Oliver Clark Askew (born December 12, 1996) is an American-Swedish

race car driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

who races under the American flag. He previously competed in the Formula E World Championship for Avalanche Andretti Formula E. He is the

2019 Indy Lights The 2019 Indy Lights season was the 34th season of the Indy Lights open wheel motor racing series and the 18th sanctioned by IndyCar, acting as the primary support series for the IndyCar Series. Oliver Askew won a tight championship race with Rin ...

champion.

Personal life

Oliver Askew was born in

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...

and raised in

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

. With his mother hailing from Sweden, Askew is bilingual in Swedish. Throughout his career, Askew frequently raced alongside friend and fellow Jupiter native

Kyle Kirkwood Kyle MacLean Kirkwood (born October 19, 1998) is an American auto racing driver. He is the currently set to drive the No. 27 for Andretti Autosport in the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series. He formerly drove the AJ Foyt Racing No. 14 entry during the 2022 ...

Racing career

Early career

Askew began karting at the age of 8 in Jupiter. In 2016, Askew was selected as a

Team USA Scholarship The Team USA Scholarship is a scholarship program which allows young American racecar drivers to compete outside of the United States. Each year, a competition is used to select the best young racecar drivers in the United States, then they are en ...

recipient. This enabled him to compete in the

Formula Ford Festival The Formula Ford Festival is an annual meeting of Ford-powered single-seat racing cars which is held at the end of the British racing season, at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in the county of Kent, in Southern England. The events are hel ...

and

Walter Hayes Trophy The Walter Hayes Trophy is a non-championship Formula Ford race. Sanctioned by the Historic Sports Car Club and created by James Beckett the race has grown into the most prestigious Formula Ford race worldwide. The race is held annually in Novembe ...

. In the Walter Hayes Trophy, Askew won his heat and finished second in the final. Later in 2016, he won the $200,000 2016 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout at

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and ...

to compete in the 2017

USF2000 The USF2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires is an American racing series using the American variation of the Formula Ford formula, "F2000", that resumed operation for the 2010 season. As of 2022, it is sanctioned by the United States Auto ...

championship.

USF2000

Askew won the 2017 USF2000 championship. The win earned him a $400,000 scholarship from

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

to race in the 2018

Pro Mazda The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the Road to Indy l ...

series, the middle step on the

Mazda Road to Indy , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

ladder system to

IndyCar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...

racing. In May 2017, Askew joined the Rising Star Racing program which attempts to aid young American open-wheel drivers advance in their careers.

Pro Mazda

In February 2018, Askew signed with Cape Motorsports to drive in the 2018 Pro Mazda series. Askew scored his first Pro Mazda victory in Race 1 at

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. He finished the 2018 season third in the Pro Mazda championship.

Indy Lights

In September 2018, Askew partook in the Chris Griffis Memorial Test with

Andretti Autosport Andretti Autosport is an auto racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000, and Formula E. The team also has a 37.5% ownership stake in the Australian Supercars Championship touring car team, Walkinshaw Andretti ...

. In February 2019, Andretti confirmed Askew would race with them in the forthcoming championship. Askew won the

championship, clinching at

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and ...

. In winning the championship, Askew has been awarded a scholarship which guarantees him an entry into a minimum of three races in the 2020 IndyCar Series, including the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

IndyCar

In July 2019, Askew joined the Portland test with

Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA WeatherTech ...

. On October 28, 2019,

Arrow McLaren SP The IndyCar Series operation of McLaren Racing competes under the banner of Arrow McLaren SP. This entry is based in Indianapolis and was founded by former driver Sam Schmidt as Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Fellow ex-driver Davey Hamilton joined ...

announced that Askew, alongside

Patricio O'Ward Patricio "Pato" O'Ward Junco (born 6 May 1999) is a Mexican professional auto racing driver who competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. He is the 2018 Indy Lights champion. Early life and care ...

