In Miami Gardens, Florida, aspiring young racers from South Florida gathered recently for test sessions at Hard Rock Stadium, marking a crucial step in their pursuit of professional careers within the Indy NXT Series, a key development platform for future IndyCar drivers. These teenagers are honing their skills on high-powered cars, aiming to advance into the top ranks of American open-wheel racing.
Balancing School and Racing Ambitions
Sixteen-year-old Max Garcia, a junior at Columbus High School, is among the local talent pushing forward in the Indy NXT Series. Despite his demanding schedule, Garcia manages to communicate proactively with his teachers about his racing commitments.
“Communicating to my teachers, ‘Look, I’m going to be out from Wednesday to Friday,’ for example, ‘and this is what I’m going to, just let me know what I can do in advance or what I can do while I’m gone,’”
said Garcia.
Alongside Garcia, nineteen-year-old Alessandro De Tullio, who attends Miami Dade College, also balances academics with his racing career. De Tullio participates in online coursework and travels frequently to Indianapolis, where his racing team is based, to compete and train.
“A little bit tough, but I do the online stuff, so it’s quite good, I still have time to go to Indianapolis, be with the team, because the team is based in Indianapolis, and as well as travel for the race,”
said De Tullio.
Transitioning from Go-Karts to High-Speed Indy NXT Cars
Both Garcia and De Tullio started racing in go-karts at a young age, but they now face steeper challenges moving onto the more powerful and complex Indy NXT vehicles. Racing at speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour demands significant adaptation and a steep learning curve.
“It’s bigger — it has suspension, a lot more power, bigger tires — it’s just everything’s bigger,”
Garcia explained about the transition.
“A lot of power, a lot of downforce, as where a go-kart is, you know, it’s you’re basically sitting on the ground and no suspension on the thing, no nothing,”
De Tullio added.
“It’s a little bit more raw, a little bit more fast, fast as in like the sensation.”
Peers’ Perspectives on Their Racing Careers
Garcia noted that most of his classmates are unaware of the extent of his racing life outside school.
“No, they don’t understand it at all, I think that’s the cool part, because they don’t see me as a race car driver, they just see me as me,”
said Garcia.
Potential Return of Indy Racing to South Florida
There is ongoing discussion about bringing back the Indy Racing League to South Florida for the first time since 2010, possibly racing at the Homestead-Miami Speedway or using the Hard Rock Stadium circuit previously utilized by Formula 1. Such a return would offer the young South Florida racers an opportunity to compete professionally on home turf, further supporting the region’s racing community.
