Latest news with #INDYNXTbyFirestoneGrandPrix
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Three-Way Title Fight Reaches Middle Rounds at Mid-Ohio
INDYCAR The INDY NXT by Firestone season hits a pivotal point this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. After a dominant start to the year by Dennis Hauger and Andretti Global, the championship momentum has shifted, and the title fight is suddenly wide open. SEE: Event Details With four wins in the first five races, Norwegian rookie Hauger leads rookie teammate Lochie Hughes by 28 points and sophomore driver Caio Collet by 70. Collet arrives in Ohio fresh off his first win of the season June 22 at Road America, ending Andretti's perfect 2025 start and injecting life into HMD Motorsports' campaign. Collet also knows his way around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile circuit. He won from pole here last year, snapping Andretti's decade-long dominance at Mid-Ohio as the team has triumphed in 10 of the last 11 races. Hughes, meanwhile, has found his stride, with a pair of wins this season and back-to-back podium finishes boosting his stock heading into the weekend. Last year's Mid-Ohio race saw the top three in the standings fill the podium. After a similar sweep two weeks ago at Road America, don't be surprised to see Collet, Hauger and Hughes lead the charge again in Sunday's 35-lap INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio airing at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Pierson Ascending At just 19, Josh Pierson already has 30 INDY NXT by Firestone starts. But the rising American talent is still hunting for his first podium finish. That long-awaited milestone may come on Sunday at Mid-Ohio. In his second full-time season, Pierson enters this weekend fifth in the championship standings, 123 points behind Hauger. Despite that gap, consistency has been his calling card. He's finished ninth or better in all seven races this season, including two fourth-place finishes in his last three starts. His latest podium near-miss came at Road America, where he ran third until Hughes slipped past on the final lap, denying Pierson his maiden trip into the top three. Mid-Ohio might just be the track where things click. Pierson finished ninth here in both 2023 and 2024, but with growing experience and momentum, a top-three finish isn't out of reach. Mid-Ohio Is Ideal Spot for Rowe's First Win Myles Rowe heads to Mid-Ohio with momentum, history and a growing sense that his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory is around the corner. Rowe secured his sixth top-five finish of the season at Road America and sits fourth in points, 101 back of Hauger. Quietly consistent all year, the ABEL Motorsports with Force Indy driver has shown the pace, racecraft and maturity of a front-runner. It's just a matter of putting it all together. That could happen this weekend. History suggests Mid-Ohio is a fertile ground for breakthrough wins. In each of the past three seasons, a driver claimed their maiden INDY NXT victory at Mid-Ohio. Hunter McElrea did it for Andretti Global in 2022. Louis Foster broke through for the same team a year later. And then Collet accomplished the feat last season. Rowe is a proven winner across the junior categories at Mid-Ohio, claiming victory in both USF Pro 2000 (2023) and USF2000 (2022), where he finished first, first and third in a dominant triple-header showing. As a sophomore, Rowe returns to Mid-Ohio with more experience, confidence and perhaps the perfect conditions for a breakout. If Mid-Ohio continues its trend of crowning first-time winners, Rowe may be next in line. Papasavvas Returns Home Evagoras Papasavvas takes on his home race this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, driving the No. 24 entry for HMD Motorsports. This is the fifth and final confirmed race of the season for the Ohio resident, who transitions into his reserve driver role with the team for the remainder of 2025. A spring test at Mid-Ohio for the team led to Papasavvas' maiden start May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park. He qualified third and finished second in his series debut. He also finished 10th and 13th, respectively on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on May 9-10 and 12th at Road America. Sleepers To Watch While the spotlight has centered on title contenders like Hauger, Hughes and Collet, a pair of sophomore drivers, Jack William Miller and Bryce Aron, could steal headlines this weekend. Miller, 21, has quietly put together his most consistent stretch in INDY NXT competition. Coming off a seventh-place finish at Road America, where he qualified fifth, the ABEL Motorsports driver sits eighth in points, boasting four top-10 finishes in the last six races. That's a big leap forward from 2024, when he only earned two top-10's all season. This is Miller's first year under the ABEL Motorsports banner after Miller Vinatieri Motorsports merged with ABEL's operation over the offseason. The results speak for themselves. Miller's upward trajectory could continue at Mid-Ohio. Aron, 21, also has found new life since joining Chip Ganassi Racing after the St. Petersburg season opener, where he raced for HMD Motorsports. After a slow start with CGR with three straight 15th-place finishes, Aron began to settle in by picking up two top-10 finishes in the last three races, highlighted by a season-best ninth at Road America. Last year, Aron competed for Andretti Global and had eight top-10 finishes. He's starting to look like a driver who could crack the top five with the right progression. Track Specs: 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course Qualifying Record: Caio Collet, 1:10.2879 (115.650 mph), July 6, 2024 Push To Pass Parameters: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation recommended
