Former Indy Lights Champion Alex Lloyd has been handed a drive with the illustrious Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing outfit in the team's #06 car for the 2009 IndyCar Series finale, the Firestone Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on 10 October.

The race will mark only Lloyd's second outing this season after having competed in the iconic Indianapolis 500 earlier in the year, qualifying eleventh and finishing 13th in the historic event for Sam Schmidt Motorsports in partnership with Ganassi, a result that bodes well for his Homestead hopes. The 24-year-old holds the distinction of being the only driver to triumph on both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course – in Indy Lights in 2006 – and also its famed oval, in the same series the following year.

The British star won eight races from 15 starts en route to the 2007 Indy Lights crown, including victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway after starting second. He also set five pole positions, finished in the top five on 13 occasions and led a total of 399 laps during his title-winning campaign.

Lloyd has made two IndyCar starts before, both at Indianapolis in 2008 and 2009.