Photo: Penske Entertainment / Chris Jones

Seb Murray led an Andretti Global lockout of the top three places in Indy Nxt post-season testing on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course.

The two-and-a-half hour morning session was red flagged four times for a accumulated period of over half an hour, including an interruption that ended it early, and for many drivers their fastest laps came towards the end of their running.

Andretti’s Max Taylor was quickest, setting a 1m15.0926s to lead team-mate Josh Pierson by 0.3104 seconds. A further 0.3108s back was Cape Motorsports’ Nikita Johnson, then the same gap covered third to 10th.

In fourth place was Formula 2 star Victor Martins, who was driving for HMD Motorsports, and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Bryce Aron and Murray were also within 0.8s of the pace.

HMD had a line-up of European racing converts, giving running to Formula Regional Europe midfielder Jack Beeton, Euroformula champion Tymek Kucharczyk and ex-F2 racer Enzo Fittipaldi alongside Martins.

All 24 drivers improved in the three-hour afternoon session, which had three red flag periods totalling 16 minutes. The flags were called out due to cars getting stranded on track, either caused by technical trouble or spins, but none during the day were instigated by crashes.

Drivers’ best laptimes once again came very late on in their lap count, and the top two of Murray and Taylor both set their personal bests two laps from the end of the day’s run plan. A 1m14.5035s but Murray ahead by 0.1331s, with Pierson just 0.0308s behind Taylor in third.

Johnson was fourth, 0.3814s off the pace and in the pits at the end as he had actually completed his qualifying simulations halfway through his afternoon on track.

Returning team AJ Foyt Racing’s first day back in the Indy Nxt paddock concluded with Alessandro de Tullio going fifth fastest, ahead of Andretti Global’s Lochie Hughes.

Kucharczyk was the top American racing newcomer in eighth, with Martins down in 12th and the last driver within a second of Murray.

Test results

The post Murray leads Andretti Global 1-2-3 in Indy Nxt’s post-season IMS test appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Ivan Machado Perez

Ivan Machado Perez was fastest for the rebranded Olivia Racing team in USF Juniors’ post-season test last weekend on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course.

Previously known as International Motorsport, the Miami-based team changed name at the start of this month and announced Machado Perez will be part of its 2026 driver line-up after he topped the test.

The 23-year-old Spaniard leads the Formula 4-spec Skip Barber Formula Race Series with one round to go, having won nine races so far. He topped four of USF Juniors’ six test sessions at IMS, each lasting 35 minutes.

Also joining the championship is Berg Racing, the team founded and run by ex-Formula 1 driver and Mexican Formula 2 champion Allen Berg. Its sporting director and first confirmed driver is Berg’s teenaged son Alex, who won the Team Canada Scholarship and came seventh in United States F4 in 2023, was 14th in British F4 last year and 16th in GB4 in 2025.

DEForce Racing has made a 2026 driver signing too, retaining Vilho Aatola for a second season. The 16-year-old Finn came seventh this year with two podiums.

Testing started last Saturday with Exclusive Autosport’s Brenden Cooley setting a 1m30.8132s to lead Zanella Racing’s Max Mokarem by 0.4127 seconds. Only two others were within a second of him, and two drivers were disqualified for having underweight cars.

Machado Perez lowered the pace to 1m29.8826s in session two, 0.1354s faster than Cooley, as all but two of the 17 drivers on track improved. Zanella’s Leonardo Serravalle was disqualified from the results for being underweight again.

That violation was committed with four cars in session three, and those who did set laptimes that counted improved their pace. A 1m29.1521s put Machado Perez way clear of the rest, lapping 0.4151s faster than Cooley, whose team-mate Justin Di Lucia was a further 0.0505s behind. Mokarem was the only other driver within a second of the pace.

On Sunday, Cooley got within 0.1316s of the time to beat with his last lap of session four, which he topped by 0.025s over non-improver Machado Perez. Serravalle also failed to improve, while Jay Howard Driver Development swapped out Kekai Hauanio and Josh Main and brought in Indy Anderson.

Machado Perez was back on top in session five, setting a 1m29.3029s. Cooley was second, 0.1148s off and 0.0406s ahead of Di Lucia who was fastest of the eight improvers.

Testing concluded with another Machado Perez-led session and just 13 drivers on track. Only two drivers set personal bests, and there were big gaps. Machado Perez set a 1m29.2367s to be fastest by 0.4283s over Cooley, and Olivia’s Karol Pasiewicz was 0.7053s off in third.

