The NTT IndyCar Series heads into its finale with two back-to-back oval races at the Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway over the next two weekends.

With Alex Palou already crowned drivers’ champion, attention now turns to the battle for top Rookie honours between Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman. The Englishman holds a narrow six-point lead (189 to 183) going into Sunday’s race.

Louis, 22, is the son of former BTCC racer Nick Foster. Like many rising stars, he began karting before the age of 10, progressing through Ginetta Junior, British F4 and BRDC British F3 before switching to the US single-seater ladder. His breakthrough came in 2022 when he won the Indy Pro 2000 Championship.

Last year he dominated Indy NXT, claiming eight victories from 14 starts, before graduating to IndyCar with a multi-year deal at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the 2024 season. Despite mixed fortunes, he has impressed – most notably with pole position at Road America – and currently leads the Rookie of the Year standings ahead of Shwartzman, a former FIA F3 champion and Ferrari reserve driver, with just two races left.

Foster arrives at the Milwaukee Mile full of confidence, having sealed his Indy NXT crown there 12 months ago after starting from pole and winning.

“I have fond memories of the track,” he said. “Last year was my first race at the Milwaukee Mile and I won to clinch the title. It’s unique for an oval because there’s very little banking, which allows the car to move around a lot more securely.

“Obviously now the main goal is to win the rookie championship – it’s a tight battle between myself and Robert. At the end of the day, the team and I are going to do the best job possible to try to secure a good result.”

Supporting his ambitions, Foster is also a Team UK member of the Motorsport UK Academy, an initiative designed to help Britain’s most promising young athletes compete at elite levels at home and abroad, offering individual coaching, guidance, and team-based training opportunities.