INDY NXT SERIES: INDY NXT BY FIRESTONE AT THE MILWAUKEE MILE

August 31, 2024

Louis Foster

Don Lambert

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Also joined now by the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion, the driver Louis Foster, and also joined by Don Lambert, the team's INDY NXT by Firestone team manager.

Louis, congratulations. It's the culmination of a lot of hard work the last couple years.

LOUIS FOSTER: Yeah, I mean, when I joined Andretti in late '22 after winning Indy Pro, I knew that we'd be strong ever since we got out of the gates. Just struggled with consistency last year.

Had a good year. Team has been awesome. We've broken a few records along the way. Over the moon.

THE MODERATOR: Donnie, congratulations. The team is excited about this. Obviously very involved in INDY NXT by Firestone for several years. What does it mean to have another championship?

DON LAMBERT: It's really good for our program. I think we've always been four cars, and this year we've come in to help Kate as well. Running six, now five. We spread the wealth a little bit, de Alba. I think between our whole program, we're just working very hard for all of our cars to be up front. I think today was a good showing of that. Yeah, it's good.

THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions.

Q. You go back to places like Barber this year where you had some struggles. What have you learned about yourself winning races, what have you learned about yourself over the last six months?

LOUIS FOSTER: Yeah, I think I worked a lot this year outside of the car, just mentally being in the right place for races. I always talked with my dad about that. He helps a lot because obviously he knows me best.

I think understanding where we are, staying cool in races. I think races last year some of the mistakes was being a rookie. This year we've calmed it down a lot more, seen the bigger picture.

But yeah, I mean, obviously we've just continued a pace every weekend and always showed up with the same mindset and goals, and we haven't changed.

Q. Louis, one race to finish off the season. Where are you in this process of trying to figure out what your future might be, assuming you want to and hopefully will end up here in INDYCAR next year?

LOUIS FOSTER: Yeah, I mean, have talked to teams obviously. Really, really hoping I'll get an opportunity in it. As it stands currently, we don't have anything signed. I'm hoping that around Nashville, slightly after, we can find something.

But yeah, I think I've done as much as I can this year to prove to the teams that I'm worthy of a seat. I'm hoping we can get an opportunity.

Q. Do you feel confident that's going to work out? Do you think it will be a full season, part-time? What can you tell us about what you think?

LOUIS FOSTER: Yeah, I would like to say we have a good chance of getting in. I'm quite confident that we will be able to. But nothing's guaranteed.

It's the best drivers in the world at the end of the day. It's just such a hard circuit to get into. Look at what happened with Linus two years ago. We're working as hard as we can to try and get onto the grid.

But yeah, I'm hopeful that we will be.

Q. How are you going to celebrate the next couple weeks?

LOUIS FOSTER: Yeah, I think we'll save the celebrations for Nashville. Job's not finished. One more race to go. Want to try to go finish off with a bang.

Yeah, go out for some drinks tonight and have a bit of fun. But we'll get the party started in Nashville, for sure.

Q. How was it racing against traffic at the end?

LOUIS FOSTER: Yeah, I was trying to manage my pace at the end, entire race, to match the pace of the back markers. I knew it was hard to pass. I was kind of backing up the drivers behind me. But it got to a certain stage with 35 laps to go I knew I would catch the back. I then started pushing just to give myself some room.

The car was really good. I could see that the drivers that I was overtaking were struggling on tires, where we had clean air all race, so we were in a pretty good place.

It wasn't too difficult. But it's never fun.

Q. Louis, you mentioned a lot of times this year how respectful the racing between you and Jacob has been. In today's race, where would you rate that in terms of how much fun you had on track with him, particularly the start of the race, and how this rivalry has developed?

LOUIS FOSTER: I didn't really see him much in that race honestly. He fell back at the start, I never saw him again. Yeah, I can't really answer that. I didn't really race him at all.

Obviously, like you said, it's been close all year, close margins. I think me and Jacob had a few instances last year, a few disagreements last year. This year it's been pretty clean most of the time. Just good, fair racing.

Q. Pulled into victory circle, Michel was the first person there. Can you let us in on what he said?

LOUIS FOSTER: I believe his words were, That's how you win a championship. Yeah, it was good.

Q. How redeeming or nice did it feel that you won by 4.3 seconds to put a big stamp on it? How good does that feel? Do you think that makes a statement for the INDYCAR teams that you won it emphatically?

LOUIS FOSTER: Yeah, I think obviously it's great to win on a win. At the end of the day I think we've made enough of a statement this year already. This is our seventh win. I think we've done enough of a statement.

But I wasn't trying to put a statement on it. I just wanted to give myself a gap enough. I didn't want to overtake (indiscernible) ahead of me. I didn't want to. I had a big enough gap that I didn't have to.

If anything, that's a testament to the car Andretti gave us today. It was amazing. I was able to do exactly what I wanted to do. It gave me no issues.

I wasn't trying to put a statement on it. I just wanted the get the win and the championship. The fact that it's a win is even better.