HMD Motorsports is pleased to announce that 22-year-old Australian driver Tommy Smith will compete in the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season. Driving the #16 entry sponsored by SCT Logistics, Smith joins the 2022 and 2023 Championship winning program and the 2023 and 2024 Rookie of the Year victors. Making a move from the FIA F3 program, Smith will get the taste of his first INDY NXT machine at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 18.
After two seasons in FIA Formula 3, where he secured a best finish of fourth at Silverstone in 2024, Smith will transition over to the United States racing scene. Beginning later than most drivers, Smith did not start his racing career until 2017, when he competed in the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship and the Australian Formula 4 Championship. From there, Smith progressed through the Asian F3 Championship, the Formula Regional European Championship, and the GB3 Championship.
Smith was a guest of HMD Motorsports at the 2024 season finale in Nashville, where his partnership with the team was finalized for the upcoming season. He will join HMD drivers Josh Pierson and Caio Collet, who have already been confirmed. Notably, Smith and Collet were teammates in the 2023 FIA F3 season, bringing a pre-established rapport to the HMD Motorsports paddock.
“I am excited to compete in America and am up for the challenge,” explains Smith. “It was a great opportunity to watch the final INDY NXT race in Nashville with HMD. The series is competitive, and racing on ovals will be a new experience for me, but I’m excited to get behind the wheel for post-season testing later this month and start working with the team as we prepare for the 2025 season together.”
Smith’s first opportunity to test the INDY NXT car will be later this month at the annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Marking the start of his preparations for the 2025 season and his official debut with HMD Motorsports, Smith will enter his first race in March of 2025 on the Streets of St. Petersburg.
“It is great to finally announce Tommy as part of the HMD Motorsports program,” adds Team President Mike Maurini. “We are excited to have him aboard, and he is ready to work. I had the opportunity to work with his management team over the past few months and with Tommy directly in Nashville, and they are all a great group of people. They will be a welcomed addition to HMD Motorsports.”
RTD Media | HMD Motorsports | Photo: Tommy Smith