Test results

The post Machado Perez joins Olivia Racing in USF Juniors after setting test pace appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Exclusive Autosport’s Evan Cooley and Anthony Martella were the drivers to beat around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course in USF2000 post-season testing.

There pair were one-two in the first five of the 35-minute sessions that took place last weekend, then in the last session Martella was second to DEForce Racing’s Sebastian Garzon.

“I think I’m ready to go for a championship in 2026,” said Cooley. “This weekend showed what we’ve been working on. We were top in five out of the six sessions and just pulled in early in the last one. So overall, it was a really good weekend. I will be one of the favorites for next year and I’m excited to get back on track next time.”

Cooley started off on Saturday with a 1m24.9411s benchmark, which Martella was 0.1924 seconds off. Zanella Racing’s Leonardo Escorpioni was best of the rest, 0.462s off the pace and 0.0292s ahead of Garzon.

In session two, the top two made small improvements as Cooley lowered the pace to 1m24.8554s and grew his gap at the top to 0.1972s. Garzon rose to third, 0.3734s back, with only two drivers not setting personal bests while Jay Howard Driver Development’s Harley Keeble dropped out.

His team-mate Liam Liacono and Escorpioni joined him on the absentee list for session three, as 18 of the 21 drivers on track improved. Cooley’s best effort, a 1m24.6455s, kept him on top by 0.1583s and Garzon reduced his pace deficit to 0.3334s.

Garzon cut it further to 0.224s in session four the next morning, as the top two failed to improve. Velocity Racing Development’s Jensen Burnett completed a top four all lapping in the 1m24s, as a second covered the top 16.

The 25-car field was completed by Kekai Hauanio, replacing Keeble at JHDD, and he was among the 14 drivers setting personal bests.

Cooley went slower again in session five, a late lap putting him on top by just 0.0196s. Garzon made a 0.004s gain, only of only three drivers to get quicker and leaving him 0.063s off being the afternoon’s fastest driver, and VRD’s Joao Vergara trailed by 0.3903s in fourth.

Testing ended with 21 cars on track, and a 1m25.0395s was enough to put Garzon on top. He had a gap of 0.1209s to Pabst Racing’s Eddie Beswick in third, and 0.122s to JHDD’s Caleb Gafrarar who was one of two improvers.

Test results

The post Evan Cooley talks up 2026 USF2000 title ambitions after topping testing appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Andres Cardenas was quickest for Jay Howard Driver Development in USF Pro 2000 post-season testing on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course last weekend.

There were three 35-minute sessions on Saturday and three on Sunday, and Exclusive Autosport’s USF2000 champion Jack Jeffers was fastest in the first. He set a 1m21.4442s on his penultimate to lead Pabst Racing’s even later improver G3 Argyros by 0.0272 seconds.

His team-mate Ivan Domingues was third, 0.1016s off, with Mac Clark (Exclusive) and Jacob Douglas (Pabst) also within 0.2s of the pace as a second covered the top 14.

Velocity Racing Development’s Frankie Mossman lowered the pace to 1m21.3462s in session two, leading Jeffers by 0.1168s, Cardenas by 0.1383s and Clark by 0.1519s. This time the top 17 was split by a second, and at JHDD there was a change as JT Hoskins sat out the session and Joao Balesteiro drove.

Day one ended with more improvements, as Eurocup-3 podium-finisher Cardenas moved to the top with a 1m21.1331s. His final lap put him 0.0334s and 0.0422s ahead of Argyros and Douglas, and Turn 3 Motorsport’s Michael Costello trailed by 0.1271s in fourth. Hoskins and Balesteiro swapped again.

The fastest laps of testing came on Sunday morning, with 13 of the 22 drivers present setting their personal bests in session four.

Cardenas posted a 1m20.7744s that would not be be beaten, with a 0.1322s gap at the top to Clark. Mossman was 0.1904s back in third, and Argyros pipped Costello to fourth by 0.0284s. There was only 0.0918s between eighth and 13th place, and at the top of that was group was Euroformula champion Tymek Kucharczyk who had replaced Tyke Durst in one of Turn 3’s cars. A second covered the top 15.

A 1m21.2463s was enough to put Jeffers in first place during session five, and eighth overall in the test, but it took a long time to beat the 1m21.3085s benchmark that Clark had set on just his third lap.

