A new driver development partnership between HMD Motorsports and TJ Speed Motorsports aims to help more drivers make it to IndyCar. Further down the road, a deeper collaboration could follow.

By Jeroen Demmendaal

If all plays out as planned, it has the potential to be a new powerhouse on the IndyCar ladder: two-time Indy NXT champions HMD Motorsports have launched a driver development programme and are teaming up with USF Pro 2000 race winners TJ Speed Motorsports to bring it to life.

Unlike the recent driver development programme announced by IndyCar champions Chip Ganassi Racing, the tie-up between HMD and TJ Speed is the first collaboration of its kind between two teams that both run on the IndyCar support bill. The explicit goal of the partnership is to smooth the path for drivers hoping to progress all the way to IndyCar.

HMD and TJ Speed have already identified the first driver to join the development programme. This driver is expected to be formally announced within the next few days. 

Both parties are also in the process of identifying other drivers that will join the programme later this winter, with at least one driver set to test with TJ Speed at the end of this month.

“By partnering with TJ Speed, we’re establishing a comprehensive development ecosystem that equips drivers with the necessary tools, resources, and environment to thrive,” HMD team president Mike Maurini said in a prepared quote. “This partnership is a pivotal step in our mission to cultivate future champions for Indy NXT and the IndyCar Series.”

“This collaboration with HMD Motorsports opens a world of opportunities for our drivers,” TJ Speed founder and owner Tim Neff added. “With access to HMD’s exceptional resources and expertise, our drivers are well-equipped to advance to Indy NXT and ultimately compete at the highest levels of open-wheel racing.”

Why HMD’s new facility matters

The new partnership fits with several developments concerning HMD in recent months. One big change is that this spring, HMD moved into their new headquarters, located only a 15-minute drive west of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a stone’s throw from Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Previously a supermarket, the building in Brownsburg has about 80,000 square feet (about 7,500 square metres) of floor space over two floors, a twelvefold increase over the size of the team’s old shop nearby.

HMD’s new state-of-the-art facility houses the team’s workshops and storage facilities for equipment, trucks and spare parts. It also includes a paint booth, an in-house decal printer service, a simulator and a gym as well as various office spaces and conference rooms.

The Brownsburg facility originally looked to pave the way for an expansion into IndyCar with a standalone HMD programme, an avenue the team seriously explored in recent years. But with IndyCar’s introduction earlier this year of a charter system, which severely limits new teams’ ability to enter the series and compete on an equal footing, those plans have been shelved for now.

Hence, as part of their new partnership with HMD, TJ Speed are now in talks about moving their operations into the new HMD facility. Doing so would generate obvious operational efficiencies, while also giving TJ Speed drivers easy access to all resources inside the HMD shop. Regardless, the new partnership enables TJ Speed to maintain a separate brand and visual identity.

Possible limits on team entry numbers

Also relevant in this context are the ongoing discussions about a potential change in Indy NXT’s rulebook. Rumours have swirled for months that Indy NXT leadership is looking to limit the number of entries per team, which would have an obvious effect on HMD. The team fielded as many as 10 entries in 2024 and are currently on track to run nine cars in the 2025 season.

Feeder Series understands that this new limitation may come into effect in 2026 or 2027 rather than already next year. If and when it comes into force, there are plenty of structures for HMD to explore depending on what the final rules permit. 

One alternative would be a partnership with TJ Speed, mirroring the current partnership between Andretti Global and Cape Motorsports. Under that collaboration, cars are formally registered as Andretti Cape entries while receiving engineering support from Andretti, which also fields a standalone Indy NXT team.

Such an approach could easily be replicated by HMD and TJ Speed if needed. That, if it happens, would mean a return of TJ Speed to Indy NXT, after the team left the series after the 2022 season.

Elsewhere in motorsport, there are also cases in which one organisation supports multiple cars entered via separate legal entities or under different team names. For example, in Spanish Formula 4, MP Motorsport, Campos Racing and Drivex all run satellite operations. While registered as separate entries, the main and satellite teams operate under one umbrella and share a team manager, engineering staff and other personnel. 

Meanwhile, in USF Juniors, DEForce Racing run a four-car main team as well as a driver development arm under the same umbrella. The two DEForce DD cars are entered separately but share all resources with the main operation.

Header photo credit: Chris Jones