Three Up, Three Down: Who’s Rising, Falling After Four Races?

INDY NXT by Firestone is off to an exciting start this season, with three different winners from three teams in four races.

Nikita Johnson of Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR (photo, top) won the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg and Race 1 of the Barber Motorsports Park doubleheader.

Max Taylor of Andretti Global won the second race of the season on the streets of Arlington, while AJ Foyt Racing’s Alessandro de Tullio captured the second race at Barber.

Parity defines the 24-car field. That is a shift from last season, when Andretti Global teammates Dennis Hauger and Lochie Hughes combined to win the first six races.

Will that trend continue on the next race weekend, the doubleheader May 8-9 on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course?

Race 1 is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET Friday, May 8 on FS2. Race 2 is set for 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, May 9 on FS1. Both races will also air on FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

THREE UP:

Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR: Johnson, 17, leads the standings after four races with two wins and three podium finishes. His worst result is sixth at Arlington. The St. Petersburg, Florida, native is chasing his first championship since the 2022 YACademy Winter Series. He finished second in USF2000 in 2023, second in USF Pro 2000 in 2024 and third in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship in 2025.

Max Taylor, Andretti Global: Taylor nearly has four top-two finishes in four starts. Contact with de Tullio with eight laps remaining in Race 1 at Barber dropped him to 19th. The 18-year-old Connecticut native (photo, above) owns a win and two runner-up finishes (St. Petersburg and Barber Race 2). He trails Johnson by 23 points and aims to deliver Andretti Global a third consecutive series title.

Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports: The 20-year-old rookie from Poland (photo, above) is the only driver with a top-five finish in all four races. He placed third at St. Petersburg, Arlington and Barber Race 1 and fifth in Barber Race 2. He sits third in points, 33 behind Johnson.

Honorable Mention:

Alessandro de Tullio, AJ Foyt Racing: De Tullio has earned three straight pole positions, but his first win came in Race 2 at Barber. Contact from the pole at Arlington dropped him to 11th. Another incident with Taylor in Race 1 at Barber left him 20th. His March 29 victory is his only top-five finish, and he ranks fifth in points, 60 behind the leader.

THREE DOWN:

Lochie Hughes, Andretti Global: Hughes (photo, above) entered the season as the top returning driver in the standings and a championship contender. He won twice and finished third in points last year and returned with the same team. This season has been difficult. His best results are fifth-place finishes at St. Petersburg and Arlington. He finished 12th and 16th at Barber and sits seventh in points, 76 behind Johnson.

Myles Rowe, ABEL Motorsports with Force Indy: Rowe (photo, above) also entered 2026 with championship expectations after two wins and a fourth-place finish in last year’s standings. With the same team, he is ninth in points, 81 back. His best finish is fifth in Barber Race 1. He also finished sixth at St. Petersburg, ninth at Arlington and 23rd in Barber Race 2.

Max Garcia, ABEL Motorsports: Garcia (photo, above) has time to develop, but his slow start has been surprising. He is 14th in points with one top-10 finish, a fourth in Barber Race 1. The 17-year-old won the 2024 USF2000 championship and the 2025 USF Pro 2000 title, earning 14 wins and six runner-up finishes in 36 combined starts. His worst result over those two seasons was ninth. He already has finished 12th or worse in three of four races this year.