Nikita Johnson left the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader with the points lead.

The rookie driver for Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR leads fellow rookie Tymek Kucharczyk by 11 points entering Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix (10:30 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

SEE: Event Details

Can Johnson extend his lead in the 45-lap race on the 1.645-mile downtown Detroit street circuit? Just 16 points separate the top four drivers in the standings of the INDYCAR development series.

Tymek Kucharczyk

Kucharczyk Climbing

The Polish HMD Motorsports driver has finished in the top five in all six races this season, the only driver to do so.

Kucharczyk (photo, above, front) opened the season with three consecutive third-place finishes, at St. Petersburg, Arlington and Barber Motorsports Park Race 1. He followed with a fifth-place finish in Barber Race 2 and fourth in the opening Indianapolis race.

He then earned his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory in Race 2 on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Can he continue that run in Detroit, a street circuit similar to the two layouts on which he’s finished third this season?

Keep Eye on Taylor

Max Taylor dropped from second to third in points at Indianapolis but gained ground on Johnson after climbing from 23 points back to 14 following the May 8-9 doubleheader.

The Andretti Global driver seeks his second victory of the season and enters Detroit with the best average finish on street circuits in the field. Taylor has a 1.5 average finish on street circuits this season after finishing second at St. Petersburg and winning at Arlington.

Taylor also has started on the front row in five of six races this season, including three starts from second.

Andretti Global has captured the last two INDY NXT races in Detroit. Louis Foster won in 2024, and Dennis Hauger triumphed in 2025. Both drivers went on to win the series title.

Who’s Next First-Time Winner?

Five of the first six races this season were won by drivers earning their first INDY NXT victory. Does that continue Sunday?

Johnson won at St. Petersburg and Barber Race 1. Taylor won at Arlington. Alessandro de Tullio (AJ Foyt Racing) won Barber Race 2. Enzo Fittipaldi (HMD Motorsports) won Indianapolis Race 1, and Kucharczyk won Indianapolis Race 2.

Each of the top six drivers in points owns at least one series victory, including sophomore driver Lochie Hughes (photo, top), who sits fifth. The Andretti Global driver won twice last season but remains winless in 2026.

Juan Manuel Correa could become the next first-time winner. The Cusick Morgan Motorsports driver enters seventh in points and finished third in Detroit last year. He also finished ninth at St. Petersburg and fourth at Arlington this season, both street circuits.

Seb Murray of Andretti Global also could contend. Murray finished fourth and seventh on street circuits this season and placed sixth in Detroit last year.

Enzo Fittipaldi

Fittipaldi Back in Detroit?

Emerson Fittipaldi won twice during the INDYCAR SERIES initial three-year run on downtown Detroit streets from 1989-91. The race moved to Belle Isle Park in 1992 before returning downtown in 2023.

Can Enzo Fittipaldi (photo, above), Emerson’s grandson, follow his Indianapolis road course victory last month with another win in Detroit?

Fittipaldi enters the weekend fourth in points, 16 behind Johnson. He also has five consecutive top-four finishes, including runner-up finishes at Arlington and Barber Race 1 and first and third, respectively, in Indianapolis.

The Weekend Schedule

The series opens the weekend with practice at 2 p.m. ET Friday, May 29 on FS2. Action resumes Saturday, May 30 with practice at 8 a.m. ET on FS1 followed by qualifying at noon ET on FS1.

Sunday’s race starts at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1. All sessions also stream on FOX One and air on INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

Track specs: 1.645-mile, nine-turn street circuit

Qualifying record: Dennis Hauger, 1:04.9896, 91.122 mph, May 31, 2025

Push to Pass parameters: 150 seconds total with a maximum of 15 seconds per activation