Comet/NCMP Racing’s Logan Adams, Cardenas and Mossman were within 0.2s of Jeffers, and JHDD was running all three of its drivers with Balesteiro the only driver more than a second off the pace.

Three drivers were able to find more pace in the final session, and the quickest of those was Domingues who went fourth fastest and ninth overall. Cardenas set another session-topping time, a 1m21.1009s, edging Douglas by 0.0748s. Argyros was third, 0.1942s off Cardenas and 0.0035s ahead of Domingues.

Test results

The post Cardenas quickest in USF Pro 2000 post-season testing at Indianpolis appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: James Black

Lochie Hughes will remain in Andretti Global’s Indy Nxt line-up in 2026, and will also be a reserve driver for the team in IndyCar.

The 23-year-old Australian came third in Indy Nxt this year as a rookie, taking two victories, six other podiums and two poles.

He stepped up to IndyCar’s primary feeder series after plenty of success lower down the USA’s single-seater ladder, having won the 2022 United States Formula 4 title, come third in USF2000 in 2023 and been USF Pro 2000 champion last year.

“I’m really excited to be returning to Andretti Global for the 2026 Indy Nxt season,” said Hughes.

“It was a dream to drive for this team this past season, and I’m proud that we finished third in the championship. I’m looking forward to building on that success next year with a team I know well now.”

Preparations for his IndyCar reserve role will begin with a test on October 13 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he will get his first mileage in a top-tier single-seater on the famous circuit’s road course.

“I am also beyond excited to be doing my first IndyCar test. It’s something I’ve looked forward to for a long time and doing it in Indy makes it even more special. It will be a great experience to work closely with the team as an IndyCar reserve driver in 2026.”

Andretti’s team principal Rob Edwards said: “Coming off a successful rookie year with two wins and six podium finishes, the goal for 2026 is very clear: We expect Lochie to challenge for the Indy Nxt championship. Both Christian Rasmussen and Louis Foster have shown the growth and maturity that a second season in Indy Nxt brings, and I am confident we will see more of the same with Lochie.”

Several of Hughes’ Indy Nxt rivals made their IndyCar test debuts on October 1 at Mid-Ohio, including champion Dennis Hauger who will be racing at the top level with Dale Coyne Racing next year.

Also on track was 2025 runner-up Caio Collet, who tested with AJ Foyt Racing and is targeting a race seat with the team, and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Niels Koolen. He came eighth in this year’s standings.

In next week’s test at IMS, Hauger, Collet, Hughes and James Roe Jr will be driving. Roe, 26, has been racing in Indy Nxt since 2022 and for Andretti Global for the last three seasons. After coming sixth in 2024 with two podiums and a pole, Roe dropped to 12th in the standings this season with a best finish of seventh place.

His IndyCar test debut will come with Juncos Hollinger Racing. Its team principal Dave O’Neill said Roe “has shown strong progression through the junior ranks, and his recent experience in both Indy Indy Nxt and LMP2 makes this a natural next step”. He added that “the test will give us a chance to evaluate his potential in the IndyCar environment”.

The post Andretti keeps Lochie Hughes in Indy Nxt seat, adds IndyCar reserve role appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Nicolas Ambiado reclaimed the Formula Regional Americas points lead in round three on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course.

Atlantic Racing Team’s Daniel Quimby and Toney Driver Development’s Lincoln Day were absent, but series veteran Hayden Bowlsbey returned with Crosslink Competition and Le Mans 24 Hours class winner and USF Pro 2000 podium finisher Bijoy Garg took over Day’s car to complete a 14-car grid.

Rain on Friday led to practice being cancelled, but qualifying did take place and Toney’s Brady Golan took pole by 0.183 seconds over Jett Bowling. His Kiwi Motorsport team-mate Nicolas Ambiado was a further 0.043s behind, and Crosslink’s pre-event points leader Titus Sherlock was fourth. Garg was seventh, 1.018s off pole, on his first single-seater return.

Bad weather also inflicted Saturday, and race one was postponed to Sunday. As a result, race three got moved to this week’s Mid-Ohio round.

Race one was dry, and the top three went side-by-side straight away. Bowling seized the lead into turn one on the outside, and Kiwi’s Bruno Ribeiro took third from Ambiado at turn three.

At the end of the back straight, Golan and Ribeiro had huge lock-ups, with Golan going off and falling down the field.

Sherlock concluded lap one in second, but retired on lap two. Ambiado inherited second, and was two seconds behind Bowling by lap three, while Golan was 10th. The gap decreased, then a caution period began on lap five due to Crosslink’s Barrett Wolfe getting beached.

