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Grosse Pointe Woods college student Nolan Allaer eyes Detroit GP as Indy NXT racer
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 22, 2024
Michigan drivers who have competed in the Indy 500 are an exclusive list, including names like Scott Brayton, Bryan Herta, Robbie Buhl, Howdy Holmes, and Gordon Johncock.
Nolan Allaer is eager to join the club.
The Miami (Ohio) University junior, 22, from Grosse Pointe Woods, won a seat in Indy NXT this year, the feeder series for IndyCar. If the Grand Rapids Griffins are the Detroit Red Wings’ American Hockey League junior hockey affiliate, then Indy NXT is the AHL-equivalent step to IndyCar. A hockey player as a kid, Allaer credits his team sports background with helping graduate to the teamwork required in big league motorsports.
Allaer will be racing with HMD Motorsports this year, one of the open-wheel series’ top teams, and made his debut at St. Petersburg on March 10.
“It’s absolutely exciting, this is a dream come true,” Allaer said in an interview ahead of the St. Pete race, where he finished 14th in his maiden effort behind the wheel of a winged, 420-horsepower Dallara Indy NXT race car. “To be this close to IndyCar competing with some of the best open-wheel drivers in the world is an absolute honor.”
Allaer will be competing in his Detroit backyard, June 2, when the IndyCar circus rolls into town. The 14-race season also will take him to Indy, road courses like Road America (Wisconsin) and Mid-Ohio, and ovals in Iowa and Milwaukee.
“I’m excited for Detroit, although I’m a little bit bummed I won’t get to race on Belle Isle,” he said of the track where he grew up watching the IndyCar stars. “To do it downtown is a is such an incredible opportunity.”
The mechanical engineering major has built an impressive resume in his short career, including three national SCCA championships in Formula Ford/Formula Continental classes in 2022-23, and two wins in the national F1600 series in 2022. He did not take the traditional route to Indy NXT like many of his peers who started at an early age in the karting circuit.
Nolan Allaer, 22, of Grosse Point Woods is competing in Indy NXT for the 2024 season. HMD Motorsports, HMD Motorsports
Though he grew up watching his grandfather, uncle, and father race (uncle and dad, Robert, have three SCCA championships between them) Nolan’s passion turned to hockey at age 11.
“I karted in Florida from 2008-11, but I actually quite karting to play hockey,” he said. “I played hockey almost my entire life and I still play now when I’m not racing. I started racing again in 2020 and got back into the sport through (simulator) racing. I’m thankful for my time away from the sport because it makes me appreciate it much more now.”
His success in online sim racing during the pandemic rekindled his fire and he got his racing license at an SCCA school (a high school graduation present) at Waterford Hills Raceway — where he showed his raw talent by recording a lap just two-tenths off his father’s track record. SCCA races in 2021 followed, leading to an impressive third place in the national championships as he began his freshman year.
He joined Team Pelfry in ‘22 to compete in the 21-race, open-wheel Formula Race Promotions F1600 Championship where he finished fourth overall as the series’ top rookie. The competitive series features close racing where lead changes are common as teammates draft one another to leap-frog to the front.
Team sport. Nolan Allaer and his HMD Motorsports team at St. Pete Indy NXT opener. Chris Jones, Indy NXT
“I’m thankful for my time in team sports. What people don’t realize about racing is it’s not just about a single driver,” Allaer said. “It’s not like boxing where you’re the only one in the ring. It’s a whole community you work with — your team, your engineers, your mechanics. F1600 is where you really start to experience the team aspect. Working on the setup of your car is very significant.”
His F1600 success catapulted him across the pond to the British Racing and Sports Car Club racing series — in the heart of the world’s most intense motorsports environment. Racing for Ammonite Motorsports, Allaer ended the year on a high note at the BRSCC Formula Ford Festival at the famed Brands Hatch race track south of London.
“I qualified on pole and won my heat race which is something only four Americans have done before,” Allaer said.
The performance also won him a seat at HMD Motorsports alongside talent like Miles Rowe, last year’s USF200 champion, and 19-year-old Nolan Siegel, who finished third in last year’s Indy NXT championship. Christian Rasmussen, who won the 2023 Indy NXT championship with HMD Motorsports, has moved up the IndyCar this year with Ed Carpenter Racing. Among the Indy greats who have graduated from the IndyCar feeder series are Josef Newgarden, Helio Castroneves, and Scott Dixon.
Nolan Allaer at Indy NXT, St. Petersburg. Joe Skibinski, Indy NXT
“All the guys in HMD Motorsports and Indy NXT are all top class,” Allaer said. “They are the best prospects for IndyCar right now.”
Allaer entered the first race at St. Petersburg after a whirlwind pre-season testing at Laguna Seca raceway in California and Sebring, Florida. In addition to the intense competition, he is transitioning from 150-horspwower, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder Formula Fords to much quicker, 420-horsepower V8-powered Dallaras made of carbon-fiber.
“This is a proper machine. You can ask any of the drivers that have had the opportunity to drive one of these cars, it’s the point where you start to think — oh, wow, that is fast,” said Allaer. “It’s a lot of power, a lot of downforce, and it takes a little time to get used to what the car can really do.”
He hasn’t found the speed intimidating.
The Indy NXT field – including Nolan Allear mid-pack – swarms Turn One at the start of the St. Pete race. James Black, Indy NXT
“Honestly, it’s not a sensory overload — it’s very refined, smooth,” he said. “The biggest difference is the power and top speed. Makes a big difference from Formula Ford where you’re racing nose-to-tail to stretching out on the straightaways as we reach 160, 180, maybe 190 mph at Road America” in Wisconsin.
Come June, he’ll show off his new ride to family on the streets of Detroit.
“It’s a family affair. I grew up around the race track watching my grandfather, my uncle, my dad race. I never imagined I’d be doing anything similar, let alone being my primary pursuit in life.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.