Andretti INDYCAR and INDY NXT to Share an Oval for the First Time This Season in St. Louis
Andretti INDYCAR and INDY NXT are gearing up for a busy weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, a unique 1.25-mile, egg-shaped oval located just outside the heart of St. Louis, Missouri. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to oval racing for the first time since the Indianapolis 500, while the INDY NXT by Firestone Series is set to make its oval debut this weekend. Following a successful outing on the Streets of Detroit that saw an Andretti INDYCAR and INDY NXT sweep with Colton Herta and Dennis Hauger winning pole and Kyle Kirkwood and Hauger taking home the victory, both Andretti teams will look to replicate that success in this weekend’s on-track performance. Drivers will face a packed schedule with all INDYCAR and INDY NXT practice and qualifying sessions taking place on Saturday, followed by both races on Sunday evening.
Race Details
| Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – World Wide Technology Raceway |
| Round | 8/17 |
| Track Type | Oval |
| Laps | 260 Laps |
| Track Length | 1.25 Miles |
| INDY NXT by Firestone at World Wide Technology Raceway – World Wide Technology Raceway |
| Round | 6/14 |
| Track Type | Oval |
| Laps | 75 Laps |
| Track Length | 1.25 Miles |
Notes
Andretti INDYCAR
- Andretti INDYCAR will make their tenth appearance at World Wide Technology Raceway this weekend for the second oval race of the 2025 season. The team made their debut at WWTR in 2003, but soon after, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES took a 14-year hiatus from racing on the unique oval before returning in 2017. In that time, Andretti INDYCAR has collected two podiums, six top-five finishes and has led 157 laps.
Colton Herta
- Coming off a podium finish on the Streets of Detroit, Colton Herta will make his eighth race start at WWTR this weekend.
- While Herta’s best finish on the 1.25-mile oval is fourth (2020 – R1), last year he came close to beating that result as he took home a fifth-place finish. The American driver gave an impressive performance in his last appearance on the oval, starting from 25th and going on to make up 20 positions throughout the race to finish in the top five.
- In his seven prior starts at WWTR, Herta has only finished outside of the top 10 twice and has led 134 laps on the short oval dating back to 2019.
Kyle Kirkwood
- After driving the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda to victory on the Streets of Detroit, Kyle Kirkwood will once again represent the Siemens brand as he looks to add his first career INDYCAR oval victory in his fourth appearance at WWTR.
- Despite starting a career-best fifth at WWTR, last year’s race saw Kirkwood involved in a multi-car incident just 17 laps in, forcing him to pit for repairs. In doing so, he also received a drive-through penalty for having too many crew members over the pit wall for repairs. The American driver ultimately retired from the race early on Lap 247.
Marcus Ericsson
- Also making his eighth start at WWTR, Marcus Ericsson will take on the short oval with hopes of making up for last year’s event result, which saw the Swede retire early from the race due to an electrical issue.
- Ericsson has recorded four top-10 finishes throughout his seven appearances at WWTR, and his best finish on the oval was in Race 1 of the doubleheader weekend in 2020, where he crossed the checkered in the top five.
- After making their debut early in the month of May at the Sonsio Grand Prix, Ericsson will once again carry the Fresh Connect Central colors this weekend to highlight the organization’s vital role in supporting the St. Louis area after a devastating EF3 tornado struck the city on May 16. Through their partnership with the St. Louis Area Foodbank, Fresh Connect Central delivered emergency disaster relief boxes that were personally packed by Ericsson to those in need.
| NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS |
| Driver Championship Standings |
| Colton Herta | 157 points | 9th |
| Kyle Kirkwood | 209 points | 3rd |
| Marcus Ericsson | 96 points | 19th |
Andretti INDY NXT
- Coming off another race weekend sweep for the team on the Streets of Detroit, Andretti INDY NXT will take on the first oval race of the year at World Wide Technology Raceway this weekend, where they will make their eighth race start. Since Andretti INDY NXT’s first appearance in 2017, the team has accumulated four wins (Norman – 2018, Askew – 2019, Brabham – 2022 and Foster – 2024), four poles (C. Herta – 2018, Askew – 2019, Kirkwood – 2021 R1 and Foster – 2024), 11 podiums, 17 top-five finishes and 220 laps led.
- Andretti INDY NXT dominated the St. Louis race weekend last year, with Louis Foster earning the pole, race win and leading every lap of the 75-lap race.
Lochie Hughes
- Rookie Lochie Hughes will make his debut at WWTR this weekend with the Andretti INDY NXT team. Although this is his first time at this track, Hughes has previously competed on an oval once before at last year’s Lucas Oil IRP race, finishing up the weekend on the bottom step of the podium after qualifying fourth.
Salvador de Alba
- Salvador de Alba will make his second start at WWTR this weekend after last year saw the No. 27 Group Indi driver take home a top-five finish after moving up five spots from his starting position and making 11 passes throughout the race.
- In 2022, de Alba excelled during the USF Pro 2000 race weekend at this track, leading two out of three practice sessions, earning the pole position and leading every lap from green to checkered to capture the win.
- De Alba has a positive history on ovals in the INDY NXT series as both of his career podium finishes came at Iowa Speedway and the Milwaukee Mile in 2024.
Dennis Hauger
- Following a dominating season so far with four wins and four poles, Dennis Hauger will make his oval racing debut this weekend at WWTR. This will be the final track type for the Norwegian driver to conquer, as he has secured race wins on both road and street circuits so far this INDY NXT season.
