Deep into the 2025 Indy NXT season, Andretti driver and Ireland’s James Roe sits P12 in the standings. The driver from Kildare has been unlucky on quite a few occasions this campaign.
Last weekend at Iowa, he started P15 as qualifying was cancelled due to wild weather. He drove a very good race to make up eight spots and finish P7. It was his best result in 2025 so far. More was possible if qualifying had took place.
James Roe and his journey with Andretti in Indy NXT
The 26-year-old is well into his third season with the Andretti team in Indy NXT [previously Indy Lights]. After doing an incomplete campaign in 2022 with TJ Speed/HMD Motorsports, he switched to the iconic brand for 2023.
Alongside the thrill of joining Andretti and what it means to race for such a successful and well-known organisation, Roe also talked about how the opportunity came about to test for them in late 2022 in an exclusive interview with Pit Debrief.
“Yeah, it’s obviously an honour any time you get to put on an Andretti suit, or jump into an Andretti car, it’s obviously what any driver wants to do.
“For me, I’m very fortunate to be in my third season with them now.
How the opportunity with Andretti came about
“I think how it came about was through how I’ve kind of stayed over here in America and got what I’ve got, just through hard work and constantly pushing the envelope and looking for opportunity. It came through J.F. Thormann, who was their president at the time, and he and I spoke many times back and forward and I was on the phone quite a lot with him and had various different conversations.
“And then through one way or another, a seat opened up for a test in Chris Griffis [Memorial] Test a few years ago and he basically said, ‘if you go and do the test and perform, we’ll offer you a seat’. It was as simple as that. That’s what we did and they offered a seat a week later.
“So for me, yeah, it’s pretty iconic to be driving for them and to be with them for so long as well. In the sense of three years, it’s been a great journey and something we look to finish out strong this year, certainly on the Indy NXT programme.
“Every time I get into that car, I’m lucky to do so.”
A golden period for Irish Motorsport with lots of representation in major categories
Ever since the late Eddie Jordan sold his F1 team in 2005, Ireland has not been a very big factor in Motorsport. While Ireland won the A1GP title with Adam Carroll in 2008-09, interest in motor racing fell away after the Jordan GP heydays.
Along with the usual various sports around the world that are very popular, the little island also features two hugely loved Irish ones: Gaelic Football and Hurling/Camogie. It leaves Motorsport well down the pecking order.
However, there is an upturn regarding drivers and interest from fans in Ireland.
With James Roe competing for Andretti in Indy NXT, Alex Dunne contending for the title in Formula 2, Charlie Eastwood in sportscars, and Fionn McLaughlin leading the British F4 championship, Irish Motorsport is living through an unprecedented level of success and representation.
The Andretti driver talked about his own personal feelings of representing Ireland in the United States. Jonathan Browne had been on the Indy NXT grid with him but lost his seat due to budget problems.
“Yeah, it’s great.
“Obviously, I think it’s an exciting time for Irish motorsport on a few different levels. Obviously, I’m the only one over here now on the IndyCar side, on that side of the fence between Indy NXT and IndyCar on that package.
“And then, obviously, you have Alex Dunne in F2, and then Charlie Eastwood in WEC.
“It’s been a long time since you’ve had three drivers in three different disciplines of Motorsport. I think it’s great for Ireland to have that representation.
“And something I’m very proud of over here is flying the Irish flag where and when I can.”
