Josh Pierson

Josh Pierson
Pierson in 2023
Nationality	American
Born	Joshua Pierson (2006-02-14) February 14, 2006 (age 20) Portland, Oregon, United States
Categorisation	FIA Silver (2022–2023) FIA Gold (2024–)
IndyCar Series career
Team	No. 4 (A. J. Foyt Racing)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 0 0
Previous series
2023—2026 2022–2023 2022 2020–2021 2020	Indy NXT FIA World Endurance Championship Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 U.S. F2000 Championship F1600 Championship Series
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2022–2023
Teams	United Autosports
Best finish	10th (2022)
Class wins	0

Joshua Pierson^[1] (born February 14, 2006) is an American racing driver who is set to compete in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 4 Chevrolet for A. J. Foyt Racing.^[2] Pierson previously drove in Indy NXT for Andretti Global, the FIA World Endurance Championship in LMP2 for United Autosports, and is the youngest driver to start the 24 Hours of Le Mans at 16 years and 119 days.^[3][4]

Racing career

Early career

Karting

Having begun his karting career aged two when his father Greg bought him a go-kart, Pierson soon began competing in regional and national competitions.^[5] The American would win a number of accolades during the 2010s, most notably winning the Rotax Florida Winter Tour in 2016 and taking home the US Rotax Grand Nationals title the subsequent year.^[6]

Sportscar career

FIA World Endurance Championship

2022: LMP2 debut

Pierson and the No. 23 United Autosports USA team won the race at Sebring in LMP2 class in 2022.

On August 17, 2021, United Autosports announced that it had signed Pierson to compete in the LMP2 category of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship.^[7] This would make Pierson the youngest ever driver to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at 16 years and 119 days. Having gathered some prototype racing experience at the 24 Hours of Daytona and two rounds of the Asian Le Mans Series, where he managed to take two victories in as many starts, Pierson won his debut race at the 1000 Miles of Sebring alongside teammates Oliver Jarvis and Paul di Resta.^[8] With the team having controlled the race before an untimely red flag brought a premature end to proceedings, Pierson became the youngest race winner in series history.^[9][10] Following a points-scoring round in Spa, Pierson claimed the record of being the youngest starter at Le Mans and ended up finishing sixth.^[11] More points were scored in the subsequent two races, which brought the No. 23 United crew into outside contention for the LMP2 title come the 8 Hours of Bahrain.^[12] Despite finishing second during the race, the result would only yield third in the teams' championship for Pierson and Jarvis, though the American would receive an award for being the "Revelation of the Year" of the 2022 WEC campaign.^[13][14][15]

2023: Return to United

Pierson re-signed with United Autosports to compete in the 2023 WEC season, once again partnering Oliver Jarvis, with a revolving door of drivers claiming the lineup's third seat.^[16] Beginning his sophomore season in the WEC at Sebring, Pierson would inherit the lead from Jarvis and extend their gap during a triple stint. However, their strong race came undone as an onboard camera inside of Pierson's car came loose and hit the ignition switch, pushing it out and causing the No. 23 United to come to a halt, forcing them to retire in what Co-Owner Richard Dean described as "a one in a million thing".^[17] The team bounced back strongly in Portugal, where Pierson, Jarvis and Giedo van der Garde fought to take victory, overcoming a radio issue for Jarvis during their penultimate pitstop that had dropped them to second.^[18] Another podium followed at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, where teammate Tom Blomqvist narrowly missed out on the win to Louis Delétraz in the No. 41 WRT.^[19] The Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans did not yield much success, as Blomqvist experienced a crash following a loss of brakes, leading to an eighth-placed finish, meanwhile Pierson and the team would miss out on a podium again during the Monza round, as a last-lap pass from Delétraz on Jarvis relegated the No. 23 to fourth by the flag.^[20][21][22] Fuji ended up burying any remaining title ambitions for Pierson, who finished fourth alongside Jarvis and Ben Hanley; Pierson had shown impressive pace, though he was also involved in a collision with Rui Andrade for which he was given a ten-second penalty which set the team back, before Hanley lost further time when he was hit by João Paulo de Oliveira's Vanwall.^[23][24] After taking eighth place in Bahrain, Pierson and Jarvis finished fifth in the drivers' standings.^[25]

