James Roe Bio
James Roe Jr. (born 11 October 1998) is an Irish racing driver who competes in American open-wheel and sports car racing. He is best known for his work in the Indy NXT series, where he drives the No. 29 Honda for Andretti Autosport, and for his appearances in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Pratt Miller Motorsports. Roe is a member of the Road to Indy ladder system and has steadily built a reputation as a consistent, oval-savvy competitor.
Born in Naas, County Kildare, Roe began racing later than most of his peers and funded his early career through family support. After moving to the United States in 2018, he progressed through junior formulae and currently splits his season between Indy NXT and Michelin Endurance Cup events.
Early Life and Background
James Roe Jr. was born on 11 October 1998 in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. He grew up in a family with a clear connection to motorsport, as his uncle, Michael Roe, is a former racing driver. That family link helped spark an early interest in the sport, although Roe did not begin racing until he was fifteen, several years later than most young drivers.
To help him get started, Roe and his family pooled their savings and bought a Ginetta G20. The car allowed him to enter the 2014 Ginetta Junior Ireland series, giving him his first taste of competitive racing on home soil. The experience confirmed his desire to pursue a professional career behind the wheel.
Path to NASCAR
This page does not document a Path to NASCAR section. James Roe Jr. is an open-wheel and sports car competitor rather than a stock car racing driver, and the verified sources do not describe any NASCAR involvement. The path described below covers his progression through road racing and the Road to Indy ladder instead.
Roe continued in the 2015 Ginetta Junior Ireland series, where he reached the podium ten times and won five races on his way to a second-place finish in the standings. Those results caught the attention of teams further along the European and American junior ladder, and in 2018 he relocated to the United States to chase a professional career.
James Roe Career
Early Career (2014-2018)
Roe’s earliest competitive seasons came in the Ginetta Junior Ireland championship. In his 2014 debut he learned the basics of car setup and race craft, and a year later he returned stronger, scoring five victories and ten podium finishes to end 2015 as runner-up in the series.
Those results gave him the confidence to look abroad. In 2018, Roe moved from Ireland to the United States to pursue a professional motorsport career, and he has been based there ever since.
Indy Pro 2000 Breakthrough (2021)
On 22 February 2021, it was announced that Roe would join Turn 3 Motorsport for the 2021 Indy Pro 2000 Championship. The season served as his introduction to the Road to Indy ladder and quickly produced one of his most memorable results.
At the final race of the year at Mid-Ohio, Roe claimed his first series victory, beating Enaam Ahmed and 2021 Indy Pro 2000 champion Christian Rasmussen. The win established him as a rising talent within Andretti Autosport’s developmental structure and opened the door to a step up the ladder.
Indy Lights and Indy NXT Breakthrough (2022-2024)
For 2022, Roe moved to TJ Speed Motorsports to race in the Indy Lights series. He recorded three top-ten finishes across nine races before contesting two additional rounds with HMD. Because he missed the final three events of the year, he ended the campaign twelfth in the standings.
On 4 January 2023, Andretti Autosport confirmed that Roe would drive for the team full time in the 2023 Indy NXT season after a strong test at Barber Motorsports Park. At the Indianapolis Road Course he scored his first Indy NXT podium with a runner-up finish, and he closed the year seventh in the championship, ahead of Jamie Chadwick but behind teammates Hunter McElrea and Louis Foster.
Roe stayed with Andretti for 2024 and was again paired with Chadwick and Foster. A patchy first half, including three retirements, was offset by a podium at Barber and a maiden NXT pole at Iowa, where he set the series’ lap record. He led the bulk of that Iowa race before being passed late by teammate Foster and settling for second.
Andretti Autosport Era (2025-Present)
Roe continued with Andretti Autosport for the 2025 Indy NXT season. The campaign was a difficult one: he ended the year twelfth in the standings and was unable to finish higher than seventh at Iowa, the same oval where he had starred twelve months earlier.
During 2025, Roe also expanded into endurance sports car racing, contesting the four Michelin Endurance Cup rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Pratt Miller Motorsports. Sharing the car with Pietro Fittipaldi and gentleman driver Chris Cumming, his best result was seventh at Petit Le Mans. At season’s end he added a programme with TF Sport in the 2025-26 Asian Le Mans Series, sharing a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R with Matt Bell and Blake McDonald.
Driving Style and Strengths
Roe has shown a particular feel for ovals, highlighted by his pole and near-win at Iowa Speedway in 2024. He pairs that oval pace with steady road-course work, and his smooth, fuel-saving style has made him a reliable teammate inside the multi-car Andretti stable.
Notable Races and Milestones
Key moments include his breakthrough Indy Pro 2000 victory at Mid-Ohio in 2021, his first Indy NXT podium at the Indianapolis Road Course in 2023, and his record-setting pole at Iowa in 2024. His seventh-place finish at the 2025 Petit Le Mans also marked a successful first outing in IMSA’s premier endurance event.
James Roe Career Wins
Across his junior and professional career, Roe has scored victories in the Ginetta Junior Ireland series, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship, and he has added podium finishes in Indy NXT. His win list reflects a steady climb through each rung of the open-wheel ladder.
Indy Pro 2000 and Indy NXT Highlights
Roe’s first North American victory came in the 2021 Indy Pro 2000 Championship finale at Mid-Ohio, where he beat Enaam Ahmed and series champion Christian Rasmussen. He has not yet won an Indy NXT race, but he has recorded multiple podiums, including a second-place finish at Indianapolis in 2023 and a third-place run at Barber in 2024.
Other Wins and Performances
In 2015, Roe won five Ginetta Junior Ireland races on his way to the championship runner-up spot. His 2025 IMSA campaign with Pratt Miller Motorsports produced a season-best seventh at Petit Le Mans, signaling his growing comfort in prototype and GT machinery.
James Roe Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Roe comes from a motorsport family based in County Kildare. His uncle, Michael Roe, is a former racing driver whose career helped inspire James to pursue the sport. That family connection, combined with shared financial sacrifices to buy his first Ginetta G20, has been a constant thread through his journey.
Personal Life
Roe relocated from Ireland to the United States in 2018 and has lived there ever since, balancing his Indy NXT commitments with sports car racing on the side. He keeps in touch with fans through his social media channels under the handle jamesroe_ie.
2025 Season Performance
Roe’s 2025 Indy NXT season was a challenging one with Andretti Autosport. Despite flashes of pace, including a best result of seventh at Iowa, he finished the year twelfth in the championship and was unable to add to his Indy NXT podium tally.
Outside of Indy NXT, Roe balanced a part-time IMSA SportsCar Championship effort with Pratt Miller Motorsports, contesting the four Michelin Endurance Cup rounds. A season-best seventh at Petit Le Mans with Pietro Fittipaldi and Chris Cumming showed promise for future endurance opportunities.
Looking forward, Roe has been confirmed with TF Sport for the 2025-26 Asian Le Mans Series in a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, joining Matt Bell and Blake McDonald for the winter campaign and adding a new chapter to his sports car racing resume.