The Josh Pierson Interview: European Endurance, INDY NXT at WWT Raceway and The Freedom 100

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor

Motorsports Today - YouTube

Question: You have a worst finish of ninth and a best finish of fourth. What's been the biggest difference between this year and last year? Answer: "I'd say probably for me, the biggest difference so far just been the work that we've put in in the off season," Josh Pierson, HMD Motorsports driver, said. "More racecraft, more time in a car, particularly more qualifying sessions, which is typically where I struggled last year. So just working on those kinds of aspects." "Just getting back into the swing of things here, taking that time off in sports cars really had a big impact on my open wheel career, and so it's taken me longer than I anticipated to kind of jump back into an open wheel car, especially with the lack of experience I've had in them. So yeah, it's, I think those are the biggest differences for me." So what's been your most significant adjustment coming from sports car racing, which involves no ovals?

"Ovals are hard. They're really high commitment. They require something a little bit different than the road courses. I think a lot of people, you know, when we have drivers come over from Europe, and they don't really respect the oval a lot. We see that they end up doing really well, and they grow to actually enjoy it." "I think the sports car side had no effect really on my ovals. Ovals have been a struggle for me, for sure, aside from maybe Iowa [Speedway] in 2023, [which] was pretty solid, but we ended up running a lot of downforce there, so the car was very easy to drive."

What sets WWT Technology apart in difficulty compared to the other ovals on the schedule? "I think gateway, personally, is the most difficult oval we go to because one and two are so different from three and four. It's the only track that we go to as an oval that's not symmetrical. It's not the same on both ends."

With the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend, can you walk me through your experience when you took on the famed endurance race?

"I definitely miss being there. I love that event. I love endurance racing in general. And my goal status, kind of, you know, pushed me away from endurance racing. My goal has been IndyCar anyway, since I was little, but I'd love to get back in an endurance car whenever I can, hopefully soon in the future." "It's such a unique experience. To have been able to get to do that at 16 and 17 in 2022 and 2023 was something special. A lot of drivers who try their whole life to compete there, and don't get to. To have had two years there, especially, you know, that second year being the centenary year, the 100th anniversary, was very special."

What was your favorite part of racing at Le Mans?

"My favorite part about the endurance racing in general, in Le Mans, is just that feeling of unity in a car. When you're really enjoying the two other drivers you're working with, it feels like a small family." "It's a different team atmosphere than something like here, where you're the only driver in the car and you don't have teammates, but you're still trying to beat them. So I love that atmosphere. I love sharing a car with two other guys, and just that, that feeling of unity and teamwork that you get from it, is so exhilarating."

What led you to sports car racing, and how did you get back into American open-wheel racing? "[Stephen Simpson] is who got me the initial test to come into sports cars. And for us, it was more just, you know, if the test went well, and I had the opportunity with those decisions [to drive in sports cars]."

How do you adjust from two- to three-hour stints, to an entire race being less than an hour and a half, on some race weekends?

"We're flat out the whole time, there's no kind of fuel save or tire management. Some races, we have to look after the tire a little bit more just because that track has higher degradation, but it's not to the same degree you would in an endurance car. So, that's one of the things I struggled with coming back, changing that mentality."

There's been a debate that occurs every May, surrounding INDY NXT, and it's whether the Freedom 100 should return around the Indianapolis oval. What's your take on it?

"I think the Freedom 100 was one of the best races of the year. You know, I understand the reasoning for not having it, I really do, but I think it's such a unique event for the drivers. I think it's a great way to get Indy NXT drivers experience on the speedway before jumping up to IndyCar." "Now, if you're an Indy NXT driver coming in, your first day on that [Indianapolis Speedway] oval, is going to be in the big car... a lot more overwhelming from my perspective."

As a former sports car driver, you've raced on countless circuits around the globe. If you had to bring one of these tracks to the INDY NXT schedule, which one would it be? "[Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps], for sure... It's just fun. It's one of the few circuits I've been to where it races well, but it's also fun to drive. I think a lot of tracks, we have this fine line of it's either really fun to drive and doesn't race very well, or races super well and it's not particularly fun to drive." "It's got long straightaways, which allow you to race and be competitive, but it also has really flowing fast sections that feel nice. It's got one of the most famous corners in all of motorsports. So I think a lot of motor sports fans, or a lot of people who aren't necessarily motor sports fans, can recognize [it]."