Tymek Kucharczyk (HMD Motorsports) captured his first profession Indy NXT win in a stellar drive within the nightcap of the doubleheader weekend on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway highway course.
The 20-year-old Polish driver began fifth and made an opportunistic transfer for the lead after frontrunners drifted off track in Flip 1 of the opening lap. Regardless of strain for all 30 laps, he held serve to win by 0.6273s over Andretti World’s Max Taylor on the two.439-mile, 14-turn highway course. Kucharczyk turns into the primary driver from Poland to win in IndyCar’s developmental championship.
“What a special occasion,” Kucharczyk stated. “To do it right here, going again to November, my first time in an Indy NXT automobile and now winners right here at Indy is simply spectacular. So grateful to my sponsors, to my workforce. Large job. It was a troublesome race. It was actually, actually exhausting to up Max behind me, who was pushing me for the entire race. Apart from any lockup that I made through the race, it was a fairly flawless execution. Yeah, tremendous pleased.”
Enzo Fittipaldi (HMD Motorsports) backed up his Race 1 win with a third-place end within the second race. Lochie Hughes (Andretti World) 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), forward of Fittipaldi (-16), and Hughes (-64).
The Race
Pole-sitter Taylor led a three-wide run into Flip 1, with each him, entrance row mate De Tullio and Josh Pierson (Andretti World), who began third, all ended up briefly off track by the opening nook. Johnson was additionally pressuring for the lead, however fell again as a consequence of being instantly behind Taylor. In consequence, Kucharczyk went from fifth into the lead.
Kucharczyk led the preliminary 4 laps, however Taylor put the opening nook subject away and chased down the Polish driver. Taylor tried an out of doors cross for the lead into Flip 1, with the 2 touching barely and Kucharczyk capable of efficiently defend the highest spot.
Each Kucharczyk and Taylor held a 1.7s lead over third-place setter Enzo Fittipaldi.
On Lap 9, Myles Rowe (Abel Motorsport) was operating fifteenth and beneath strain by Bryce Aron (Chip Ganassi Racing), who rolled off final after coping with a mechanical subject on pit lane, when he overshot Flip 1 whereas locking up his entrance tires in a plume of smoke and went to the runoff highway earlier than calling for “brake failure” over the radio. Rowe ended up on pit lane and ultimately grew to become the primary retirement of the race.
Kucharczyk prolonged his result in 0.7s over Taylor, with Fittipaldi nonetheless in third at 2s again by Lap 10. Max Garcia and Jack Beeton got here collectively in Flip 7 on Lap 11 when the previous tried an inside cross however tapped the curbing and bounced into the latter whereas they battled for seventeenth.
On the midway level of the 30-lap contest, Kucharczyk continued to carry a stout lead of 0.6s over Taylor. Fittipaldi, De Tullio, and Hughes made up the remainder of the highest 5.
Aron continued his outstanding comeback, charging as much as thirteenth by Lap 18.
It grew to become evident Kucharczyk was urgent, with a number of temporary lockups whereas main, permitting Taylor to inch barely nearer by Lap 20. With 9 laps to go, Taylor received inside 0.4s of the chief. Fittipaldi remained 2.9s again in third.
Pierson started placing the warmth on Nikita Johnson (Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR) for sixth with six laps to go. Nonetheless, Pierson overcharged Flip 7 and went off track, faltering nicely behind Johnson and fading right down to eighth, handing seventh to Matteo Nannini (Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR).
With 4 laps to go, Hughes, on new tires for the race, powered by De Tullio, who briefly went off track, and took over fourth. Hughes then set his sights on Fittipaldi as the 2 ended up in a good battle for the ultimate podium spot. Hughes tried an out of doors cross, however Fittipaldi held his line and stayed in second by the subsequent lap.
Kucharczyk prolonged his result in 0.6s over Taylor within the method to the ultimate lap.
Regardless of the constant strain, Kucharczyk held his nerve and took his first collection win.
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