Rookie Benjamin Pedersen will drive the No. 88 entry in this season’s NTT IndyCar Series with AJ Foyt Racing — the car number matching the age of his legendary car owner. The Sexton Properties-backed car will run in the iconic Coyote Red colors with which A.J. Foyt claimed his third and fourth Indy 500 wins. The No. 88 Sexton Chevrolet will make its debut at the IndyCar Open Test at The Thermal Club early next month.
“I am excited to get on track in Thermal in just a few weeks with a livery that is recognizable with the iconic Coyote Red and a new car number to AJ Foyt Racing,” said the 23-year-old Danish-American. “We wanted to keep with the traditional color and clean look that will resonate with fans of A.J. Foyt, while bringing a fresh new feel with the number 88. It’s also a special week for the 88 as we celebrate A.J.’s 88th birthday!”
Pedersen (right) talks with his crew chief Heath Huddleston at the Foyt race shop in Speedway, Ind.
Pedersen, who was born in Copenhagen, grew up in Seattle and now lives in Indianapolis, is running the full IndyCar schedule with Foyt. He spent two years in the Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) series where he claimed his first victory and first pole position at Portland last September. Pedersen began his single-seater career in 2016 in the F4 U.S. Championship and contested for three seasons before competing in the British Formula 3 Series in 2019-20. He also competed in the F3 Americas Championship (2018-20) and in the 2020 EuroFormula Open.
Pedersen will be joined by Marcus Armstrong, who is driving the road/street courses for Chip Ganassi, Sting Ray Robb (Dale Coyne Racing), Agustin Canapino (Juncos Hollinger Racing) in the IndyCar rookie class this year.
The two-day test at the Thermal Club outside of Palm Springs, Calif., is set for February 2-3. The 17-turn, 2.9-mile track will be a combination of the facility’s North and South Palm circuits.
