Leonardo Escorpioni to move into INDY NXT with HMD Motorsports in 2027

HMD Motorsports published an announcement on 2026-10-27 saying Leonardo Escorpioni will step up to INDY NXT by Firestone in 2027 and that he will continue working with the team through INDY NXT’s official preseason testing program (HMD Motorsports announcement, 2026-10-27).

INDYCAR’s report says Escorpioni earned the move after finishing runner-up in the 2026 USF Pro 2000 championship in his first season at that level and notes he took part in the Driver Evaluation Test and the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he finished seventh among 22 drivers on 2026-10-16 (INDYCAR). HMD’s announcement describes Escorpioni as a 16-year-old Brazilian-American, says he served as the team’s official Junior Driver during 2026, and cites his earlier results including the 2025 USF Juniors title and a 2024 YACademy Winter Series race victory at Sebring; HMD quoted Escorpioni as saying he was “thrilled” and that getting into the car at the Driver Evaluation Test was a “dream come true.” (HMD Motorsports statement.)

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