INDY NXT RACE REPORT: Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 1
Race Results
| Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 1 |
| Lochie Hughes | P2 |
| Seb Murray | P20 |
| Max Taylor | P5 |
| Josh Pierson | P6 |
Race Notes
- The Andretti Global INDY NXT team kicked off the doubleheader weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course today with a jam-packed schedule. The team completed Practice, Qualifying and Race 1 of the Indianapolis Grand Prix all in a single day.
- In a unique race that was run half in the dry and half in the wet, Lochie Hughes prevailed as Andretti Global’s top finisher, securing his ninth INDY NXT career podium and the 285th for the Andretti INDY NXT team.
- The session was red-flagged by Lap 11 for rain, adding to the on-track chaos. All cars were allowed a brief, five-minute window for adjustments and changes to wet tires before the field returned to green.
- Fans won’t have to wait long for more INDY NXT by Firestone action, as the Series returns for Race 2 tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. ET, where Taylor will lead the field to green from the pole position.
Lochie Hughes
No. 26 Andretti Global Dallara
P2
| Started | P3 |
| Standings | P5 (135 points) |
- Returning Indianapolis Grand Prix race winner Lochie Hughes took on Race 1 this afternoon from the second row on the grid. He qualified with the second-quickest lap time in Group 1, placing him third overall for today’s race start.
- Taking advantage of a Lap 1, Turn 1 shuffle that saw the leader drop back, Hughes made a strategic pass to take the race lead within the opening lap.
- With less than five laps remaining, Hughes lost the lead to the No. 67 car and moved into second place, where he ultimately took the checkered flag. This result secured his ninth INDY NXT career podium.
“I’m very disappointed with second place, which is nice for a change, considering how we’ve been performing recently. It’s nice to finally get some momentum going because the last few rounds have felt like getting kicked in the head repeatedly. Hopefully, this is something we can start building on. I still can’t help but be disappointed after feeling like I led most of the race. I accidentally short-shifted through Turns 5 and 6 with a bit of oversteer in the wet, and it just killed the speed and allowed Enzo to get alongside me.”
Seb Murray
No. 27 Prosperity Dallara
P20
| Started | P7 |
| Standings | P10 (96 points) |
- Seb Murray took the green flag for Race 1 this afternoon from a career-best starting position on the IMS Road Course after qualifying in Group 1 with teammate Hughes. He recorded the fourth-quickest lap time in Group 1, slotting him into seventh on the race grid today.
- Despite some on-track chaos near the middle of the field in the opening lap, Murray made slight contact with the No. 20 car. No significant damage was caused to the car, and he continued the race, though the incident forced him to drop to 10th place.
- Following the restart, Murray was forced to serve a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact. This dropped him to the back of the field, where he ultimately finished the race.
“Honestly, I’m at a bit of a loss for words after that race. We had a strong start, and the team came up with a really good car for the race today, so a massive thank you to them. Unfortunately, we were involved in a collision, and with race control’s decision to issue us a penalty, that essentially decided the outcome of our race. That aside, we had a really strong pace in both the wet and the dry, so a massive thank you to the team for putting together a strong car. We’ll keep our heads up and move on to tomorrow.”
Max Taylor
No. 28 Susan G. Komen Dallara
P5
| Started | P2 |
| Standings | P3 (176 points) |
- Max Taylor made a standout INDY NXT race weekend debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course today. After leading the way in Practice and capturing the pole position for tomorrow’s Race 2, Taylor secured a second-place start for today’s opening race.
- Leading the Andretti crew to the green flag, Taylor remained composed during the Lap 1, Turn 1 shuffle and successfully held onto his second-place position.
- On the Lap 16 restart, Taylor struggled to maintain his spot in the top three and began to slide back to sixth. However, he fought back into the top five by the end of the race, where he ultimately finished the day.
“It was an unfortunate race. Just missed it there. I think it was a bit with the setup changing from dry to wet, and I tried to save too much of the tires. I mean, it just sucks. I think if it stayed dry, we easily had the pace to go for the win. We’ll look over it, learn and start on the pole tomorrow. It was not our race, but there are still positives to look forward to and we’ll be better.”
Josh Pierson
No. 29 Starchive Dallara
P6
| Started | P4 |
| Standings | P13 (83 points) |
- Josh Pierson secured his best INDY NXT career start on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course this afternoon, lining up fourth on the grid after an impressive qualifying performance in Group 2.
- Pierson broke into the top three within the first lap of the race, but eventually moved back into fourth before the first 10 laps of the race were complete.
- When the field went green again on Lap 16, Pierson struggled to maintain position and began to fall back into the field as the race continued, finishing the day in sixth place, matching his previous best result at the IMS Road Course.
“Today’s result was obviously not where we wanted to finish, especially given where we started. I feel like we had a pretty strong car in the dry, but the rain just made for a bit of a challenge. Also, Fittipaldi went around me right before the track went red, and I feel like that was a mistake on my part. I was just trying to save the push to pass to use for later, but then the rain came, so it was unfortunate timing. The good news is that we have another race tomorrow, and I know that we’re going to have a strong car. We can make some adjustments and be even stronger in the dry. I’m looking forward to that. I’ve got a great starting spot again tomorrow.
It’s still a good finish today, nonetheless, but I would’ve liked to have done more for the team. Everybody at Andretti Global has been doing such a great job this year, especially on my No. 29 car, so I feel like those guys deserve some more results. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Don Lambert
INDY NXT Team Manager
“I think it was a strange day with the way the weather played out. We weren’t really sure if it was going to be dry or wet, and then it turned into a wet race. When you have to change the car over in five minutes, you don’t really get the best setup on it. I think the guys did a really good job with what they had. It looks like all four cars probably hurt the rain tires right off the bat because it was still fairly dry. But Lochie persevered the best he could and came home second, which was a great points day for him. In general, it was a great points day for the Andretti INDY NXT team. It’s what we needed.”