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

2022: IMSA debut

Parallel to his WEC commitments, Pierson also partook in a full-time campaign in the IMSA SportsCar Championship as part of the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports team.^[26][27] Pierson finished sixth in the drivers' standings, having gotten a podium finish at the season-ending Petit Le Mans race.^[28]

2023: Switch to TDS Racing

For 2023, Pierson would join series newcomer TDS Racing for that year's endurance rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.^[29]

American open-wheel racing career

Lower formulas / IndyCar ladder

At the age of 14, Pierson made his car racing debut in 2020, competing for Exclusive Autosport in the U.S. F2000 National Championship and partaking in two rounds of the F1600 Championship Series.^[30] The campaign did not amount to much, as Pierson ended up finishing twentieth in the drivers' standings.

Pierson would return to the USF2000 Championship the following year, this time as part of the Pabst Racing outfit alongside Jace Denmark and Yuven Sundaramoorthy.^[31] He started out strongly, scoring a pair of third places at Barber, before bettering that performance with two runner-up spots on the Indy Road Course.^[32][33] Pierson continued to take regular finishes inside the top ten for the remainder of the season, though he would only manage to add one further podium to his name. He ended the year fourth overall, one place behind teammate Sundaramoorthy.^[34]

Indy NXT

2023: Rookie season

Alongside his endurance racing commitments, Pierson rejoined the Road to Indy ladder to contest the 2023 Indy NXT campaign with HMD Motorsports.^[35] Having missed five races, he ended up 15th in the standings, scoring a best finish of sixth at Iowa.^[36]

2024: First full-time season

Pierson at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2024

Pierson remained in Indy NXT for 2024, still driving for HMD Motorsports, but on a full-time schedule.^[37] During the season opener at St. Petersburg, Pierson collided with Jamie Chadwick and was penalised for avoidable contact, eventually ending up thirteenth.^[38]

2025

Pierson was retained by HMD Motorsports for a third season of Indy NXT in 2025.^[39] At Laguna Seca, Pierson claimed his first Indy NXT podium with a third place finish.^[40]

2026: Switch to Andretti Global

For the 2026 season, Pierson switched to Andretti Global after three years of competing with HMD Motorsports.^[41] At Gateway and Road America Race 1, Pierson scored podium finishes.^{[42][43][44][45]} Pierson took his maiden pole position in qualifying for the penultimate weekend at the Milwaukee Mile.^[46] He led from the start, controlling the opening stint before he spun out of an unthreatened lead on lap 54 and crashed. Pierson began the first leg of the season-ending double-header at Laguna Seca with another pole position.^[47] Pierson controlled the race in front and took his maiden series victory.^[48]

IndyCar Series

Pierson joined Ed Carpenter Racing's new racing programme for 2023, becoming a development driver for the 2023 IndyCar Series.^[49]

2027: Full-time with A. J. Foyt Racing

On October 14, 2026, Pierson passed his IndyCar evaluation and licensing test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course driving for A. J Foyt Racing.^[50] On October 27, it was confirmed that Pierson would drive the No. 4 Chevrolet for A. J. Foyt.^[2]

Racing record

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2020	F1600 Championship Series	lovation, TransUnion	6	0	0	0	2	152	16th
	U.S. F2000 National Championship	Exclusive Autosport	16	0	0	0	0	57	20th
2021	U.S. F2000 National Championship	Pabst Racing	18	0	0	0	5	291	4th
2022	Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2	United Autosports	2	2	0	0	2	0	NC†
	FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2		6	1	0	0	2	113	3rd
	24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	6th
	IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2	PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports	7	0	0	0	1	1809	6th
2023	Indy NXT	HMD Motorsports	9	0	0	0	0	173	15th
	FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2	United Autosports	7	1	0	0	2	92	5th
	24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	8th
	IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2	TDS Racing	4	0	0	0	1	892	14th
2024	Indy NXT	HMD Motorsports	14	0	0	0	0	264	14th
2025	Indy NXT	HMD Motorsports	14	0	0	1	2	378	6th
	Formula Regional Oceania Championship	mtec Motorsport	12	0	0	2	3	219	7th
2026	Indy NXT	Andretti Global	17	1	2	1	3	364	11th
2027	IndyCar Series	A. J. Foyt Racing						-*	-*

* Season still in progress.
^† As Pierson was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

