Jamie Chadwick has won in Indy NXT for the first time, with the British driver taking the chequered flag at Road America having claimed a maiden pole position a day earlier.
The 26-year-old - a three-time W Series champion - was under intense pressure throughout in a race interrupted by several cautions and a red flag three laps from the end.
Title contenders Jacob Abel and fellow Brit Louis Foster fought hard over P2 behind her, but neither were able to mount a pass for the lead and Chadwick stayed clear for a commanding lights-to-flag win.
Victory makes her the first female winner since Pippa Mann 14 years ago, and only the third in the series’ history after Ana Beatriz became the first in 2008.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh my God!!” she shouted as she crossed the line, before punching the air as she climbed out of the car.
The win goes a long way to vindicating Chadwick’s decision to race single-seaters in the US: her first season in 2023 ended with only a handful of top 10 finishes, but she confirmed to TG last August that she was on a two-year programme with the Andretti team.
Before her second season was officially confirmed, Mann - who went on to feature in the Indy 500 seven times - told TG she hoped Chadwick would stick around for at least two years, pointing out that her own breakthrough in the series (back when it was known as Indy Lights) came in her second campaign in 2010.
So it’s proved with Chadwick. She scored her maiden podium at Indianapolis last month, and was in contention for another last week in Detroit until a puncture dropped her out of the picture.
The Andretti Global driver now lies ninth in the standings of a regular 20-car field, but is one of only four drivers to have won so far in 2024.
“Oh man! I’ve no words,” said Chadwick after the race. “Honestly, [I’m] a bit emotional. We’ve had an unbelievable car this year and just haven’t really been able to do anything about it. So I’m just so happy we held on there.
“I’m just so thankful for the Andretti team guys, honestly. Last year was a tough year but they’ve helped me so much. This is to them.”
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