INDY NXT RACE REPORT: INDY NXT by Firestone at World Wide Technology Raceway
Race Results
| INDY NXT by Firestone at World Wide Technology Raceway |
| Lochie Hughes | P6 |
| Seb Murray | P12 |
| Max Taylor | P5 |
| Josh Pierson | P3 |
Race Notes
- INDY NXT by Firestone took on the first oval race of the 2026 season this afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), with Andretti Global INDY NXT’s Lochie Hughes leading the field to green following his pole-winning qualifying effort yesterday.
- After a hard-fought battle at the front of the field between Hughes, Max Taylor and Josh Pierson, it was Pierson who emerged as the top finisher for the Andretti INDY NXT effort, securing his first podium finish of the 2026 season, his first career podium on an oval and the 286th overall for the Andretti INDY NXT program.
- Teammates Taylor and Hughes finished closely behind Pierson to place three Andretti INDY NXT entries in the top six.
- Today’s 75-lap race saw three full course yellows, with 17 laps run under caution.
- After this weekend’s race at WWTR, INDY NXT will take a week off from racing before returning in full force at Road America on June 19-21 to battle it out on the famous Wisconsin road course. Fans will be able to tune into the racing action on FS1 and FOX One.
Lochie Hughes
No. 26 Andretti Global Dallara
P6
| Started | P1 |
| Standings | P6 (197 points) |
- Leading the charge for this afternoon’s race for Andretti Global, Lochie Hughes set out to defend his champion title at WWTR.
- The opening laps of the race saw Hughes hold onto the lead before the first yellow came out on Lap 5.
- Holding onto the lead through the Lap 12 restart, Hughes continued his campaign at the front of the field until Lap 27, when he was passed and shifted back to second.
- Unfortunate late-race yellow flags on Laps 57 and 66 ultimately halted his momentum. Struggling to get back up to pace on the final two restarts, Hughes slipped to sixth at the checkered flag, securing his 17th career INDY NXT top-10 finish.
“The race was pretty good, just managing the pack while leading. The balance wasn’t quite where I wanted it in clean air. Then we just kind of lost the lead there and just had to fill in at second for most of the race. Unfortunately, the yellow flags there at the end cost us a podium finish. I just couldn’t switch on the tire on the restarts and lost some positions. Decent points day, kind of, so we’ll move our focus onto Road America.”
Seb Murray
No. 27 Megatron Dallara
P12
| Started | P10 |
| Standings | P11 (136 points) |
- Rounding out the top 10 on the starting grid, Seb Murray made his second WWTR race start this afternoon.
- As the green flag waved, Murray dropped one spot, just outside the top 10, and following the first restart, the No. 27 dropped a few more spots to 14th by Lap 22.
- Despite a strong effort to hold his position in the closing stages of the race, Murray lost one spot shortly following the Lap 67 restart, crossing the finish line to take the checkered flag in 12th.
“It was just a really messy race for us, to be honest. We lost a few at the start, then we had some really good pace, but we just couldn’t find the clean air to move forward and make passes. We’ll take some solid points and look ahead to Road America.”
Max Taylor
No. 28 Susan G. Komen Dallara
P5
| Started | P3 |
| Standings | P2 (247 points) |
- Max Taylor made his WWTR racing debut today near the front of the field in Row 2.
- Taylor dropped one position on the opening lap, running in fourth, but was able to gain enough momentum on the Lap 12 restart to make a highline pass to break back into the top three.
- On Lap 32, Taylor fell out of the top three to fourth before using the Lap 58 restart to break back into the top three once again.
- The untimely final full course yellow ultimately broke up his momentum. Unable to maintain his charging pace through the final Lap 67 restart, Taylor wrapped up a hard-fought day by crossing the finish line in fifth.
- Today’s results mark Taylor’s seventh top-five finish of his INDY NXT career and his INDY NXT career-best finish on an oval.
“First oval race of the year done. The car was really good, but I think we got a bit unlucky with some of the yellows that happened and the restarts. I think we definitely would’ve been on for a polidum without them. We just got stuck on the bottom a few times, but it was still a good result. I learned a lot, so ready to take it all in to make sure we’re ready for the next oval.”
Josh Pierson
No. 29 Starchive Dallara
P3
| Started | P4 |
| Standings | P10 (43 points) |
- As the most experienced Andretti INDY NXT driver on the St. Louis short oval, Josh Pierson launched his fourth WWTR race start from a career-best P4 grid position.
- Pierson made an early move up two spots into second shortly after the green flag waved, where he stayed until passing teammate Hughes on Lap 27 for the lead following an exciting multi-lap battle.
- Pierson continued to lead the field until Lap 47 when, despite his best efforts to hold off the No. 99 car, he was passed and slotted into second place. Then shortly after, the No. 29 fell back one more position to round out the top three, where he ultimately took the checkered.
- Today’s results mark Pierson’s first podium on an oval and the third of his INDY NXT career.
“It was a super hard race. I think, at the end, I realized that maybe I used a bit too much of the tire in the early laps. But I’m still super happy to have led. The ovals last year were a big weakness for me, but this year, right out of the gate, I felt super comfortable in the No. 29 car that Andretti Global gave me. I just rolled out of the truck and was really happy and confident that we would be able to make moves and place the car wherever I wanted. Shout out to everybody on this 29 crew. You know, they really deserve some results like these. We’ve had a bit of a tumultuous time this year, so it’s great to be able to get a good result for them, Starchive and TigerPLY.”
Don Lambert
INDY NXT Team Manager
“Overall, it was a good day. We want to win, but we just didn’t have the car for that. But Myles [Rowe] was really strong and had a great race. I think that Max, right at the very end, might have had something for Myles, but we still came away from here with really good points for all four cars. That’s what we need. So, we’ll just pack up and head off to our next adventure in Road America and go from there.”
