Andretti INDY NXT Laguna Seca Race 2 Report
Race Notes
The Andretti INDY NXT team was back on track this afternoon for Race 2 of the doubleheader weekend at Laguna Seca where the team’s success continued with another victory and complete weekend sweep by Louis Foster and a podium finish by rookie driver Bryce Aron.
The No. 26 team experienced an exact repeat of yesterday’s Race 1 win with Foster once again leading the field to green from the pole and proceeding to lead the entirety of the 35-lap battle at the Laguna Seca road course. After yesterday’s Race 1 victory placed Foster in a tie for first in the INDY NXT by Firestone Championship standings, he has now established himself as the clear leader, breaking the tie with a 35-point advantage over Jacob Abel.
Aron utilized his career best starting position in P5 to keep pace and maintain position throughout the majority of the race until an incident in the Corkscrew involving two competitors ahead of him allowed him to utilize his reserved push-to-pass and overtake two positions, ultimately securing himself his first ever podium finish.
After an on-track qualifying incident forced Andretti Cape driver Salvador de Alba to take a grid spot near the back of the field in yesterday’s race, the No. 2 Group Indi driver was eager to take advantage of his Race 2 starting spot just outside of the top 10. Off to a strong start, de Alba continued to navigate his way up the field and with just nine laps to go, he gradually moved up three positions to take the checkered flag in fifth. On his debut weekend at the California track, de Alba secured his best career finish breaking into the top five.
Jamie Chadwick took on Race 2 from the middle of the pack once again with the goal of fighting her way into the top 10, and she did just that. Gaining a position within the first lap of the race, Chadwick continued to move her way up the field and maintain a clean run for the duration of the event. She eventually took home the ninth top-10 finish of her career directly behind teammate de Alba.
Following James Roe’s top-five result in Race 1, he was ready to fight his way up the field once again from inside the top 10. The Irish driver moved in and out of the top 10 throughout the race, fighting for position, but unfortunately a mechanical issue forced the driver off track. Roe was able to recover and come back to pit lane for repairs, but after evaluation from the crew, the issue was not able to be addressed in time, and the No. 29 Topcon driver was forced to retire from the race early.
The INDY NXT by Firestone Series will take a week off before they return to the Midwest for another road course showdown at the Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio on Sunday, July 7th.
Race Results
Louis Foster No. 26 Copart / Novara Technologies Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
P1
Started: P1
Standings: 1st (345pts)
“It was a great race today. I’m super happy with getting two wins in two races and getting the points lead in the championship. The aim now is to repeat what we’ve done and keep the momentum building. I’m super happy. Massive thanks to Andretti, Copart and Novara. Let’s keep pushing!”
Bryce Aron No. 27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
P3
Started: P5
Standings: 15th (145pts)
“I’m super happy to get my first podium in INDY NXT. The car was great, I have to thank everyone on the team for all the hard work. We’ve had some ups and downs, but we had so much pace. To finally get a podium, I’m really happy to give the team what they deserve.”
Jamie Chadwick No. 28 VEXT Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
P6
Started: P14
Standings: 5th (191pts)
“I’m happy that we were able to bounce back after a bad qualifying, I think that’s more than we could have asked for in that race. I had a lot of fun out there racing the pack as much as I could do. I’m just happy with the points now and looking forward to the next.”
James Roe No. 29 Topcon Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
P19
Started: P7
Standings: 10th (163pts)
“It was an unfortunate race for us today with a mechanical issue at the halfway point – that put us out of it. We just need to look into what happened and keep moving. It’s frustrating but we’ll keep at it.”
Salvador de Alba No. 2 Grupo Indi Dallara
Andretti Cape INDY NXT
P5
Started: P11
Standings: 9th (167pts)
“I’m very happy with the result – my first top-five of the season. It was going to be a very hard weekend, but the second race was pretty good for us and everyone at the Andretti Cape team. Congrats to Louis on the win and to Bryce on his first podium. We are keeping our heads up and will keep working to be there.”
Don Lambert Team Manager
“It was a pretty fantastic day for the Andretti group. We had some bad luck with James – but a great day for Louis and great to see the other cars all in the top six. What an amazing drive by Bryce and Jamie. A lot of momentum right now for Andretti INDY NXT. We’re off to a test in Iowa then looking forward to Mid-Ohio.”
