Andretti closes strong in Indy NXT Practice 2 at St. Pete
Indy NXT Practice 2 at the St. Petersburg street circuit begins on a drying track, with a visible dry line forming but several slick patches still catching drivers out.
The green flag flies at 8:45 am local time for the 40-minute session. Australia’s Jack Beeton of HMD Motorsports is the first driver to venture out on slick tires, setting the benchmark as the rest of the field evaluates grip levels.
Eight minutes into the session, only six drivers have recorded lap times: Beeton, Enzo Fittipaldi, Lochie Hughes, Sebastian Murray, Max Taylor, and JM Correa. With 32 minutes remaining, Beeton leads with a 1:19.304 as drivers continue to search for the dry line during Indy NXT Practice 2 in St. Pete.
By the 30-minute mark, just nine drivers are circulating. The top five — Beeton, Nicholas Monteiro, Fittipaldi, Correa, and Salvador de Alba — are the only drivers to log more than two laps.
Red flag interrupts Monteiro’s charge
Brazil’s Nicholas Monteiro driving for A.J. Foyt Racing moves into second place as conditions steadily improve. With 21 minutes remaining, the session is red-flagged after Monteiro contacts the wall at the entrance to Turn 1. He manages to drive back to the pits, with rear-left suspension damage.
Green flag conditions resume with 19 minutes left, and Nikita Johnson is first back on track. The Cape Motorsports driver, who is also competing full-time in IMSA GT3 machinery this season, sets the fastest lap time.
Lap times tumble nearly a second per lap as grip increases. With 15 minutes remaining, Correa slots into second with a 1:11.120, just behind Beeton’s 1:10.935.
Late-session shootout on a drying track
With nine minutes remaining, HMD Motorsports’ Tymek Kucharczyk of Poland, Beeton, Correa, Nicolas Stati, and Monteiro occupy the top five.
The four Andretti Autosport entries head out for their first flying laps with eight minutes to go. Max Taylor jumps up to 11th place as Lochie Hughes slots in behind him.
A.J. Foyt Racing’s Alessandro de Tullio climbs into fourth with six minutes remaining, recovering strongly after a difficult opening practice. Ricardo Escotto later slots into fourth for Juncos Hollinger Racing as times continue to fall during Indy NXT Practice 2 in St. Petersburg.
In the closing minutes, the session becomes a battle at the top. Sebastian Murray briefly climbs to second before being displaced by de Alba.
With 45 seconds remaining, Max Taylor storms to the top with a 1:06.535. Lochie Hughes responded with a 1:06.484, only for Taylor to reclaim P1 moments later with a 1:06.430.
Finishing in 13th with 29 laps under his belt, Beeton recovered strongly in Indy NXT Practice 2 after crashing in Practice 1.
Andretti ultimately prevails in a dramatic late-session charge, overturning what had earlier been a strong showing from Beeton and Kucharczyk.