American open-wheel racing results

F1600 Championship Series

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Rank	Points
2020	Exclusive Autosport	PIT 17	PIT 6	PIT 4	MOH	MOH	MOH	VIR	VIR	VIR	SPMP	SPMP	SPMP	PIT 3	PIT 2	PIT DNF	ATL	ATL	ATL	16th	152

U.S. F2000 National Championship

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Rank	Points
2020	Exclusive Autosport	ROA 13	ROA 19	MOH 15	MOH 16	MOH 17	LOR 19	IMS 17	IMS 18	IMS 12	MOH 17	MOH 16	MOH 18	NJMP 13	NJMP 10	NJMP 10	STP 15	STP DNS		20th	57
2021	Pabst Racing	ALA 3	ALA 3	STP 7	STP 10	IMS 4	IMS 2	IMS 2	LOR 8	ROA 9	ROA 3	MOH 8	MOH 12	MOH 11	NJMP 6	NJMP 11	NJMP 5	MOH 11	MOH 6	4th	291

Indy NXT

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (Races with ^L indicate a race lap led) (Races with * indicate most race laps led)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Rank	Points
2023	HMD Motorsports	STP 16	BAR	IMS 17	DET	DET	RDA 11	MOH 9	IOW 6	NSH 10	IMS 8	GMP 10	POR 17	LAG	LAG				15th	173
2024		STP 13	BAR 17	IMS 21	IMS 12	DET 8	RDA 7	LAG 13	LAG 9	MOH 9	IOW 11	GMP 13	POR 9	MIL 12	NSH 10				14th	264
2025		STP 9	BAR 5	IMS 6	IMS 9	DET 4	GMP 6	RDA 4	MOH 5	IOW 11	LAG 3	LAG 2	POR 11	MIL 11	NSH 9				6th	378
2026	Andretti Global	STP 7	ARL 23	BAR 24	BAR 14	IMS 6	IMS 8	DET 14	GAT 3	ROA 2	ROA 22	MOH 11	MOH 6	NSS 6	POR 21	MIL 22*	LAG 1*	LAG 24	11th	364

IndyCar Series

(key)

Year	Team	No.	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Rank	Points	Ref
2027	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	4	Dallara DW12	Chevrolet	STP	PHX	ARL	ALA	LBH	IMS	INDY	DET	GTW	ROA	MOH	BCN	POR	MRK	MIL	MIL	LAG	-*	0*

Indianapolis 500

Year	Chassis	Engine	Start	Finish	Team
2027	Dallara	Chevrolet			A. J. Foyt Enterprises

* Season still in progress.

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Class	Make	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Pos.	Points
2022	PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports	LMP2	Oreca 07	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	DAY 8	SEB 4	LGA 4	MOH 6	WGL 6	ELK 5	PET 3	6th	1809
2023	TDS Racing	LMP2	Oreca 07	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	DAY 4	SEB 8	MON	WGL 4	ELK	IMS	PET 2	14th	892

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Class	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Rank	Points
2022	United Autosports USA	LMP2	Oreca 07	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	SEB 1	SPA 6	LMS 6	MNZ 5	FUJ 5	BHR 2		3rd	113
2023	United Autosports	LMP2	Oreca 07	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	SEB Ret	PRT 1	SPA 2	LMS 6	MNZ 4	FUJ 4	BHR 8	5th	92

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2022	United Autosports USA	Alex Lynn Oliver Jarvis	Oreca 07-Gibson	LMP2	368	10th	6th
2023	United Autosports	Tom Blomqvist Oliver Jarvis	Oreca 07-Gibson	LMP2	323	18th	8th

Complete Formula Regional Oceania Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	DC	Points
2025	mtec Motorsport	TAU 1 8	TAU 2 2	TAU 3 6	HMP 1 4	HMP 2 6	HMP 3 3	MAN 1 5	MAN 2 3	MAN 3 9	TER 1 6	TER 2 5	TER 3 6	HIG 1	HIG 2	HIG 3	7th	219