Racing resumed on lap eight, and Ambiado attempted a switchback move on Bowling at turn two. That was the only pressure Bowling would come under, but he did not pull away until the final laps as he took his maiden win.

Ambiado locked up at turn seven on lap 17 of 20, Ribeiro and Stati slipstreamed past him as lap 18 began, and he dropped back by 10s before the finish.

Crosslink’s Alex Benavitz held fifth at the restart, and was passed by Atlantic’s Connor Roberts on lap 10. He regained the position when Roberts ended his race in the pits with three laps to go.

There was a race-long battle behind, which Bowlsbey came out on top of after he and Atlantic’s Lawley passed Garg on the last lap. Golan had recovered to seventh by lap 12, but fell back down the order a few laps later then came to a halt on the last lap.

Ambiado set the fastest lap so got race two pole ahead of Ribeiro, Bowling, Stati and Garg. Bowling took the lead at the opening corner, and almost hit Ambiado when he locked up on the run to turn one a lap later.

On lap five, Ambiado went around the outside of Bowling at turn one then gradually pulled away to win.

Sherlock, with a tyre life advantage due to his earlier retirement, passed Stati for fourth on lap 18 while Garg held off Golan for sixth until a turn seven lock-up on lap 20 of 22.

Results round-up
Race 1 (20 laps)
1 Jett Bowling Kiwi Motorsport 31m04.831s
2 Bruno Ribeiro Kiwi Motorsport +3.066s
3 Nicolas Stati Kiwi Motorsport +4.067s
4 Nicolas Ambiado Kiwi Motorsport +13.287s
5 Alex Benavitz Crosslink Competition +15.581s
6 Hayden Bowlsbey Crosslink Competition +22.437s
7 James Lawley Atlantic Racing Team +22.856s
8 Bijoy Garg Toney Driver Development +24.535s
9 Brady Golan Toney Driver Development +1 lap
10 Connor Roberts Atlantic w/ Team Roberts +3 laps
Pole: Golan, 1m22.227s
Fastest lap: Ambiado, 1m22.611s

Race 2 (22 laps)
1 Ambiado 30m46.876s
2 Bowling +1.572s
3 Ribeiro +2.088s
4 Titus Sherlock Crosslink Competition +6.836s
5 Stati +9.926s
6 Golan +12.800s
7 Garg +15.152s
8 Roberts +24.654s
9 Benavitz +34.504s
10 Lawley +36.014s
FL: Ambiado, 1m22.958s

Chamionship standings
1 Ambiado 105   2 Sherlock 99   3 Ribeiro 98   4 Bowling 91   5 Golan 72   6 Stati 62   7 Daniel Quimby 40   8 Benavitz 29   9 Roberts 28.5   10 Lawley 23.5

The post Ambiado reclaims FRegional Americas lead on Indianapolis road course appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Penske Entertainment

Dennis Hauger’s domination of the Indy Nxt season came to an end on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, although he still left the track with a win.

In both races of the double-header Hauger qualified second, and said he had a “bit of a weird qualifying” in which he “didn’t quite nail everything from my end, and the balance side” which contributed to a “tough day”.

Rather than his start position, it was turn one where Hauger’s fate in each race was settled. In the first he went off there on lap one to avoid a clash and by taking an escape road dropped to 19th. Over 35 laps, he was able to recover to eighth place.

The next day he navigated the first corner of race two safely, and on lap six passed Andretti Global team-mate Lochie Hughes for the lead by hanging on around the outside at turn one to then have the inside line for turn two.

“It’s a good bounceback from yesterday. It shows we’re not going to be put down so easily. So I’m really happy we made those [corrective] steps as a team,” said Hauger.

He went into more detail, saying his car’s balance “was not ideal” in race one, that he and Andretti “did a good job” with predicting how to adjust their set-up for the far hotter conditions anticipated in race two, and knowing to “just brake a bit later for turn one as well instead of being caught up in something in that first lap”.

That same detail was key to his race-winning move: “Stayed in the slipstream, until turn one. [Then] went deeper on the brakes, tried to hang on around the outside. It was really tight. Lochie didn’t make it easy on the outside there. But got the inside for turn two, so it was just about hanging on. And from then on it was about managing tyres for everyone. Trying to take it easy and not overdo it.”

He “maximised” his pace by avoiding overheating his tyres, for which being up front was crucial for his plan.

