How Foster proved some extent and fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2024

Successful the Indy NXT championship and getting an IndyCar seat for 2025 meant this has been an ideal 12 months for me. To win the title in such a dominant trend was the icing on the cake. It confirmed how a lot effort the staff at Andretti and I put in over the past two years. Our rivals at HMD had been fairly dominant in latest Indy NXT historical past, so I’m glad to have turned it round.

The efficiency has given me the opening to go and drive in IndyCar subsequent 12 months with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. I had discussions with Bobby Rahal all year long, but it surely got here collectively as soon as the season was completed. I’m over the moon to be with the staff, as they’re an ideal organisation. I’ve spent various time attending to know everybody as a result of there are numerous new faces, and it’s a staff that I hope to have the ability to push ahead with. It’s about turning it round and I hope to have a protracted future the place we may be profitable.

It was superior once I introduced the drive as a result of it’s been a lifelong dream to name myself an IndyCar driver and to provide myself the label of being knowledgeable racing driver. I thank Bobby, Mike Lanigan, David Letterman and all the staff for his or her perception in me. The honeymoon interval has worn off now, and all I’m targeted on, and all I would like, is to do nicely. It’s one factor to be in IndyCar, but it surely’s one other factor to remain in IndyCar and achieve success. My mindset from day one was, ‘How will we prepare for the upcoming season, in order that we hit the bottom and shock individuals?’ That’s my goal. I need to be a nice shock on the grid and have a huge impact.

We’ve some winter testing deliberate, and the early periods are going to be about instructing me issues like in-laps, out-laps, pitstops, gas saving, the hybrid system and all of the nitty-gritty rising pains stuff that I have to be taught. The staff and I can then have a very good dialog about targets for subsequent 12 months and perceive which route we need to go together with the automobile.

I did some pitstop apply, to get my eye in and be across the staff extra as a result of it’s about cohesion. There are such a lot of gifted people in each IndyCar staff these days as a result of they’re actually world-class individuals. I feel the distinction is just not within the individuals you’ve received, however the way you make everybody work collectively. That’s what we’re specializing in.

This 12 months the journey to Barber Motorsports Park was a spotlight for me. I got here from the again, resulting from points that meant I couldn’t qualify, and completed fifth. That one was fairly a very good weekend for me personally – I realized rather a lot and it allowed me to grasp that, even when we’ve dangerous weekends on this championship, we had the tempo to be up the entrance. That instilled numerous confidence in me to go forward and beat all of them for the remainder of the 12 months.

While you’re preventing for championships, you don’t begin close to the again. So, if you do, it’s nearly a little bit of enjoyable, actually, since you get to correctly go racing once more. Typically in championships you spend your life close to the entrance, and also you by no means actually get to race anybody. The weekend the place we dominated at Laguna Seca was good as nicely, after which the weekend at Milwaukee the place we gained the championship. There are numerous highlights all year long, which was very nice.

The tip aim was the championship and as soon as we’d achieved that, going into the ultimate race in Nashville, there was nothing to lose in any respect. Though I’ll have been the Indy NXT champion, that didn’t assure a seat in IndyCar, so I wished to actually put a stamp on the season and exit with a win, simply to make clear my place within the minds of any bosses on the market that I’m the driving force to guide their staff.

Victories on the ovals made the distinction between successful by an in depth margin and successful by the margin we did, and it proves that I can race and win on each observe: highway programs, avenue programs and ovals

Oval racing nonetheless feels very contemporary to me, however after this 12 months I really feel extra comfy within the automobile and perceive what I have to do as a driver. It meant rather a lot to do nicely this 12 months, having solely gained one oval race in my profession out of 4 coming in, however now I’ve had eight oval races, and I’ve gained 5 of them. I feel there was numerous stress on my competitors the place individuals tipped them to be higher on ovals than I might be, and I actually wished to make it possible for was stamped out instantly.

These victories on the ovals made the distinction between successful by an in depth margin and successful by the margin we did, and it proves that I can race and win on each observe: highway programs, avenue programs and ovals. I’ve received the three disciplines down, so there can be no query marks for any IndyCar staff bosses whether or not I might carry out.

Having the assist from Andy Meyrick and the fellows again dwelling at Silverstone and the British Racing Drivers’ Membership is nice. I might love to have the ability to come again extra, particularly for the Grand Prix, however subsequent 12 months goes to be tough. I’d wish to assist the BRDC a bit extra, like I used to, but it surely’s good to race abroad, flying the flag for the Membership and the SuperStars. Subsequent 12 months it’d solely be myself and Callum Ilott as Brits in IndyCar, but it surely’s nice to be part of the UK’s prime Elite Athlete programmes.

What can Foster produce in his rookie IndyCar marketing campaign?

Picture by: Penske Leisure