Closing out the 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone season, HMD Motorsports wrapped up a dominant season this past weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for a double-header event weekend. With two championships on the line, both were decided in the final race of the year with Christian Rasmussen being named Champion and Nolan Siegel taking home the Rookie of the Year.
Lined up for the first race of the weekend, Rasmussen started in second alongside his championship rival on the front row. Nolan Siegel entered the weekend in third but in a tight battle with another competitor for Rookie of the Year. While most drivers held their positions through the entirety of the race, Ernie Francis, Jr. drove up through the field and gained nine positions to finish seventh. Returning to the podium for back-to-back races, Danial Frost finished the race in third while Christian Rasmussen crossed the line second all but confirming the title was his. Finishing the race in 16th, the gap for Rookie of the Year closed as Nolan Siegel led by just four points after a difficult qualifying session and challenging first race.
Heading into the final race of the season, Christian Rasmussen started on pole and as he took the green flag, he officially clinched the Championship title. Fighting to the end, Rasmussen claimed his fifth and final win of the season in dominating fashion, taking the final checkers by 17.8 seconds. In the Rookie of the Year fight, Siegel started the race in 12th while his rival started from P3. While his counterpart struggled once the wheel-to-wheel race began, Siegel moved up five positions and finished the season just five points ahead to earn the title of Rookie of the Year.
| Race 1 Results: 2 Rasmussen 3 Frost 4 Simpson 7 Francis 10 Gold 11 Bogle 16 Siegel | Race 2 Results: 1 Rasmussen 6 Frost 7 Siegel 8 Francis 14 Gold 16 Bogle 17 Simpson |
In just their third full season of INDY NXT by Firestone competition, HMD Motorsports brought home nine of 14 possible wins with five wins from Christian Rasmussen, two wins from Nolan Siegel and one win each from Danial Frost and Reece Gold. HMD Motorsports also claimed half of the available podium results with Kyffin Simpson, Ernie Francis, Jr. and Toby Sowery all contributing alongside Rasmussen, Siegel, Frost and Gold. While not on the podium, Christian Bogle showed major improvement throughout the season, matching his career-best finish of fourth at the Portland International Raceway. In the championship, HMD Motorsports finished out the year with six drivers finishing inside the top-ten and seven in the top-11 in one of the largest INDY NXT by Firestone fields to date.
Since establishing as a team, HMD Motorsports has grown from fielding just two entries with less than ten employees to nine entries and over 50 employees. In just three years, the team has claimed three title championships including the 2021 Team Championship and back-to-back Driver Championships with Linus Lundqvist in 2022 and Christian Rasmussen in 2023. Continuing to help advance drivers up into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Rasmussen will look to join the group of HMD Motorsports alumni that includes David Malukas, Linus Lundqvist and Benjamin Pedersen competing in the top level of North American open-wheel racing.
With no signs of slowing down, continue to follow HMD Motorsports throughout the off-season and into the 2024 season as the ever-growing team continues to bring in top-talent and establish their place in the paddock.
Please be sure to follow HMD Motorsports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching @HMDMotorsports. For more information on HMD Motorsports visit HMDMotorsports.com or email info@hmdmotorsports.com.
Photo Credit: RTD Media / Penske Entertainment