INDY NXT RACE REPORT: Grand Prix of Portland
Race Results
| Grand Prix of Portland |
| Lochie Hughes | P2 |
| Seb Murray | P15 |
| Max Taylor | P3 |
| Josh Pierson | P21 |
Race Notes
- Following a strong qualifying effort yesterday, the Andretti Global INDY NXT team took on the Grand Prix of Portland, with Lochie Hughes leading the team to green with a front-row start. Lining up closely behind him on the grid were teammates Max Taylor and Josh Pierson in Rows 2 and 5, respectively.
- Lochie Hughes and Max Taylor held their positions in the top three from green to checkered, securing an Andretti double podium with Hughes in second and Taylor in third.
- Unfortunate contact incidents in Turn 1 hampered Josh Pierson and Seb Murray’s progress up the field, forcing both drivers to finish in the back half of the field.
- Today’s race saw one caution period lasting a total of two laps.
- INDY NXT by Firestone will take some time off from racing before returning to high-speed action at The Milwaukee Mile, with the green flag set to wave on the historic oval track on Sunday, August 30.
Lochie Hughes
No. 26 Andretti Global Dallara
P2
| Started | P2 |
| Standings | P5 (386points) |
- Making his career-best INDY NXT start in Portland this morning, Lochie Hughes set out for his second appearance at the Grand Prix of Portland from the front row.
- Battling through a physical start on Lap 1 into Turn 1, where he sustained minor sidepod damage on the No. 26 car, Hughes managed to hold firm in second position.
- Getting caught behind a lapped car in the second half of the race, Hughes was held back from challenging for the lead, but maintained second place through the checkered flag to earn his 11th career INDY NXT podium.
“We barely made it through Turn 1. We had a little damage on the sidepod there. I guess people were outbraking themselves and just kind of drove into me. Good thing I kind of left some space on the inside, predicting that, and was able to come out still with the car in one piece. Then after that, it was just about managing it. I don’t know what was going on, but they wouldn’t get the lapped car out of the way, and I didn’t want to burn my push-to-pass to pass him, because there’s no point. They weren’t getting him out of the way, so I had to do something, and unfortunately, that gave Alessandro [De Tullio] a big gap. So that was kind of the race after that. But I’m happy to be back up on the podium again.”
Seb Murray
No. 27 Megatron Dallara
P15
| Started | P11 |
| Standings | P13 (260 points) |
- Seb Murray made his second career INDY NXT start this morning at Portland International Raceway, lining up just outside the top 10.
- Getting caught in Lap 1 Turn 1 traffic, Murray made contact with a competitor, resulting in a right-rear tire puncture that forced him to pit for a tire change during the early caution period.
- Rejoining at the tail end of the field, Murray fought back to make up several positions, crossing the finish line in 15th place.
“That’s the race down here in Portland. So unlucky, honestly. Like, we had a mega car, really aggressive, but unfortunately, we got hit in the rear, and that caused us to come to pit lane to replace the right rear tire for a puncture. We went out and had some great pace, so we managed to make our way back up to P15. Massive thank you to the team. It’s just so unlucky. We’ve had outrageous pace the whole weekend, but things haven’t been on our side. Chin up and we’ll see what we can do in Milwaukee.”
Max Taylor
No. 28 Susan G. Komen Dallara
P3
| Started | P3 |
| Standings | P4 (396 points) |
- Taking on the INDY NXT Grand Prix of Portland for the first time in his racing career, Max Taylor set up for the start this morning just behind teammate Hughes in third.
- Taylor kept his nose clean through the tricky Turn 1 at the start and on the Lap 5 restart, maintaining his top-three spot throughout the entire race.
- While applying pressure on second place, Taylor ultimately took the checkered flag in third place.
- Today’s result marks Taylor’s fifth career INDY NXT podium finish.
“I think we had a good day. We maximized everything we could and tried to get him off the start, but I think the opportunity just wasn’t there. We had a really good pace, but it’s hard to pass around here, and ultimately, our mistake was yesterday missing the pole by the smallest of margins. So, I need to review qualifying, but overall a good day today.”
Josh Pierson
No. 29 Starchive Dallara
P21
| Started | P8 |
| Standings | P11 (291 points) |
- Racing on his home track for the fourth time in INDY NXT from eighth on the grid, marking his best starting position to date.
- Pierson made quick moves early in the race, making key passes to move up to sixth place by Lap 7.
- Following contact from a competitor in Turn 2 on the Lap 5 restart, Pierson suffered front wing damage and was ultimately forced to pit on Lap 13 for repairs.
- Rejoining the track with a fresh front wing, Pierson was forced to fight from the back of the pack, where he ultimately finished the race.
“The sun wasn’t shining on me at my home race. I’m gutted to have a failure when the car was so fast. I could have done a much better job in qualifying, but overall, the Andretti Global No. 29 crew gave me something to fight with. So, it’s absolutely gutting to have it fall apart with something outside of our control.”
Don Lambert
INDY NXT Team Manager
“I think that this was a pretty good day overall for us. Lochie and Max did a great job today. We just didn’t have a P1 car. We needed the points though, and we got some good ones today. On the other hand, it was a tough race for both Josh and Seb. Both of them had to deal with some sort of damage: a tire on Seb’s car and a front wing on Josh’s. So, we just have to wait for Milwaukee and go for it next time.”