References

1. "Entry List 2023" (PDF). 24 Hours of Le Mans (in French). Retrieved July 3, 2023.
2. "Josh Pierson To Make INDYCAR SERIES Debut in 2027 With Foyt". IndyCar. October 27, 2026. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
3. Tobin, Dominic (June 11, 2022). "The youngest ever Le Mans driver — 16-year-old Josh Pierson says: 'I'm feeling ready'". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
4. "At 16, Pierson breaks Le Mans age record". France 24. AFP. June 11, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
5. "Josh Pierson Just Got His Driver's License. Next Up: Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans". GQ. June 10, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
6. "About Josh Pierson". Josh Pierson Racing. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
7. "American Teen Josh Pierson Set To Become Youngest Ever LM 24 Starter In 2022". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
8. "Abu Dhabi Race 1: United Autosports Take The Win, Nielsen Racing Take The Championship". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
9. Dagys, John (March 18, 2022). "American Teen Pierson Becomes Youngest-Ever WEC Winner – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
10. "Alpine Wins Heavily-Interrupted 1000M Sebring". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
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12. "FIA WEC Bahrain Preview Part 2 LMP2: JOTA En Route To First WEC Title?". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
13. "Toyota Takes 1-2 in Bahrain; Claims Championship". Pitlane News. November 13, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
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16. Autosports, United. "UNITED AUTOSPORTS SECURE JOSH PIERSON FOR 2023 WEC SEASON". United Autosports. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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24. Autosports, United. "WEC Fuji: Pole position, podium celebrations and championship points". United Autosports. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
25. "Season 2023 results". FIA World Endurance Championship. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
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28. Euwema, Davey (October 1, 2022). "MSR Captures DPi Title with Drama-Filled PLM Victory – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
29. Lloyd, Daniel (November 29, 2022). "Van der Garde, Pierson Join Heriau in TDS Racing Entry – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
30. "Exclusive Autosport's Duncalfe Aims to Climb Ladder as Team Owner". IndyCar.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
31. "Road to Indy News and Notes". www.usf2000.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
32. "Sundaramoorthy, Campbell Earn Maiden Wins at Barber". www.usf2000.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
33. "Sundaramoorthy Near Perfect in Indianapolis Double". www.usf2000.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
34. "Green Survives Chaotic Finale to Claim First Win". www.usf2000.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
35. Wood, Ida (October 18, 2022). "WEC racer Josh Pierson to add Indy Lights campaign in 2023". Formula Scout. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
36. "2023 FINAL POINT STANDINGS | Indy NXT, USF Pro 2000 & USF2000". IndyMotorSpeedway.com.
37. Wood, Ida (October 25, 2023). "ECR junior Josh Pierson scales up Indy Nxt commitments for 2024". Formula Scout. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
38. "Siegel dominates St. Petersburg Indy NXT opener". RACER. March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
39. Wood, Ida (September 26, 2024). "Josh Pierson stays at HMD Motorsports for third Indy Nxt season". Formula Scout. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
40. Waring, Bethonie (July 26, 2025). "Collet holds off Hauger at Laguna Seca for third Indy Nxt victory". Formula Scout. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
41. "Josh Pierson Completes 2026 Andretti INDY NXT Driver Lineup". Andretti Global. October 21, 2025. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
42. Waring, Bethonie (June 8, 2026). "Rowe wins from back of grid in Gateway Indy Nxt race". Formula Scout. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
43. Barnes, Joey (June 7, 2026). "Myles Rowe charges from last to first for historic Indy NXT win at WWTR". motorsport.com. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
44. Barnes, Joey (June 20, 2026). "Lochie Hughes gives Andretti milestone win in Road America Indy NXT race". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
45. Clarke, Andrew (June 21, 2026). "Hughes wins Indy NXT Race 1 at Road America to revive title hopes". AutoAction. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
46. "Pierson takes first career Indy NXT pole in Milwaukee". Racer. August 29, 2026. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
47. Kelly, Paul (September 5, 2026). "Josh Pierson, Tymek Kucharczyk Power to Poles at Laguna Seca". IndyCar Series. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
48. Pruett, Marshall (September 5, 2026). "Pierson scores breakthrough win in first leg of Indy NXT doubleheader at Laguna Seca". Racer. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
49. Malsher-Lopez, David (November 16, 2022). "Pierson becomes ECR development driver, targets IndyCar in 2025". Motorsport.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
50. Brown, Zion (October 14, 2026). "Josh Pierson passes IndyCar's licensing test; expected to sign with AJ Foyt Racing". IndyStar. Retrieved October 14, 2026.

External links

• Official website
• Josh Pierson career summary at DriverDB.com