, would race full-time for the team in 2020. A hard crash at the

2020 Indianapolis 500 The 2020 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for sponsorship reasons) was a 500-mile (800 km, 200 lap) automobile race held on Sunday, August 23, 2020, at the Indianapolis Motor ...

left Askew with concussion-like symptoms; after racing the next four events, Askew sought treatment and was withdrawn from the harvest Grand Prix rounds. He was later cleared to return for the season finale. On October 12, AMSP dropped Askew in advance of 2021 without giving a reason why. Askew returned to IndyCar with AMSP for the second race of the

Detroit Grand Prix The title of Detroit Grand Prix was applied to the Formula One races held at the Detroit street circuit in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America from 1982 through 1988. History In 1982, the U.S. became the first country to host three W ...

, standing in for the injured

Felix Rosenqvist Felix Rosenqvist (born 7 November 1991) is a Swedish professional racing driver who currently drives the No. 6 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP in the NTT IndyCar Series. He was named Rookie of the Year for the IndyCar Series in 2019. Racing car ...

after the latter crashed heavily during the first race. He raced with Ed Carpenter Racing at the following race at Road America in place of the injured

Rinus VeeKay Rinus van Kalmthout (born 11 September 2000), known professionally as Rinus VeeKay is a Dutch racing driver. He drives the No. 21 Dallara-Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing in the IndyCar Series. Career Karting van Kalmthout started karting in 2 ...

. In July 2021 Askew tested with

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an auto racing team that has participated in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IndyCar Series. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana and Hilliard, Ohio, it is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 ...

Barber Motorsports Park Barber Motorsports Park is an multi-purpose racing facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built by George W. Barber, and includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum. It has been the site of the IndyCar Series' Grand Prix of Alab ...

alongside Danish Formula 2 driver

Christian Lundgaard Christian Lundgaard (born 23 July 2001) is a Danish professional racing driver who is driving the No. 45 Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the IndyCar Series. He was the 2022 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year, and was a member of the A ...

. He later signed to drive the third Rahal entry for the final three races of the season. Askew's three race run with the team was mixed. He recorded a top ten finish and a RLL's only Fast Six qualifying slot on a road or street course at Laguna Seca but was caught up in accidents at Portland and Long Beach. He also caused significant damage to the #45 car in a crash in qualifying at Long Beach. Ultimately RLL chose Christian Lundgaard to drive the third RLL car full time in 2022, ending Askew's chances with the team.

Sports car career

In January 2021, Askew made his

sports car racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...

debut at the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...

driving for Riley Motorsports in the

LMP3 A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were creat ...

class. Askew would go on to win the race in that class.

Formula E

In November 2021, it was announced that Askew would reunite with

Andretti Andretti is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Mario Andretti (born 1940), Italian-born American father of the prominent Andretti racing family: ** Michael Andretti (born 1962), son of Mario *** Marco A ...

to partake in his rookie season of

Formula E Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The series was conceived in 2011 in Paris by FIA president Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, who is ...

the following year, partnering Jake Dennis. He managed to score his first points in Formula E on his debut, after finishing 9th at the

Diriyah ePrix The Diriyah ePrix is a race of the single-seater, electrically powered Formula E championship, held in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. It was first held as part of the 2018–19 season and was the first Formula E race to be held in the Middle East. Th ...

. Askew departed Andretti after just one season, his seat was taken by André Lotterer despite he was the rookie of the year. Askew left the series following the season after being unable to secure a seat. During the 2023 season, Askew would become a commentator for the Formula E broadcasting team, starting with the

Mexico City ePrix The Mexico City ePrix is an annual race of the single-seater, electrically powered Formula E championship, held in Mexico City, Mexico. It was first raced in the 2015–16 season. Circuit The ePrix is held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodr� ...

Racing record

Career summary

^* Season still in progress.

American open–wheel racing results

U.S. F2000 National Championship

Pro Mazda Championship

Indy Lights

IndyCar Series

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) * Season still in progress.

Indianapolis 500

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP3 Championship. ^* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula E results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Askew, Oliver 1996 births American racing drivers American people of Swedish descent Formula Ford drivers Living people Racing drivers from Florida U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers Indy Pro 2000 Championship drivers Indy Lights champions Indy Lights drivers IndyCar Series drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers 24 Hours of Daytona drivers Andretti Autosport drivers Arrow McLaren SP drivers Ed Carpenter Racing drivers Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers Formula E drivers Formula Masters China drivers