Note: The Penske Entertainment editorial staff is looking back at the five biggest moments of 2023 in INDY NXT by Firestone in this year-end series, with one installment appearing on the site per day in countdown fashion from Dec. 27-31.

Jamie Chadwick didn’t find victory lane during her rookie season in INDY NXT by Firestone. However, her impact on the series in 2023 was felt far beyond that.

As the first female driver in the series in over a decade, Chadwick brought more eyes to this series and was a great ambassador to that venture.

Chadwick also improved as the season went along. While she didn’t score a top-10 finish through the first six events of the season driving the DHL-sponsored entry of Andretti Global, that was largely due to the fact that she had never experienced any of the tracks before. She also had no experience in the cars used by the series.

The combination of factors made for a daunting task for the three-time W Series champion. Most of the drivers that she was competing against had raced on the circuits before or at the very least were familiar with them through other divisions.

Once Chadwick found her comfort level, she thrived – she scored five top-10 finishes in her final eight starts. Her average finish also jumped up from 13.5 to 10.38 during that span.

That’s why 2024 could be a break-out year for Chadwick.