HMD Seeks New Driver for No. 24 after Floersch's Exit
INDYCAR
HMD Motorsports and driver Sophia Floersch have mutually agreed to part company for the rest of the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season, team officials announced March 27.
Floersch, from Germany, qualified 17th and finished 12th in her debut in the INDYCAR development series March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, in the No. 24 HMD Motorsports entry.
'As we move into 2025, HMD Motorsports and Sophia Floersch have mutually agreed to part ways for the remainder of the INDY NXT by Firestone season,' a team statement said. 'HMD Motorsports wishes Sophia the best of luck in her future endeavors. The team is now actively considering driver options for the No. 24 car for the remaining 13 races and upcoming test days.'
Floersch, 24, came to North America this season after competing globally in various series. She is first woman to score points in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. Alongside her single-seater pursuits, she has also raced in the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class, earning two podium finishes. She was quickest in the 2021 WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain, after finishing 2020 in the ninth position in the all-female team of Richard Mille Racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is the Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park.
recommended
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
9 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb's long journey back after a gruesome knee injury is almost over
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cole Holcomb listened patiently and politely shook his head. No, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker isn't interested in reliving the gruesome knee injury that forced him to miss a season-and-a-half. Living through it once was punishment enough. Holcomb was chasing after wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a Thursday night game in November 2023 when a diving teammate slammed into Holcomb's left leg, shredding multiple ligaments in his knee. How bad was it? The Amazon Prime crew broadcasting the game showed it in slow motion once and decided that was enough. The road back took longer than Holcomb, an admittedly impatient person, ever imagined. He was cleared to return to practice near the end of last season, but never did pull his No. 55 jersey over his increasingly broad shoulders when it counted. The Fear of Missing Out wasn't helped when he watched the middle of Pittsburgh's defense get gashed repeatedly during a five-game skid that culminated in a blowout loss to Baltimore in the opening round of the playoffs. 'Definitely had some days where, you know, you just want to be out there and it's frustrating,' Holcomb said Tuesday, his forehead beaded with sweat after the fourth of the Steelers' six voluntary organized team activities. 'But you know, it's kind of just one of those take each day, one day at a time and just keep chopping.' While Holcomb's inherent confidence led him to believe he was always going to make it back, he knows nothing was guaranteed. The doctors told him there was a chance he'd never play again. It wasn't merely a scare tactic. 'They basically were emphasizing how important the rehab was going to be,' he said. 'You know, if guys don't take it as serious and they don't put the work in, they won't be able to make it back. But if you put the work in, you do the extra stuff, you come every day, no matter how bad you don't want to, all that kind of stuff, you can come back.' Fitting in During his lengthy absence, the Steelers signed Patrick Queen to the richest free agent contract in team history and drafted Payton Wilson, who Holcomb once hosted when Holcomb was at North Carolina and Wilson was a coveted recruit. While Holcomb looks 'more chiseled' as Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick put it, that's not the only way in which he has changed. Watching from the sidelines during games let him take a step back and analyze things in real time that are kind of hard to come by when you're on the field five yards from the line of scrimmage. 'I'm 30 yards back watching the thing and I'm, like 'Oh, I know this, I know this is about to happen,'' he said. 'But it's like, hey, it's easy to see that from back here. But it has definitely helped seeing the forest or the trees kind of thing.' So much so that the 28-year-old could envision going into coaching one day, which his wife, Casey, is 'not too happy about." There were times last season when Holcomb certainly sounded like one. 'He's very vocal, he tries to help everyone out,' Wilson said. 'He knows a lot about the game. He studies a lot. It's cool to be around that guy to see how he watches film and diagnoses stuff.' Yet whatever coaching Holcomb might get into is for down the road. For now, he is focused on trying to get back to being the player who looked every bit worth the $18 million investment the Steelers made in him when they signed him in March 2023. What's next He's less than thrilled that it took this long. Yet if he's learned anything over the last year-plus, it's that he can't take anything for granted. 'The day (during rehab) you think like, 'OK, I hit this milestone,' well, 24 hours later, that's over, got to get moving on to the next step," he said. 'I wasn't really like, focusing on like 'How many months is it until I can run' or anything like that. You're like, 'What do I got tomorrow?'' What Holcomb has now is a clean bill of health. Seven weeks from now, he'll be in training camp, where he'll be able to hit somebody hard for the first time in nearly two years. He's already practicing. During a drill last week, Holcomb would hit the blocking sled, then turn his attention to Wilson, who was holding a pad. The goal was for Holcomb to drive his shoulder into the pad. He did that, and in the process momentarily lifted the 240-pound Wilson off the ground a time or two before gently placing him back down. Maybe it was Holcomb sending a message to someone who took his place in the starting lineup. Or maybe Holcomb was just settling accounts. Wilson, after all, opted for N.C. State rather than the Tar Heels, though Wilson insisted it had nothing to do with his weekend spent with Holcomb on the North Carolina campus. 'No, not at all,' Wilson said, then added to laughter, 'It was more so like the 5,000 people that go to games there and that's it.' ___
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb's long journey back after a gruesome knee injury is almost over
