Chevrolet
Josh Pierson
Birthdate: February 14, 2006
Hometown: Wilsonville, OR.
Residence: Indianapolis, IN.
Nationality: American
More about Josh
Away from the track, Josh enjoys gaming, snowboarding, playing music, and spending time with his family and friends. A fan of rock and metal, he also plays several instruments and admits that if racing hadn’t worked out, he might have pursued life as a musician or paleontologist. Josh is an animal lover with three dogs, a bearded dragon, and a particular interest in reptiles.
Career Summary
2026: Competing in the INDY NXT by Firestone championship with Andretti Global...Won Race 1 of the season-finale doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca from pole, leading all 35 laps and holding off champion Nikita Johnson through three restarts...Earned first career INDY NXT pole at The Milwaukee Mile with a record 153.434 mph two-lap average and led the opening 53 laps...Started on the front row in each of the final three races...Finished third at World Wide Technology Raceway after starting fourth and leading 20 laps.
2025: Finished sixth in the INDY NXT by Firestone championship with HMD Motorsports, earning two podiums and 11 top-10 finishes in 14 races...Posted a double-podium weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with third- and second-place finishes...Also competed in Formula Regional Oceania, recording three podium finishes.
2024: Completed first full INDY NXT by Firestone season with HMD Motorsports, marking a return to full-time open-wheel competition following two seasons of international prototype racing.
2023: Made nine INDY NXT by Firestone starts with HMD Motorsports while simultaneously competing in FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA LMP2 programs...Won the 6 Hours of Portimão with United Autosports and finished second at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps...Made second start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing eighth in LMP2...Competed in IMSA LMP2 with TDS Racing and finished second at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta...Selected as an official FIA WEC rookie for the Toyota Hypercar test in Bahrain.
2022: Finished third in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 standings with United Autosports...Won the LMP2 class at the 1000 Miles of Sebring, becoming the youngest race winner in FIA WEC history at 16 years, 32 days...Finished second at Bahrain...Became the youngest person to start and finish the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing sixth in LMP2 and 10th overall, an achievement recognized by Guinness World Records...Won both 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi races outright with Paul di Resta in his Asian Le Mans Series debut...Became the youngest driver to compete in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports.
2021: Finished fourth in the USF2000 Championship with Pabst Racing, earning five podium finishes and establishing himself as a front-running prospect on the Road to Indy ladder.
2020: Advanced from karting into cars at age 14, competing in F1600 before stepping into USF2000...Finished vice-champion in the SKUSA Pro Tour Shifter Pro2 category.
2014-19: Won eight karting championships and earned three vice-championships in national and regional competition...Won the 2019 Rotax Stars & Stripes JuniorMAX Championship and represented Team USA at the Rotax World Finals in Sarno, Italy...Won the 2017 U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals MiniMAX Championship and represented Team USA at the Rotax World Finals in Portimão, Portugal.
About Josh
Three words that best describe you: Dedicated, unyielding and passionate
Favorite hobbies: Gaming, snowboarding and music
Favorite music / artists: Rock and metal — Bad Omens, Escape the Fate and Linkin Park
Favorite book: Jurassic Park or The Maze Runner
Heroes or people you admire: Ayrton Senna, A.J. Foyt, Scott Dixon and my dad
Favorite food: Tacos
Favorite drink: Sweet tea
Favorite dessert: Tiramisu
Favorite place traveled: Japan
Place you'd like to visit: Taiwan
Favorite movie: Jurassic Park or Ford v Ferrari
Favorite restaurant: MOD Pizza
Favorite holiday: Halloween
Favorite season (besides racing season): Fall
Pets: Three dogs and a bearded dragon
What you're competitive about besides racing: Gaming and any sport I’m playing
What instantly puts you in a good mood: Winning
Something you're terrible at: Golf
What your friends would say about you that racing fans probably wouldn't expect: I’m an extreme rule follower
Something most people don't know about you: I love reptiles
Quality you value most in others: Loyalty
What you're most confident about, on or off the track: My ability to persevere
Who you'd like to have dinner with (dead or alive): Tim Henson, in hopes I can get a free guitar lesson
What you'd be if you weren't a race driver: Musician or paleontologist
Greatest fear: Heights
Secret wish / bucket-list item: Compete in the Bathurst 1000
