Max Taylor tops the timesheets in Indy NXT Practice 1 St. Pete as the 2026 season begins on the streets of Florida.
With the green light at 12:30 pm local time, all 23 drivers head straight onto the 1.8 mile Florida street circuit to bank early laps. Andretti’s Taylor lays down the first benchmark in the 1:05s, setting the tone for IndyNXT practice 1 in St. Pete.
Early red flag interrupts Indy NXT Practice 1 St. Pete
Fifteen minutes into the session, the first red flag of the season flies. HMD Motorsports’ Jack Beeton makes contact with the concrete barrier at Turn 10. He damaged his rear wing and the right rear corner of his car.
After a short clean-up period, the session resumes with 26 minutes remaining on the clock.
Nicolas Stati narrowly avoids triggering another stoppage after becoming stranded in the Turn 8 runoff area. The Cusick Morgan Motorsports driver rejoins the circut, allowing green-flag running to continue in practice 1 at St. Pete.
At the hallway mark, Taylor remains on top with a 1:05.781, with Lochie Hughes, also an Andretti driver, close behind. Enzo Fittipaldi splits the Andretti drivers with a 1:05.791 before Myles Rowe improves further, moving into second with a 1:05.584.
Times tumble in the closing stages in St. Pete
As track conditions improve, lap times begin to fall rapidly. With 11 minutes remaining, 11 drivers dip into the 1:05 bracket, Taylor still leading with a 1:05.222.
Juan Manuel Correa, competing with Cusick Morgan Motorsports, slots into fourth, while Cape Motorsports’ Matteo Nannini holds fifth as the order reshuffles.
Another red flag interrupts proceedings when Hughes loses his front wing in the barriers at Turn 8. The championship favorite manages to drive back to the pits, but must remain stationary in his pitbox for three minutes for causing the stoppage.
Practice 1 resumes with just over four minutes remaining, setting up a frantic final run as nearly the entire field returns to the circuit.
Late improvements secure Andretti 1-2-3
In the final flying laps, Josh Pierson and Sebastian Murray surge into second and third respectively, completing an Andretti 1-2-3 at the chequered flag at Indy NXT practice 1 in St. Pete.
Florida native Nikita Johnson delivers a strong home-state showing to finish 10th.
At the close of running, the entire field is covered by just under two seconds, an early sign of how tightly contested the 2026 Indy NXT campaign could become.
