The IndyCar grid could soon have as many as four New Zealanders on it if the latest flying Kiwi lands a plum drive.
Nick Cassidy has joined a growing list of talent out of the little island nation to test one of the turbocharged, V8-powered single-seaters.
On Wednesday, he drove with championship-winning outfit Chip Ganassi Racing where he wound up six tenths off the leading pace at a circuit he’d only once raced on.
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Cassidy is arguably one of New Zealand’s most talented, yet underrated, drivers in the world.
He won Japan’s national touring car and single-seater series (Super GT and Super Formula) in the late 2010s and has since become a race winner in the FIA Formula E Championship.
Ironically, Cassidy could dethrone IndyCar champion Alex Palou for a seat at Chip Ganassi Racing, who he beat to the Super Formula title in 2019.
Cassidy even drove Palou’s current car in Wednesday’s test at Sebring International Raceway.
Palou is in the final year of his contract with the team.
A bitter feud between the Spaniard and the team broke out after Palou signed with McLaren for 2023 only for Chip Ganassi Racing to enforce its option to keep him.
While Palou will race for the team this year, it’s expected he’ll depart for McLaren at the end of the season.
While an obvious opening is likely to be there for Cassidy, he isn’t committed to IndyCar just yet.
“I’m keeping my options open, for sure,” he told Motorsport.com.
“I really liked the IndyCar, I think the championship’s really cool, and I like longer races, the refuelling, having to deal with dual tyre compounds, and so on.
“But I’ve got to assess my options and everything’s open, so I’ll have to wait and see.
“I’m really lucky where I am at Envision, we look really competitive, and the championship’s strong.
“But whether you’re looking at IndyCar, Formula E, IMSA, WEC, the top drivers and top teams are all really strong and none of those championships are easy to just walk into.
“I’m one of those guys who never underestimates anything, I never really think that I’m better than anyone else.
“I know whatever move I make is going to require learning the championship, learning the team, and that’s when you can produce the results.
“It’s nice to talk about it and I’ll be excited for whatever comes next, I’m very positive, but it’s hard to say much more right now.
“What I can say is that it was great today to test for one of the world’s most successful racing teams – a big honour to drive one of Ganassi’s cars.”
The Red Bull-backed steerer has been a man in demand in recent years.
He’s driven for several teams in the same year, splitting Formula E duties with Envision Racing with drives in the FIA World Endurance Championship and DTM.
While some drivers from other categories have shown some hesitancy to commit to the series in full, Cassidy is keen to tackle the ovals as well as road courses and street circuits.
“If I’m going to be here, I’m going to be committed,” said Cassidy.
“The Indy 500 is something that everyone should dream to win. It’s one of the biggest races in the world. And I grew up racing speedway midget cars – on the dirt in ovals.
“Obviously a superspeedway in an IndyCar is quite a bit different, but I love all oval racing and I wouldn’t be scared of tackling ovals in an IndyCar.”
Should Cassidy join the grid, it could see the field grow to four New Zealanders alongside Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin as well as Chip Ganassi Racing duo Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong.
Chip Ganassi Racing will field a four-car-strong line-up in 2023 led by six-time champion Dixon, series rookie Armstrong, Japan’s two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato, 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, and Palou.
The 2023 season gets underway on the streets of St Petersburg on March 6.
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