Tymek Kucharczyk (HMD Motorsports) captured his first career Indy NXT win in a stellar drive in the nightcap of the doubleheader weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
The 20-year-old Polish driver started fifth and made an opportunistic move for the lead after frontrunners drifted off course in Turn 1 of the opening lap. Despite pressure for all 30 laps, he held serve to win by 0.6273s over Andretti Global’s Max Taylor on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course. Kucharczyk becomes the first driver from Poland to win in IndyCar’s developmental championship.
“What a special day,” Kucharczyk said. “To do it here, going back to November, my first time in an Indy NXT car and now winners here at Indy is just spectacular. So grateful to my sponsors, to my team. Tremendous job. It was a tough race. It was really, really hard to up Max behind me, who was pushing me for the whole race. Except for any lockup that I made during the race, it was a pretty flawless execution. Yeah, super happy.”
Enzo Fittipaldi (HMD Motorsports) backed up his Race 1 win with a third-place finish in the second race. Lochie Hughes (Andretti Global) took fourth, with Alessandro De Tullio (AJ Foyt Racing) in fifth.
After six of 17 races, Nikita Johnson holds an 11-point lead over Kucharczyk (231-220). Taylor sits third (-14), ahead of Fittipaldi (-16), and Hughes (-64).
The Race
Pole-sitter Taylor led a three-wide run into Turn 1, with both him, front row mate De Tullio and Josh Pierson (Andretti Global), who started third, all ended up briefly off course through the opening corner. Johnson was also pressuring for the lead, but fell back due to being directly behind Taylor. As a result, Kucharczyk went from fifth into the lead.
Kucharczyk led the initial four laps, but Taylor put the opening corner issue away and chased down the Polish driver. Taylor attempted an outside pass for the lead into Turn 1, with the two touching slightly and Kucharczyk able to successfully defend the top spot.
Both Kucharczyk and Taylor held a 1.7s lead over third-place setter Enzo Fittipaldi.
On Lap 9, Myles Rowe (Abel Motorsport) was running 15th and under pressure by Bryce Aron (Chip Ganassi Racing), who rolled off last after dealing with a mechanical issue on pit lane, when he overshot Turn 1 while locking up his front tires in a plume of smoke and went to the runoff road before calling for “brake failure” over the radio. Rowe ended up on pit lane and eventually became the first retirement of the race.
Kucharczyk extended his lead to 0.7s over Taylor, with Fittipaldi still in third at 2s back by Lap 10. Max Garcia and Jack Beeton came together in Turn 7 on Lap 11 when the former attempted an inside pass but tapped the curbing and bounced into the latter while they battled for 17th.
At the halfway point of the 30-lap contest, Kucharczyk continued to hold a stout lead of 0.6s over Taylor. Fittipaldi, De Tullio, and Hughes made up the rest of the top five.
Aron continued his remarkable comeback, charging up to 13th by Lap 18.
It became evident Kucharczyk was pressing, with multiple brief lockups while leading, allowing Taylor to inch slightly closer by Lap 20. With nine laps to go, Taylor got within 0.4s of the leader. Fittipaldi remained 2.9s back in third.
Pierson began putting the heat on Nikita Johnson (Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR) for sixth with six laps to go. However, Pierson overcharged Turn 7 and went off course, faltering well behind Johnson and fading down to eighth, handing seventh to Matteo Nannini (Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR).
With four laps to go, Hughes, on new tires for the race, powered by De Tullio, who briefly went off course, and took over fourth. Hughes then set his sights on Fittipaldi as the two ended up in a tight battle for the final podium spot. Hughes attempted an outside pass, but Fittipaldi held his line and stayed in second through the next lap.
Kucharczyk extended his lead to 0.6s over Taylor in the approach to the final lap.
Despite the consistent pressure, Kucharczyk held his nerve and took his first series win.
Read Also:
Enzo Fittipaldi snags first Indy NXT win in Race 1 of Indianapolis doubleheader
Alessandro de Tullio breaks through for first Indy NXT win in Barber Race 2
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