Benjamin Pedersen, who scored his first-career Indy Lights victory at Portland International Raceway this season, will move to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2023 and will drive for AJ Foyt Racing.
The announcement of Pedersen joining the AJ Foyt Racing organization was made on Wednesday in the form of a press release.
According to the release, Pedersen is signed to a multi-year agreement with the team as AJ Foyt Racing plans to develop the 23-year-old driver as part of a, “longer-term plan.” The announcement does not state which car No. Pedersen will run.
Larry Foyt, the Team President for AJ Foyt Racing feels that his organization can help Pedersen develop his race craft and in turn Pedersen can eventually help the organization reach new heights as well.
“We are really looking forward to having Benjamin as part of the team,” Foyt said. “His enthusiasm is infectious, and he is 100% committed to INDYCAR, AJ Foyt Racing, and doing the best he can to win races. It’s been great to have him embedded with the team this past season, and everyone is excited to hit the ground running when testing begins. It is also great to have a multi-year program in place, which will help him and the team grow together.”
Needless to say, Pedersen is jumping at the opportunity to show what he can do in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2023.
“I’m super excited to get going with the team,” said Pedersen. “I’ve spent a lot of time this season with AJ Foyt Racing learning the ins and outs of making the jump to INDYCAR and it’s been really nice to do that in conjunction with my Indy Lights season. INDYCAR has been my target goal since I started open wheel racing in 2016. The racing, atmosphere, fans, events, tracks, etc. are all awesome.”
Pedersen, who hails from Denmark, is a dual citizen as he was raised in Seattle, Washington and he currently resides in the heart of IndyCar country — Indianapolis.
While Pedersen has one victory in 34 Indy Lights starts, he was in contention for victory far more than that. The youngster amassed 11 podium finishes in Indy Lights competition over the past two seasons.
