Track News

Raging Title Race Ready To Resume as Stretch Run Starts at Portland

58 MINUTES AGO

INDY NXT by Firestone returns to action this weekend at Portland International Raceway following a two-week break, with the championship fight entering its final stretch.

Just one point separates leader Nikita Johnson from Enzo Fittipaldi with four races remaining across the final three race weekends. Tymek Kucharczyk, Fittipaldi’s HMD Motorsports teammate, is just 25 points back in third, while Andretti Global teammates Max Taylor and Lochie Hughes remain in contention, trailing by 90 and 106 points, respectively.

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The top three drivers are series rookies.

The title battle has swung dramatically in recent weeks. Fittipaldi arrived at the July 4-5 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course doubleheader 26 points behind Johnson (photo, top) for the lead before sweeping the weekend to leave with a 20-point championship advantage. Johnson answered by finishing second to Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR teammate Matteo Nannini in the last race on July 19 at Nashville Superspeedway, reclaiming the points lead entering Portland.

With three drivers separated by just 25 points and just four races left, every point is critical in the race for the championship.

Portland has a history of producing plenty of action. Last year's race featured 74 on-track passes, the second-most recorded at the 12-turn, 1.964-mile circuit.

Tymek Kucharczyk

Best Road Racers This Season?

The championship contenders have been the class of the field on permanent road courses.

Eight of the season's 13 races have taken place on permanent road courses, with three street races and two ovals making up the remainder of the completed schedule.

Kucharczyk (photo, above) owns the best average finish on road courses this season at 3.75. He won Race 2 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course doubleheader and has finished in the top five seven times on permanent road courses.

Johnson ranks second with a 4.0 average finish. He won Race 1 at Barber Motorsports Park and has five podium finishes in eight starts on permanent road courses.

Fittipaldi leads all drivers with three road course victories but carries a 4.75 average finish after a 22nd-place result in Race 1 at Road America. He finished fourth or better in the other seven races.

Hughes (8.75) and Taylor (9.5) are the only other drivers averaging top-10 finishes on permanent road courses.

With Portland followed by the Milwaukee Mile oval and the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca road course doubleheader, road course performance likely will determine this year's champion.

Alessandro De Tullio

De Tullio Chasing Pole Record

AJ Foyt Racing rookie Alessandro de Tullio has been nearly unbeatable in qualifying.

He has earned seven poles in 13 races while adding four second-place starting positions, giving him 11 front-row starts this season. Five of his seven poles have come during the three road course doubleheader weekends at Barber Motorsports Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Road America.

The INDY NXT single-season record is nine poles, set in 2018 by Pato O'Ward. Ed Jones (2016) and Thiago Medeiros (2004) each earned eight.

De Tullio (photo, above) is tied with Dennis Hauger (2025), Oliver Askew (2019), Rinus VeeKay (2019), Colton Herta (2017), Greg Moore (1995), Bryan Herta (1993) and Paul Tracy (1990) with seven poles in a season. With four races remaining, he has multiple opportunities to equal or surpass O'Ward's record.

Despite his qualifying pace, de Tullio has just one victory, Race 2 at Barber. He crossed the finish line first June 21 at Road America before he and teammate Nicholas Monteiro were penalized following post-race technical inspection and relegated to 23rd and 24th, respectively.

He enters Portland seventh in points, 127 behind Johnson.

Josh Pierson

Pierson Returns Home

Josh Pierson is the only driver in the INDY NXT by Firestone or NTT INDYCAR SERIES paddock who calls Oregon home.

The 20-year-old Portland native (photo, above) is seeking his first series victory in his 51st career start.

Pierson sits 10th in points in his first season with Andretti Global after spending the previous three years with HMD Motorsports. He finished sixth in last year's championship with six top-five finishes and no result worse than 11th.

This season, Pierson has two podium finishes – runner-up in Race 1 at Road America and third at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Portland has been a challenging track for Pierson, who has finished 17th, ninth and 11th in three previous starts.

Andretti Global has won just two of the first 13 races this season after entering 2026 after winning 18 of the previous 25 series races. But the team has consistently finished seasons strong, winning two of the final three races last year, nine of the final 11 races in 2024 and three of the final five races in 2023.

Jack Beeton

Don’t Sleep on Beeton, Nannini

HMD Motorsports rookie Jack Beeton continues to build momentum.

Beeton (photo, above) has seven top-10 finishes this season. The Australian finished ninth in both races at Barber, fourth and sixth at Road America and third and second during the Mid-Ohio doubleheader. He enters Portland riding five consecutive top-eight finishes and sits eighth in points.

Nannini also deserves attention.

The Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR driver has earned two of his three career victories on permanent road courses, including in June at Road America. Combined with his Nashville oval triumph, Nannini enters Portland with momentum after three top-seven finishes in his past five permanent road course starts.