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cole Holcomb listened patiently and politely shook his head. No, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker isn't interested in reliving the gruesome knee injury that forced him to miss a season-and-a-half. Living through it once was punishment enough. Advertisement Holcomb was chasing after wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a Thursday night game in November 2023 when a diving teammate slammed into Holcomb's left leg, shredding multiple ligaments in his knee. How bad was it? The Amazon Prime crew broadcasting the game showed it in slow motion once and decided that was enough. The road back took longer than Holcomb, an admittedly impatient person, ever imagined. He was cleared to return to practice near the end of last season, but never did pull his No. 55 jersey over his increasingly broad shoulders when it counted. The Fear of Missing Out wasn't helped when he watched the middle of Pittsburgh's defense get gashed repeatedly during a five-game skid that culminated in a blowout loss to Baltimore in the opening round of the playoffs. 'Definitely had some days where, you know, you just want to be out there and it's frustrating,' Holcomb said Tuesday, his forehead beaded with sweat after the fourth of the Steelers' six voluntary organized team activities. 'But you know, it's kind of just one of those take each day, one day at a time and just keep chopping.' While Holcomb's inherent confidence led him to believe he was always going to make it back, he knows nothing was guaranteed. The doctors told him there was a chance he'd never play again. It wasn't merely a scare tactic. Advertisement 'They basically were emphasizing how important the rehab was going to be,' he said. 'You know, if guys don't take it as serious and they don't put the work in, they won't be able to make it back. But if you put the work in, you do the extra stuff, you come every day, no matter how bad you don't want to, all that kind of stuff, you can come back.' The group Holcomb returns to is not the one he left. Fitting in During his lengthy absence, the Steelers signed Patrick Queen to the richest free agent contract in team history and drafted Payton Wilson, who Holcomb once hosted when Holcomb was at North Carolina and Wilson was a coveted recruit. Advertisement While Holcomb looks 'more chiseled' as Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick put it, that's not the only way in which he has changed. Watching from the sidelines during games let him take a step back and analyze things in real time that are kind of hard to come by when you're on the field five yards from the line of scrimmage. 'I'm 30 yards back watching the thing and I'm, like 'Oh, I know this, I know this is about to happen,'' he said. 'But it's like, hey, it's easy to see that from back here. But it has definitely helped seeing the forest or the trees kind of thing.' So much so that the 28-year-old could envision going into coaching one day, which his wife, Casey, is 'not too happy about." There were times last season when Holcomb certainly sounded like one. 'He's very vocal, he tries to help everyone out,' Wilson said. 'He knows a lot about the game. He studies a lot. It's cool to be around that guy to see how he watches film and diagnoses stuff.' Advertisement Yet whatever coaching Holcomb might get into is for down the road. For now, he is focused on trying to get back to being the player who looked every bit worth the $18 million investment the Steelers made in him when they signed him in March 2023. What's next He's less than thrilled that it took this long. Yet if he's learned anything over the last year-plus, it's that he can't take anything for granted. 'The day (during rehab) you think like, 'OK, I hit this milestone,' well, 24 hours later, that's over, got to get moving on to the next step," he said. 'I wasn't really like, focusing on like 'How many months is it until I can run' or anything like that. You're like, 'What do I got tomorrow?'' Advertisement What Holcomb has now is a clean bill of health. Seven weeks from now, he'll be in training camp, where he'll be able to hit somebody hard for the first time in nearly two years. He's already practicing. During a drill last week, Holcomb would hit the blocking sled, then turn his attention to Wilson, who was holding a pad. The goal was for Holcomb to drive his shoulder into the pad. He did that, and in the process momentarily lifted the 240-pound Wilson off the ground a time or two before gently placing him back down. Maybe it was Holcomb sending a message to someone who took his place in the starting lineup. Or maybe Holcomb was just settling accounts. Wilson, after all, opted for N.C. State rather than the Tar Heels, though Wilson insisted it had nothing to do with his weekend spent with Holcomb on the North Carolina campus. 'No, not at all,' Wilson said, then added to laughter, 'It was more so like the 5,000 people that go to games there and that's it.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
George Pickens has yet to play his first game with the Dallas Cowboys but it appears the newest face at The Star already made a jersey change.
George Pickens has yet to play his first game with the Dallas Cowboys but it appears the newest face at The Star already made a jersey change. originally appeared on Athlon Sports. FRISCO — The Dallas Cowboys are building the anticipation to see their next star-studded receiving duo take the field together. They found No. 1 (or 1A) CeeDee Lamb another running mate, acquiring George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers last month. Advertisement While the team is still working back to football activities from the offseason, there is a clear fit for the two and quarterback Dak Prescott on paper. Lamb operates best out of the slot with his elusive speed and route-running ability. Meanwhile, Pickens touts an apparent one-on-one playmaking prowess that can stretch the field in a significant way. It's a matter now of making everything click through these summer months, but the Cowboys could boast one of the best tandems in the league next season. And with that excitement of how they will look, Pickens has added a little more intrigue this week with a sudden change. Originally choosing and using the No. 13 thus far, it appears he has made a change. The Cowboys shared the image above in a post to X this morning captioned "PICK3NS." There has been no further announcement with regard to a number swap though fans can find Pickens' new jersey on the NFL Shop website. Advertisement Regardless, the last name stitched above the new digit seems to make this shift clear. Coincidentally, this is the second time a Cowboy has switched over from the No. 13 this offseason after DeMarvion Overshown ditched that number for the No. 0 he has coveted since his rookie season. Pickens has not worn the No. 3 to this point, having worn No. 1 at Georgia and No. 14 during his three years with the Steelers. Perhaps some clarity will follow on this sudden change Whichever number he decides to wear, fans will want to see Pickens creating plenty of separation from defenders in the open field where he will be impossible not to recognize. Advertisement Related: What's On Cowboys' Dak's 'X-Factor' Shoulders In Changing Narratives? Related: Cowboys Legend Watches Practice With Three-Word Mantra This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
