Ahead of the 2026 Indy NXT by Firestone doubleheader at Road America, Lochie Hughes was still searching for the weekend that could bring his season together.
The speed had been there. The results, by his own admission, had not always reflected it.
Hughes entered his second Indy NXT season with Andretti Global as one of the championship’s leading contenders after a standout rookie campaign in 2025. However, the early stages of 2026 had brought frustration, missed opportunities, and a period of adjustment as he worked to adapt to changes within the car.
Speaking exclusively with Pit Debrief before the Road America weekend, Hughes said he hoped the Wisconsin circuit could mark a turning point.
“We’ve been really fast recently, but it seems really hard to put a whole weekend together. Hopefully Road America can be the change.“
Hughes went on to claim his first victory of the 2026 Indy NXT season at Road America, delivering not only a key result for his own championship hopes but also a milestone 100th Indy NXT win for Andretti Global. He is 5th in points following the latest doubleheader.
For Hughes, the result came at a track he already held in especially high regard.
Road America is Hughes’ “favourite track in North America”
Road America has long been one of the most beloved venues on the American racing calendar, and Hughes did not hesitate when asked where it ranks for him.
“I’d say it’s definitely my favourite track in North America.
The 4.014-mile road course offers a very different challenge from the short oval at World Wide Technology Raceway, where Indy NXT had raced just before arriving in Elkhart Lake. For Hughes, the appeal of Road America comes from the variety packed into one lap.
“Over one lap, it’s really enjoyable. You have big brake zones, fast corners — you get a bunch of everything.
“The facility is nice, the schedule is usually quite nice, the area is nice, and there are nice restaurants and nice scenery. There’s really nothing negative about being here.“
After a difficult run of races where the performance was often stronger than the final outcome, that positive feeling around Road America mattered. It gave Hughes a chance to reset at a place he genuinely enjoys.
Switching from oval mindset to road course mindset
Before arriving at Road America, Hughes had been racing on one of the shortest ovals on the Indy NXT calendar. Going from Gateway to one of the longest road courses in North America required more than a simple change in set-up.
For Hughes, it also required a shift in mindset.
“An oval and a road course are so different that you don’t really approach them the same. You’re in a different mindset. When it’s an oval, it’s an oval mindset, and then you come back to a road course mindset.
Gateway, he said, was “really fun,” but the demands were completely different.
“It’s the complete opposite — very short, very fast and very repetitive. Here, we do 20 laps, and that’s really all you get for the weekend. It’s quite different in that sense.“
That contrast made Road America a fresh challenge, but also an opportunity. After showing pace across multiple events without fully converting it, Hughes arrived with a clear focus on execution.
“Not ideal so far”: Hughes on his second season with Andretti
Hughes returned to Andretti Global in 2026 after an impressive rookie Indy NXT season. However, when asked to compare his second season to his first without focusing only on results, he was honest about the early difficulties.
“It’s not ideal so far. There’s still a long way to go, but by this point last year, we had definitely had a much better season.
The Australian pointed to a combination of circumstances and adaptation. While Andretti Global’s pace had remained strong, Hughes said putting complete weekends together had been the missing piece.
A major part of that adjustment came from changes to the Indy NXT car.
“There have been changes to the car this year. We have a new gearbox and some other changes, and I probably didn’t adapt to them as quickly as I would have liked.
“There was a lot of stuff I learned last year that I kind of had to unlearn a little bit. The first few races were just about trying to get used to that.
Still, Hughes believed the signs were already there that a stronger run was coming.
“If you look at our last three races, we’ve been really quick. At Indy, we should have won. At Detroit, we should have had pole and should have won, but I stuffed up there. At Gateway, we did get pole, and then the race just didn’t go our way.
“The last few races, we’ve been really, really quick. I think if we can find that little bit and put the whole weekend together.“
Pressure from the outside versus pressure from within
With Hughes returning to Andretti as one of the top drivers from the previous Indy NXT season, championship expectations naturally followed him into 2026. However, he does not see external pressure as the main force driving him.
“I put my own pressure on myself, so that stuff is kind of nothing compared to the pressure I put myself under.
“I think in a rookie season, the expectations are mainly just your own. But I’ve always had that expectation of myself, so nothing has really changed there.“
That mindset helps explain why the early-season frustration mattered so much. Hughes did not need outside reminders of what was expected. He already had those expectations internally.
Will Power relationship strengthened by Andretti move
Hughes has previously spoken about receiving advice from fellow Australian Will Power. With Power now also part of the Andretti Global environment, that relationship has become easier to maintain.
“It’s a lot easier to grab Will and have a conversation. Everyone is in the hospitality together and in the shop together, so it’s a lot easier to get hold of him.
“It’s made the relationship better, I would say.“
In a season where Hughes has had to adjust to changes, manage pressure, and work through frustration, having access to that level of experience within the same team environment can only help.
The hidden cost of the ladder
From the outside, Hughes’ rise through the American open-wheel ladder can look straightforward. He won the 2024 USF Pro 2000 championship with Turn 3 Motorsport before moving into Indy NXT with Andretti Global, where he quickly became one of the series’ leading young drivers.
However, Hughes said the journey has not been as simple as results sheets may suggest.
“I guess I’ve won every series I’ve raced in — basically almost won all three categories to get here, with USF2000 and USF Pro 2000. It’s a fun journey, but it’s tough.
One part of that journey, in particular, shows the sacrifice behind the climb.
“My parents sold the house during that period when I was with Turn 3. I guess stuff like that is part of racing.“
It was a brief answer, but one that captured the reality of junior single-seater racing. For many drivers, reaching the next level requires more than talent. It requires family commitment, financial sacrifice, and the ability to keep pushing when the path is uncertain.
Lessons from Peter Dempsey and Turn 3 Motorsport
Before Andretti Global, Hughes’ most successful step on the ladder came with Peter Dempsey’s Turn 3 Motorsport, where he won the USF Pro 2000 title.
Asked what he still carries from that period, Hughes said there were many lessons, though not all were ones he wanted to discuss publicly.
“Lots of things. There’s some stuff I won’t really talk about, but one of the big things was just enjoying it. When I raced for Turn 3, I realised how much I just enjoy racing. When you enjoy racing, you usually do pretty well.“
It is a simple lesson, but one that stands out during a season built around pressure, adaptation, and expectation. Hughes’ Road America weekend showed that the enjoyment and the performance can still come together.
Racing remains at the centre
Away from the more serious questions, Hughes’ answers made one thing clear: racing remains the centre of his competitive world.
Asked to describe a typical race day or race weekend in three words, he kept it simple.
“It’s racing.
His race weekend essential was equally straightforward.
“Probably something simple, like electrolytes.
As for a walk-up song, Hughes admitted it depends on the mood, but offered a couple of classic choices.
“It could be ‘Hells Bells’ by AC/DC, or ‘My Hero’ by Foo Fighters.
Asked what car and track combination he would choose if he could race anything, anywhere, Hughes went straight to one of Formula 1’s most iconic pairings.
“Probably the McLaren MP4/4 at Monaco. Like the ’80s.
However, when asked whether he is super competitive about anything outside of racing, Hughes said no.
“Some drivers get competitive about everything, but I honestly couldn’t care about anything except racing.“
That answer may say as much about Hughes as anything else. The pressure, the frustration, the sacrifices, and the expectations all come back to the same point. For Hughes, racing is not just the career he is chasing. It is the thing that matters most.