- Although he has never raced on an oval before, Hauger tested at Nashville Superspeedway earlier this season, where he topped the leaderboard with the fastest lap of the day.
James Roe
- James Roe will make his fourth start at WWTR, following last year’s performance that saw the Irish driver score his third top-10 finish at the track. Roe has had strong performances on ovals in the past, including a pole-to-podium finish at Iowa Speedway last year.
Seb Murray
- Scottish rookie driver Seb Murray will make his oval racing debut this weekend at WWTR. Murray spent some time in an INDY NXT car on an oval while testing at Nashville Superspeedway in April, where he finished the day just outside of the top 10.
Ricardo Escotto
- The Andretti Cape team is full of newcomers this weekend as Ricardo Escotto will also be making his oval racing debut this weekend alongside teammate Murray. Escotto also attended the Nashville Superspeedway test, where he locked in the ninth fastest lap time of the day.
| INDY NXT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS |
| Andretti INDY NXT Driver Championship Standings |
| Lochie Hughes | 203 points | 2nd |
| Salvador de Alba | 135 points | 5th |
| Dennis Hauger | 241 points | 1st |
| James Roe | 77 points | 15th |
| Andretti Cape INDY NXT Driver Championship Standings |
| Seb Murray | 91 points | 11th |
| Ricardo Escotto | 82 points | 13th |
Team Quotes
Colton Herta
No. 26 Gainbridge Honda
“World Wide Technology Raceway really felt revitalized last year. The racing was so much better, and it was overall just a fun race. We’ve done well there in the past and honestly had the car to win it last year. Starting at the back just made it tough. It’s one of those races I look forward to every year, and I can’t wait to get back to racing this weekend.”
Kyle Kirkwood
No. 27 Siemens Honda
“Last year’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway was a short one for the No. 27 crew. Unfortunately, I got caught up in a wreck that happened right in front of me, but in the laps I did run, we had an amazing car. It actually turned into a great race overall, and it was probably the best the track has raced in years. I think that was thanks to the new downforce levels INDYCAR implemented. After the win in Detroit, we’re ready to go after an oval victory this weekend.”
Marcus Ericsson
No. 28 Fresh Connect Honda
“World Wide Technology Raceway is always an enjoyable circuit. It’s one of the most interesting ovals on the calendar because the two ends of the track are completely different. Turns 1 and 2 are super tight and really banked, while Turns 3 and 4 are almost flat with a wide and open radius. It forces you to drive each end in different ways and setting up the car to handle both sides is always a challenge, but that’s what makes it such a cool place to race.”
Rob Edwards
Chief Operating Officer
“After a much-needed weekend off, we jump back into the 2025 INDYCAR season with seven races between now and the end of July. World Wide Technology Raceway is the first of our short oval events this year, and we are excited that the event has been moved to primetime so that we can finish the race under the lights for the fans. The team heads to WWTR with great momentum thanks to the win and double podium in Detroit. We are ready to bring it.”
Lochie Hughes
No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
“We’re finally at the first oval of the season, and I know the team is looking forward to it. This is going to be my first time racing at WWTR, so that’s going to be interesting, with it being considered one of the more challenging ovals. These challenges are what INDY NXT is all about. I’m excited to try my hand at it and go after some good points here.”
Salvador de Alba
No. 27 Grupo Indi Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
“I’m really looking forward to going to St. Louis and changing things up at this point in the season with some oval racing. I have good memories at WWTR since it was where I got my first win in the U.S. while I did USF Pro 2000. So, I’m looking forward to going back and hopefully making some more nice memories here with Andretti.”
Dennis Hauger
No. 28 Nammo Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
“This is going to be my first oval race this weekend, and I’m eager to take on the new experience. It’s nice to have gotten in some oval testing before we get into the race weekend, but I’m still going to be interested to see how things play out in that first practice session. The qualifying and race structure is going to be quite different than what I’m used to, but I’m going to do everything I can to keep this good momentum we have as a team going through this weekend.”
James Roe
No. 29 Topcon Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
“We’re off to St. Louis to kick off our busy stretch of the season. I’m looking to turn things around after the last race and am hoping that getting onto an oval will be good for us and the No. 29 Topcon crew.”
Seb Murray
No. 2 Dream Racing Dubai Dallara
Andretti Cape INDY NXT
“I’m really excited for my first oval at World Wide Technology Raceway. We haven’t gotten to test on this track yet, so it’ll be interesting to see the speed and how different the racing is compared to the normal road circuits. The No. 2 team did a great job in Detroit, so I’m hoping that we can carry some of that performance level into this weekend.”
Ricardo Escotto
No. 3 Frank’s Red Hot Dallara
Andretti Cape INDY NXT
“This weekend we’re heading to St. Louis and finally getting to take on the first oval race of the season. I’m just looking for a reset after some difficult races in Indy and Detroit. So, we’re hoping to get some good laps in and come away from the weekend with some points.”
Don Lambert
Team Manager
“We are looking forward to the first oval race of the INDY NXT season in St. Louis. I consider it one of our most difficult short ovals of the season – Turns 1 and 2 are demanding of the drivers’ confidence, and Turns 3 and 4 require patience. INDY NXT has not tested at WWTR this year, but with good tests at Nashville and Iowa, we are confident in our cars and drivers for this weekend’s event. As always, executing and building points wins the game.”