Fox Sports
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Caio Collet Breaks Through at Road America With First Win of Season
INDYCAR The wait finally is over for Caio Collet. Collet passed championship leader Dennis Hauger with less than five laps remaining and drove away to win the Grand Prix of Road America on Sunday, his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory this season. Collet's No. 76 HMD Motorsports car crossed the finish line 1.7093 seconds ahead of Hauger's No. 28 Nammo car fielded by Andretti Global. SEE: Race Results 2024 series Rookie of the Year Collet entered this event with three podium finishes in the first six races this season, including two runner-up finishes. His victory was the first this season for HMD Motorsports, as Hauger and fellow Andretti Global rookie teammate Lochie Hughes have combined to win every race. 'At the beginning of the season, we couldn't match them, to be honest,' Collet said. 'It was really frustrating. Every time we went on track, it was hard to be second or third. But we kept working hard, and we need to keep working because they are a great team with great drivers. We need to keep pushing.' Hughes rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car after passing Josh Pierson in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports machine on the last of 20 laps around the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit. Pierson ended up tying his career-best finish of fourth. Myles Rowe placed fifth in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car in the caution-free race. Hauger led from the pole on an unseasonably hot day with air temperatures in the high 80s. Collet stayed close from the second starting position, keeping the gap around five- or six-tenths of a second as the duo marched away from the rest of the 19-car field. Collet's patience expired on Lap 16. He drove alongside Hauger on the long front straightway and made an outside pass in Turn 1 stick. Collet then eased away from Hauger over the last four laps. 'I kept up the pace, kept up the pressure,' Collet said. 'Yesterday, I think I lost the pole to myself. Dennis did a phenomenal lap, but I think I left a bit in the tank and was very frustrated. Today I really wanted to give the win to the team.' Said Hauger: 'I think we've been on the back foot compared to Collet all weekend. We did everything right today, but they were just a bit stronger. I tried to do what I could, but it just wasn't meant to be. Still a decent weekend.' Hauger's lead over second-place Hughes grew from 19 to 28 points with his fifth podium finish of the season. Collet is third, 70 points behind Hauger. The next race is the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio on Sunday, July 6 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It's good track for Collet, who earned his sole previous INDY NXT victory there in July 2024. recommended
Fox Sports
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
INDYCAR Announces INDY NXT by Firestone Penalties at WWTR
INDYCAR INDYCAR has announced penalties for the No. 29 Andretti Global entry and driver James Roe ahead of this weekend's event at World Wide Technology Raceway. Per standard late-race procedures, as a lapped car in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Detroit, the No. 29 was ordered and twice failed to take the final lap restart at the rear of the field alongside other lapped cars. Additionally, during the final lap of the race, the No. 29 was penalized for blocking the No. 40 – a lead-lap car. The following penalties from the INDY NXT by Firestone rulebook were left 'pending' and scheduled to be applied and served at the next event: Rule 3.1.7. Failing to follow the direction of INDYCAR. Rule 3.2. Blocking – Any Driver who moves in reaction, altering their line based on the actions of pursuing Competitors, may be penalized. Roe has been placed on probation for his next three INDY NXT races. At the event at World Wide Technology Raceway, the No. 29 will not be permitted to qualify and will start Sunday's race at the rear of the field using tires scuffed from Saturday's practice. Members may contest the imposition of the penalties detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the INDY NXT by Firestone rulebook.
Fox Sports
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
INDYCAR Announces INDY NXT by Firestone Penalties at Barber Motorsports Park
INDYCAR INDYCAR has announced penalties for the driver of the No. 40 Abel/Miller/Vinatieri Motorsports entry, Jack William Miller, ahead of this weekend's event at Barber Motorsports Park. Following his participation in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the driver was in violation of the following from the INDY NXT by Firestone rulebook: Rule 9.3.1.7. Failing to follow the direction of INDYCAR. Rule 9.3.1.8. Using improper, profane, or disparaging language or gestures in reference to any Official, Members or anyone else or improper, profane or disparaging language or gestures in reference to, concerning or connected in any way with INDYCAR, the INDY NXT by Firestone, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, or any Event and could result in additional penalties as determined by INDYCAR. According to Rule 9.2.3., the penalty is considered a Non-Race Procedure Penalty. Miller has been fined $5,000 and placed on probation for the remainder of the 2025 season. At the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama event, the No. 40 will lose one set of tires for the weekend, will not be permitted to qualify and will start Sunday's race at the rear of the field. recommended