Josh on the track
How you got started in racing: Karting at the age of two when my dad decided to take my sister to the kart track
Driving style in three words: Methodical, calculated and calm
Something you do before every race: Try to relax and clear my mind
How you relax at the race track: Lie down or chat with the mechanics and engineers when they’re available
Favorite race tracks: Barber because it’s like a roller coaster; Road America for the great racing and track layout; Laguna Seca because I enjoy the low grip; and Bathurst because it’s Bathurst
Hardest corner or section of track you've ever driven: Indianapolis at Le Mans can be tricky to get right, especially with the lead-up into Arnage. The Porsche Curves are also challenging, and the transition into Karting through the curves is always a balance
Driver you'd most like to race wheel-to-wheel: Ayrton Senna or Alex Palou
Race car from any era you'd most like to drive: A 2006 Champ Car or McLaren’s 2008 Formula 1 car
What fans underestimate most about driving an INDYCAR: G-force is the easy answer, but also the effort required at the wheel and the vibrations that can disrupt your vision
What an INDYCAR feels like that television can't show: It depends on the track, but as a driver you’re feeling the weight of the car and the road underneath you. Television also can’t fully show the speed or the G-forces you experience
Favorite part of a race weekend: Every driver loves the race because it’s the culmination of all the hard work over the weekend coming together. That being said, I also enjoy practice because I like working on the car and trying to find the perfect setup for the track and weekend
Favorite racing memory as a fan: My first time at the Indy 500
Race you'd most like to relive: My first WEC win at the 1000 Miles of Sebring
Most interesting fact about your racing career: I’ve driven many different cars and competed in many forms of motorsports, including dirt racing, which a lot of people probably don’t know
Most proud accomplishment: Persevering through a tough season and winning my first INDY NXT race when people doubted me
Most thrilling experience in a race car: Driving at three in the morning during the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Most thrilling experience outside a race car: I don’t do many thrilling things outside the car, but snowboarding with friends is probably the most thrilling
Toughest part of your job: Pressure and stress are a big part of racing, but that alone doesn’t make the job hard. It’s the need to perform under those conditions that makes racing difficult
Your highest goal in racing: Win the Indy 500
What a successful life looks like to you: Despite my goals and ambitions, I’m not all in on glory. My first dream was simply to race and make a career in INDYCAR. If I’m able to have a stable career and engrave my name in history, even slightly, I’ll feel successful in achieving my dream
Josh on Foyt & the 500
What A.J. Foyt means to you: Excellence, history and a passion for racing that is tough to rival
What driving for AJ Foyt Racing means to you: It’s an honor to have my name associated with one of the greats and to be part of the team’s history. In short, it’s a joy, an honor and a privilege
Favorite A.J. Foyt story, race, car or accomplishment: Coming from a younger generation, I’ve really enjoyed hearing the stories about A.J. Foyt and his career, and I’m looking forward to learning more. His achievements are many and varied, but winning the Indy 500 four times is remarkable
What the Indianapolis 500 means to you personally: Legacy, tradition and a race for eternal glory
What winning the Indianapolis 500 would mean to you: It would be my greatest achievement and a moment I would never forget. It’s hard to say what winning such an event would mean, but I know it would be a surreal feeling and something difficult to describe
One question you'd ask A.J. about racing: I’d ask if he has any regrets over the course of his career and what, if anything, he would change if he could relive his storied career
Josh & the fans
What you appreciate most about racing fans: The genuine passion and love for racing that so many fans who attend races in person have
Best fan interaction you've ever had: I’ve had quite a few over the years, but one that stands out was in Japan. There was a fan who knew my whole career by heart and was incredibly excited to see me racing there
What you want fans to know about you that they probably don't: The tremendous amount of effort and work I’ve put into motorsports and continue to put in. I’ve never been the most naturally talented in a car, so I’ve always had to work harder to find those last few tenths
What you want a young fan watching you race to take away from your career: Never give up, and hard work pays off
People should root for me because: I’m the underdog who many people have doubted. My whole career, I’ve had to prove people wrong. Who doesn’t love an underdog story like that?
