Bryce Aron is passionate about racing and physical fitness. As a second-year INDY NXT by Firestone driver, Aron likes to spend his time on and off track with people chasing him.
Chicago area native Aron enjoys staying active, with running being his favorite workout. It builds his endurance, which is essential in racing.
“That's something I picked up a lot in the past year,” he said. “I joined a running club and have been pushing myself in that way, which I find very fun. It’s challenging yourself mentally and physically, always a good thing, as well, to do outside of motorsports, but it makes you stronger. I love running, especially being from the Chicagoland area and near to kind of the lakefront. Being able to run along the lakefront is always very cool, especially like Montrose Harbor and around there.”
Aron's dedication to staying in top physical shape gives him an edge when it comes to handling the intense demands of a race car. Racing requires not just sharp reflexes and concentration but also immense physical stamina and strength, especially in the lower body and core, to manage G-forces and maintain control of the car for long stretches.
The ability to handle more advanced settings in his car because of his fitness is a big advantage. His HMD Motorsports team can push the car's performance limits, knowing he’s physically capable of managing the added demands.
“It allows us to add more caster into the car, stuff like that, more wing, you know, heavier front wing settings and stuff, especially different steering racks,” he said. “Because if you're never really getting tired in the car, you can keep that feeling in it, especially when we go to somewhere that's very physical, like Laguna Seca or Barber, wherever the front of the car is just super physical.
“But if you're able to deal with it, and you don't have to take change steering racks, change caster settings, you can keep the feeling in the car and just have that bit more kind of feeling and you won't get tired in the race. So, definitely something that could be advantageous, for sure.”
Aron competed for Andretti Global in 2024, when he finished ninth in points. His rookie season was a massive learning curve since this was his first time seeing these tracks. Everything was new, including the ovals. He learned enough lessons to bring with him to HMD this season in the No. 39 machine.
Aron ended 2024 with six top-eight finishes in the final seven races after scoring two in the first seven. He began 2025 by finishing 13th on March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg.
“I think initially in the season, I was being a young rookie with a lot to learn,” he said. “I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and really trying to force results. And, of course, I think that led to mistakes.
“Eventually, as the season got going, I have to thank everyone that was around me last year, including my engineer, Matt Sanderson, and everyone I worked with at Andretti Global. They helped me a lot get settled into the season, and once I took that pressure off myself and gave myself some grace and some ability to kind of learn and make some mistakes, eventually I was able to calm down a bit and really get the results together.”