2023 INDY NXT Runner Up Joins ECR in Support Role; Will Also Assist With Testing and Simulation Work
(INDIANAPOLIS) March 27, 2026 – ECR announced today the addition of Hunter McElrea as the team’s first official reserve driver. McElrea will travel with ECR to race events and, if the need arises, step into one of the team’s two full-time entries. He will also support the team’s on-track testing program, as well as complete simulation work on Chevrolet’s Driver-in-the-Loop (DiL) simulator.
“I am really excited to join ECR as a reserve driver. The team has great momentum and I’m looking forward to being part of it,” stated McElrea. “The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has always been my goal, so I’m thankful for the opportunity and ready to support ECR however I can!”
McElrea is a New Zealand racing driver born in Los Angeles and a third-generation driver. He moved to Australia before his second birthday and began karting at age 7. After progressing to single-seaters, he competed in Formula Ford championships across Australia and New Zealand from 2015–2018, highlighted by a dominant 2018 campaign in which he won 13 of 21 races to secure the Australian Formula Ford title. With his sights set on returning to the United States and competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, McElrea won what was then known as the Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 Scholarship Shootout, earning a seat in USF2000 in 2019.
McElrea methodically worked his way up the United States open-wheel ladder system, finishing runner-up in the 2019 USF2000 Championship and third place in the 2021 Indy Pro 2000 Championship (now known as USF Pro 2000). By 2022, he had reached INDY NXT, only one step below the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. In his first year in INDY NXT, 2022, he took Rookie of the Year honors; in 2023, he finished 2nd in the championship. He made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in the streets of Toronto in 2024. Recently, McElrea has excelled in sports car racing and is a two-time IMSA Endurance Champion and a two-time Petit Le Mans winner. Just last week, McElrea won the LMP2 class in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
McElrea has driven an ECR Chevrolet twice during tests in November 2024 and February 2026. Those performances, as well as his success in the ladder series, made him a natural choice for the team’s reserve driver.
ECR co-owner and CEO Ed Carpenter stated, “Securing a reserve driver has been something that we have discussed over the last year. With the competitiveness of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES now, you really need to be prepared for any scenario. Hunter has completed two tests for us over the last several years and had impressed the whole team. We are excited to have him with ECR and ready in the event we need a fill in.”
“Having a reserve driver in place is an important step in maintaining the level of performance required in this series,” said Tim Broyles, ECR Team President. “Hunter has done a great job when we have had him in the car for testing. He has a really strong feel for the car and is able to provide detailed feedback that helps move the entire team forward. While you never want to be in a position where you need to call on a reserve driver, we’re confident Hunter would step in and rise to the occasion.”
ECR returns to the track this afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park to begin practice for Round 4 of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season. The Childrens of Alabama Indy Grand Prix will be broadcast live on FOX at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 29