2026 Indy NXT Road America

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Race 2 of the 2026 Indy NXT by Firestone doubleheader at Road America is set to get underway, with Alessandro de Tullio once again leading the field to green after sweeping qualifying earlier in the day.

De Tullio will start from pole for the second time this weekend, looking to convert his front-row pace into victory after finishing third in Race 1. Rookie Nikita Johnson joins him on the front row, while Jack Beeton, Matteo Nannini and Race 1 winner Lochie Hughes round out the top five starters.

Hughes enters Race 2 with momentum after taking his first win of the season in Saturday’s opening race, leading an Andretti Global 1-2 ahead of teammate Josh Pierson. Pierson will start sixth for the second race of the weekend, giving Andretti another strong chance to fight at the front around the 4.014-mile Road America circuit.

With Race 1 featuring multiple cautions, heavy incidents and late-race movement at the front, the second half of the Road America doubleheader offers another major opportunity for drivers to gain ground in the championship fight. The long straights and heavy braking zones are expected to keep overtaking in play as the field prepares for one final Indy NXT race of the weekend.

De Tullio leads the field at Indy NXT Road America Race 2

De Tullio got a strong start from pole, holding the lead ahead of Nikita Johnson as the field heads into the opening lap at Road America.

Behind them, there is early drama for Andretti Global as Pierson makes rear-end contact with teammate Lochie Hughes, sending both drivers to the back of the field. The incident slots Matteo Nannini into third, while Enzo Fittipaldi jumps up to fourth.

Jack Beeton is another driver to lose out from the incident, falling down to 17th. Jordan Missig also dropped back to 14th in the opening exchanges.

Johnson came under pressure from Nannini while running second. As the pair came up the hill from Turn 5, Johnson’s rear end stepped out, allowing Nannini to move past and take over second place.

Max Taylor begins closing on Fittipaldi for fourth, while Pierson exited pit lane just ahead of the leaders, managing to stay on the lead lap after the opening-lap contact.

Further back, Max Garcia and Niels Koolen make side-to-side contact. Garcia picked up damage, while Koolen was pushed onto the grass in the exchange.

James Roe dives down the inside of Jordan Missig at Turn 5 as the battle heats up for 14th and 15th. Jack Beeton follows Roe around Missig before getting around Roe as well. He quickly picks off Ricardo Escotto, moving up to 13th.

Tymek Kucharczyk is having a strong start to the race, climbing from 16th on the grid to fifth by lap 6.

Roe brings out first caution in second Indy NXT race

A full-course caution comes out at the start of lap 6 after Roe beaches his car in the gravel between Turns 13 and 14. It’s a short yellow as he gets pushed out and can continue.

De Tullio gets a strong jump on the restart, holding the lead into Turn 1. Behind him, Kucharczyk gets around Taylor and immediately sets his sights on Johnson for third by Turn 3. Kucharczyk tries to go around the outside of Johnson at Turn 5, but he is pushed wide and falls back to eighth.

A series of issues unfolds at Turns 4 and 5 for the Indy NXT field. Bryce Aron runs off the road while trying to swing around the outside of Colin Kaminsky. De Alba sends it around Koolen for 10th, but misses his braking point and the position stays with Koolen. Carson Etter has a similar moment in the same corner while battling for 18th.

Rowe runs over debris in Turn 5, allowing Beeton to get around him for ninth. Rowe’s front wing then touches Beeton’s tire on the run up the hill, possibly causing damage to Beeton.

By lap 11, the top three have settled in, with de Tullio holding a 1.5-second advantage. The top three have also pulled more than five seconds clear of Taylor in fourth.

Etter dives into the pit lane for a new front wing after picking up damage earlier in the lap. He rejoins running 20th.

Kucharczyk moves into podium contention

Kucharczyk’s day continues to get better as he jumps ahead of Taylor for fourth. He is up 12 positions from where he started, but still has 6.5 seconds to gain on Johnson in third.

With six laps to go, the battle for fifth heats up. Taylor and Fittipaldi exchange positions before Murray takes aim at sixth, but Beeton gets the better of him in the fight. Fittipaldi then gets back around Taylor, while Colin Kaminsky joins the battle in ninth.

Kucharczyk continues as the biggest mover of the race, getting around Johnson for third with four laps to go.

Kaminsky crash sets up one-lap shootout

The next yellow of the day comes out after Kaminsky hits the end of the pit wall on the front straight while trying to get around Murray. He slides down the track before spinning across in front of Rowe and ending up against the wall at Turn 1.

With cleanup completed from the incident, the field is set for a one-lap shootout for the win.

De Tullio gets a great run at the restart, holding the lead as the field heads into the final lap. Behind him, Kucharczyk closes onto Nannini’s tail for second as Nannini locks up into Turn 5.

Taylor gets back around Fittipaldi for fifth, while Missig runs off in Turn 8 and loses several positions. Taylor then goes wide in Turn 12 before spinning in Turn 14, dropping from sixth to 19th on the final lap.

De Tullio comes across the line with a second to spare, leading all 18 laps for a flag-to-flag victory and ending his birthday weekend with a win. Nannini takes second, followed by Kucharczyk, who finishes just 0.133 seconds behind him at the line.