2026 Indy NXT Indy GP | Race 2 results

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After rain shapes the opening race of the Indy GP doubleheader, Indy NXT by Firestone returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for Race 2 under calmer skies. With Max Taylor and Alessandro de Tullio leading the field from the front row, and Race 1 winner Enzo Fittipaldi starting seventh, the second contest sets up another important fight at the front of the championship order.

The weekend has already produced plenty of storylines, from an incredibly tight practice session to Fittipaldi’s charge to victory in the wet in Race 1. With championship leader Nikita Johnson rolling off fourth, Race 2 gives the frontrunners another chance to make a statement at IMS.

Kucharczyk jumps from fifth to first

The field goes green for Race 2, and the opening corners immediately bring drama. The pack fans out four-wide, with Joshua Pierson and Max Taylor both running off course in the early scramble. Pierson loses positions in the exchange, while Tymek Kucharczyk roars by with the race lead.

Behind him, Taylor settles into second, while Enzo Fittipaldi quickly moves into the top three after starting seventh. Alessandro de Tullio runs fourth, with Lochie Hughes close behind in fifth.

There is also early trouble further back, as the black-and-gold No. 68 of JM Correa goes straight through the chicane at Turns 5 and 6. Nicolas Stati goes off on Lap 2 with a puncture after contact with Niels Koolen. James Roe and Alexander Koreiba also run into trouble in the opening laps, with both drivers locking up heavily into the corner before making contact.

Kucharczyk leads through Lap 4, but Taylor remains right with him, sitting less than four-tenths behind the No. 7. Fittipaldi runs third, just over 1.6s off the lead, as the front two begin to separate from the rest of the field.

Incidents shape the opening half

Trouble continues on Lap 9, as Myles Rowe has a brake failure on the run into Turn 1. Rowe locks up heavily and goes wide, making contact with Bryce Aron in the process. He pits after the incident, retiring from the race.

On Lap 11, Max Garcia and Jack Beeton have an incident at Turn 8, with Garcia making an unsafe re-entry after the moment. The incident is placed under review as both drivers continue. Garcia heads to the pit lane, rejoining the race three laps down.

By Lap 18, Kucharczyk continues to lead Taylor by just over seven-tenths, with Fittipaldi holding third nearly three seconds behind the race leader. De Tullio and Hughes remain fourth and fifth, while Nikita Johnson runs sixth ahead of Pierson, Matteo Nannini, Seb Murray and Ricardo Escotto.

Further back, Aron is one of the biggest movers of the race. After missing the pace lap and crossing the start line at the back of the pack, he has worked his way up to 13th by Lap 18.

Taylor keeps Kucharczyk under pressure

10 laps to go and Kucharczyk remains in control out front. Taylor stays close after the leader has a heavy lockup into Turn 1 several laps earlier.

Garcia continues to cycle through pit lane after the earlier incident and runs six laps down in the closing stages.

On Lap 24, Salvador de Alba and Correa make side-to-side contact, with Correa pushed off track in the exchange.

In the battle for sixth, Pierson has a big lockup while chasing Johnson and takes a trip through the grass.

Escotto is given a drive-through penalty for ignoring race control’s instruction to give a position back after being called for blocking.

With three laps to go, the battle for third heats up as Fittipaldi, de Tullio and Hughes run within half a second of each other. Hughes, on fresher tires, gets past de Tullio for fourth and begins chasing Fittipaldi for the final podium spot.

With two laps to go, Fittipaldi and Hughes make side-to-side contact going into Turn 1 in the battle for third. Hughes locks up in the exchange, while Fittipaldi comes out ahead.

Kucharczyk takes the Race 2 victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, holding off Taylor by 0.6273s after controlling the race from the opening lap. Fittipaldi completes the podium in third, 8.7135s behind the race winner, while Hughes and de Tullio round out the top five.

Johnson finishes sixth, ahead of Nannini, Pierson, Murray and de Alba.