“Sort of the goal was to get ahead earlier to get the clean air. That was an important part of it. And in the last couple of laps we were pushing a bit more, but I didn’t want to overdo it beginning to mid[-race], because I knew it would be about managing.”

Having led lights-to-flag in the first two races of 2025, that awareness was only accessible to the rookie due to being deep in the pack in race one at IMS.

“Being for the first time in these cars in dirty air, actually having to use the push-to-pass strategically. Coming from the back, going up, was definitely a good experience. I hope I didn’t have to experience it, to be honest, because we lost some points in the championship with that. That’s not what you want. But I think it’s a good experience to bring forward.”

The post Hauger learned key details about Indy Nxt by spending a race in the pack appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: James Black

Lochie Hughes almost crashed out of Indy Nxt’s first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend, which he actually ended up winning.

The Andretti Global driver led every lap en route to his maiden victory, but got caught out by the final corner on IMS’s road course in a way that almost sent him into retirement as he hit the outside wall with his front and rear-left tyres.

Turn 14 is a right-hander that starts flat then becomes slightly cambered as it joins the banking of what is turn one of the oval. It then flattens out again once drivers are on the pit straight.

“By the look of it it looked like a pretty easy race, but it wasn’t. That’s for sure!” said Hughes after claiming victory.

“It was tough around here, with different conditions throughout the day, with practice and qualifying and just trying to manage the tyres throughout the race. I had a few moments; ended up actually clipping the wall a little bit there.

“I went to touch the push-to-pass and sort of had a snap and the wheel came out my hands a little bit. And then clipped the wall. It was actually a bit of a hard hit, but I hit it pretty square. So got away with that one, otherwise I would have looked like a bit of a fool. Great to get the win finally.

“Obviously Dennis [Hauger, Andretti team-mate] has been dominating lately, so to go to a track I know a bit more, and a place where I drove the car for the first time, and to have a good result is pretty good.”

Hughes was concerned about damage after his wall hit, adding: “There was two laps there where I was just going around going ‘please, nothing be broken!’. It was a little bit bent, but she pulled through.”

Aside from his own mistake, Hughes had to handle restarts following caution periods to make it to the finish in first place.

“It was just frustrating, really. Because I always a built a gap and was managing it, and then another restart bringing everyone back together. And with turn one here, you never quite know what’s going to go on, even if you get a perfect restart. So there’s always a chance of something out of your control happening into there.

“Just happy to lead all the laps and finish the race. I was counting down the laps, to be honest, the whole race.”

Hughes finished second in race two the next day, and the reigning USF Pro 2000 champion now sits second in the Indy Nxt standings with four podiums from four races. Should he make the podium in the next race in Detroit, he will be the first driver to start a season with a five-race run of top-three finishes since Spencer Pigot in 2015.

The post The “hard hit” with a wall that Hughes “got away with” for Indy Nxt win appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Jacob Douglas and Ariel Elkin won two more eventful USF Pro 2000 races on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Having already triumphed in a chaotic opening race on Friday, TJ Speed’s Elkin kept the lead from pole position at the start of race two while Douglas went deep in turn one and dropped from second to fourth behind Max Taylor and Mac Clark.

Clark got up to second before the end of the lap, with Taylor trying to fight back into turn one but getting edged wide onto the grass.

After a caution for an incident involving Michael Costello and Sebastian Manson, Elkin retained the lead despite being challenged by Clark and Douglas.

Another caution followed after Carson Etter spun off, and Clark again challenged for the lead at the restart but went deep. Douglas capitalised, first getting inside Taylor and then going around the outside of Clark to regain second.

Elkin spent the next two laps defending from Douglas, with Taylor taking advantage to repass Douglas around the outside at the end of the back straight.

With five laps to go, Taylor braked late down the inside of Elkin into turn one and both cars ended up on the grass. Elkin would fall to fifth while Taylor spun down the order, finishing up 10th.

Douglas picked up the lead and clinched his maiden series win ahead of Clark, while points leader Max Garcia won a late battle with Jace Denmark for third.

Elkin retained the lead once more at the start of race three with chaos ensuing in his wake. Fellow front-row starter Douglas found himself sandwiched in turn one between Taylor on his inside and Alessandro de Tullio on his outside, the Turn 3 Motorsport driver attempting to sweep into second place having started seventh.

Contact was made between Douglas and Taylor that then pitched Douglas into de Tullio, with Clark left with nowhere to go.

