional driver, Brewer trained at the famous Skip Barber Racing School. The school is a racing academy founded and run by former American racing driver John “Skip” Barber III. Barber schools are known for producing some of the most talented graduates in the world. Brewer also gained racing experience in stock car test races at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas and Irwindale, California.
She currently maintains sponsorships with Skip Barber, Gtechniq automotive paint, and Austin, Texas-based performance beverage brand C4 Energy. But in the meantime, Brewer and her business manager, Chris Young, have spent the last few years building relationships with new sponsors and partners.
“We have supported the cost of racing by making a conscious effort to approach multiple areas for our sponsors,” Young explained, noting that Brewer’s new sponsors “have a strong focus on B2B and B2C. “We support motorsport in both areas, creating a synergistic effect.”
These include not only automotive concerns, but also financial services companies and startups in the cryptocurrency and payments sector such as Corpay, Surge Trader, Mastermine, Crypto.com and Rally Coin.
The Brewers' social media sponsorships and engagement include well-known companies such as Pirelli, Alfa Romeo, MGM Grand, Evian, Lamborghini, DraftKings, and GoPuff. Directly related to racing, she is affiliated with Formula 1, Pennzoil, Phil Her Giebler Her Karting, VRS Simulator and more in Motor Her Trend Her Magazine, F1 Las Vegas and Her F1 Austin Experience.
Even before the concept of “social media influencer” became a business strategy, Brewer certainly caught the attention of social media gurus. Brewer has always maintained that his first love of racing took precedence over his interest in fame, both on and off the track.
Lindsay Brewer before a practice session.
Young emphasized the continued importance of Brewer's social media presence, calling her impressive 2.7 million Instagram followers an essential part of a successful marketing plan for 2024. I listed a number of
“Since the beginning of 2020, when we began working together as business partners, we jointly decided to slowly curate her content in a way that would attract high-quality brands.”
There are also appealing aspects to Brewer's image and brand. And lifestyle brands like Ray-Ban, Revolve Clothing, NordicTrack, and Liquid IV have been quick to jump on board.
Brewer's entrepreneurial talents aside, his focus is on racing. She points out that every event she races on Indy's NXT Series has her own new challenges.
“I felt like I learned a lot and was able to move positively in the direction I want to go as a driver,” Brewer said. “My goal this season is to continue to learn and improve and be as competitive as possible in this field of very fast drivers.”
