At the 2026 Indy NXT practice session held in St. Petersburg, Max Taylor established himself as the fastest, guiding Andretti Global to secure the first three positions on the timing sheets. The 45-minute session kicked off with intense activity as drivers immediately sought quick lap times, highlighting the significance of this early performance in the championship preparation.
Early Benchmarks and Competitive Lap Times Set the Pace
Taylor’s initial benchmark of 1m09.9265s was quickly surpassed by teammates Lochie Hughes and Seb Murray, who both pushed lap times into the 1m08s range. However, Abel Motorsports’ Max Garcia then topped the charts with a 1m07.891s, narrowly ahead of Andretti’s Josh Pierson and Force Indy’s Myles Rowe. The field showed early signs of deep competition, with Salvador de Alba of HMD and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Niels Koolen repeatedly improving times, illustrating a tight battle among several teams.
Andretti Reclaims the Lead with Taylor Breaking Lap Records
The Andretti drivers soon reasserted control, with Murray setting a 1m07.0788s to lead Hughes before Taylor became the first to break the 1-minute-07-second barrier. Taylor’s 1m06.4078s put him 0.3722s in front of Rowe, while Tymek Kucharczyk of HMD soon moved into third but remained behind the top trio. Hughes improved to 1m06.1421s but Taylor responded with a remarkable 1m05.8011s, extending his lead. During this phase, several top drivers continued to refine their laps, though Garcia briefly paused his running to sit in the pits.
Mid-Session Incident Halts Practice Briefly
Fifteen minutes in, the session was interrupted by a red flag caused when Jack Beeton of HMD brushed the barrier at turn 10, badly damaging his rear suspension and wing. The cleanup took four minutes, providing a pause in the fast-paced action. After the restart, Taylor edged faster with incremental improvements, lowering his best lap to 1m05.4236s. Hughes remained closely behind, less than half a second off Taylor’s pace.
Strong Performances from Emerging Contenders Close the Gap
Josh Pierson improved strongly, climbing to third place though still significantly behind Taylor’s benchmark. Meanwhile, drivers like Nikita Johnson of Cape Motorsports and Enzo Fittipaldi of HMD advanced through the rankings, with Fittipaldi eventually becoming Taylor’s closest challenger, trailing by roughly 0.48 seconds. Personal bests were recorded by Matteo Nannini, Murray, and Rowe, as the pack tightened in mid-race simulation conditions.
Late-Session Surges by Rowe and Others Narrow the Top Times
As the track emptied somewhat late in the session, Myles Rowe capitalized by breaking the 1-minute-06-second barrier multiple times. His best lap brought him to second, just over three tenths behind Taylor. Drivers such as Juan Manuel Correa of Cusick Morgan Motorsports and Colin Kaminsky of Abel also posted sub-1m06 laps, rising into the top seven. The session again saw interruptions when Hughes crashed at turn eight, losing his front wing but returning safely to the pits.
Final Minutes See Intense Battles and Taylor Securing Fastest Time
In the closing moments, some drivers chose to stay in the pits, while others pushed to improve. Tymek Kucharczyk and Niels Koolen solidified sixth and seventh positions respectively. Seb Murray regained seventh shortly before the session ended. After the checkered flag, Taylor set an unbeatable fastest lap of 1m05.0852s. Pierson made a remarkable jump from 13th to second, just 0.4506 seconds off the pace and narrowly ahead of Murray by 0.001 seconds.
Implications for the Indy NXT 2026 Season
The dominant showing by Max Taylor and Andretti Global in this first Indy NXT 2026 practice session at St. Petersburg signals strong early form and depth within the team. With Taylor leading an Andretti 1-2-3 sweep, rival teams like Abel Motorsports, HMD, Cape Motorsports, and Force Indy remain competitive but must close the margin quickly. As the season advances, this session’s results underline both Taylor’s pace advantage and the intense challenges his rivals face in pursuit of championship contention.