Seeing his four closest championship challengers tangle together in front of him, Garcia somehow avoided them to move into second, but lost that place to Frankie Mossman on the restart. On another restart that followed soon afterwards, Mossman locked up and went very deep, losing several places.

A couple of laps later, Garcia ran side-by-side with Elkin for the lead through the opening turns but to no avail. He hen nosed ahead down the pit straight only for Elkin to brake later on the inside to keep the lead.

Next time around, Garcia got fully ahead down the main straight to claim the apex, but Elkin managed to hang around the outside of turn one and get back up the inside of turn two. Garcia then took contact from the recovering Mossman into turn four, and rebounded into Manson on his outside.

Mossman continued in second place but received a drive-through penalty, while Garcia started to fight his way back from 10th.

Elkin was untroubled to the finish, winning by 4.376s over Cooper Becklin, who avoided the chaos from 11th on the grid. Michael Costello completed the podium.

Garcia got up into fourth past Nicholas Monteiro, only to be ordered to hand the place back as a penalty for blocking. He lost out in that process to the recovering Clark, but repassed him before the end and finished just 0.03s behind team-mate Costello.

Results round-up

Race 2 (25 laps)
1 Jacob Douglas Pabst Racing 38m02.9393s
2 Mac Clark Exclusive Autosport +0.7223s
3 Max Garcia Pabst Racing +5.7313s
4 Jace Denmark TJ Speed +7.2802s
5 Ariel Elkin TJ Speed +8.2932s
6 Frankie Mossman Velocity Racing Development +8.8649s
7 Nicholas Monteiro Turn 3 Motorsport +9.4137s
8 Joey Brienza Exclusive Autosport +10.5850s
9 Tanner DeFabis Jay Howard Driver Development +11.9062s
10 Max Taylor Velocity Racing Development +12.2101s
Fastest lap: Alessandro de Tullio, Turn 3 Motorsport, 1m21.3649s

Race 3 (25 laps)
1 Elkin 39m21.0162s
2 Cooper Becklin Turn 3 Motorsport +4.3760s
3 Michael Costello Pabst Racing +5.3377s
4 Garcia +5.3671s
5 Clark +7.5729s
6 Monteiro +9.4486s
7 Sebastian Manson TJ Speed +15.5438s
8 DeFabis +17.5084s
9 Owen Tangavelou DEForce Racing +18.7735s
10 Brienza +19.2391s
FL: Douglas, 1m22.1430s

Championship standings
1 Garcia 202   2 de Tullio 145   3 Elkin 143   4 Clark 140   5 Douglas 123   6 Taylor 121   7 Costello 108   8 Denmark 97   9 Monteiro 90   10 Becklin 88

The post Douglas and Elkin win amid more USF Pro 2000 chaos at Indianapolis appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Penske Entertainment

Dennis Hauger returned to the top step in Indy Nxt with his third victory of the season in race two on the Indianapolis road course.

The championship leader passed Andretti team-mate Lochie Hughes for the race lead after an early caution period. Hughes challenged Hauger for short bursts throughout the race, falling back a few car lengths at other times. No attack worked and Hughes slipped back to finish 4.7739s at the chequered flag.

While the top two drivers were in a race of their own, almost every position behind them was hotly contested.

The first caution period was caused by a multi-car incident in the battle in the middle of the top 10. James William Miller had already banged wheels with James Roe when he came up against Nolan Allaer. The pair made contact and both were sent limping back to the pits, but not before bringing out the pace car. Jordan Missig and Nikita Johnson also made contact, leaving Missig with a damaged front wing. 

As Hauger challenged Hughes for the lead on the restart, Callum Hedge came under pressure behind them. He slipped back behind Myles Rowe and Salvador de Alba, who continued in third and fourth to the chequered flag.

Hedge was soon caught by Caio Collet. Collet forced Hedge to defend hard, allowing Josh Pierson to close in on the fight. He finally found a way through on lap 23 and set about closing the gap to de Alba ahead. 

Pierson continued to battle Hedge. A late dive by the HMD Motorsport driver brought him alongside, and the pair ran side by side for a number of corners before Pierson was pushed off, allowing Johnson and Liam Sceats through. Hedge was also forced to drop back in the final laps, finishing 10th.

Niels Koolen managed to avoid the drama to finish sixth, ahead of Johnson, Sceats and Pierson. A recovering Roe finished 11th.

Race results (35 laps)

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