Lochie Hughes, a rookie from Australia and the 2024 USF Pro 2000 champion, managed to secure his first-ever Indy NXT victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Driving his No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car under the Andretti Global team, Hughes dominated the race by leading all 35 laps and finishing ahead of veteran Caio Collet by 0.7229s.
“This weekend has been awesome,” Hughes expressed. “I owe it all to the team. The transition to this series has been quite challenging for me, coming from where I was before. I’ve been playing catch-up for a while now. So, it feels really good to finally grab a win, especially here. It’s been quite a day. My parents are actually here this weekend, which is rare, so it’s special for them to witness a win after such a long time, since they don’t visit America often. Pretty cool.”
The race saw a career-best third-place finish from veteran Myles Rowe in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car, followed by Callum Hedge in the No. 17 Abel Motorsports car and Salvador de Alba in the No. 27 Grupo Indi of Andretti Global car, rounding out the top five positions.
Hughes started from the pole position and quickly established a lead of 1.6813s before a caution was called on lap 10 due to Juan Manuel Correa and Niels Koolen going off-course in Turn 1. Following the restart on lap 12, Hughes extended his lead to 2.3395s by the halfway point on lap 18. Despite teammate James Roe’s crash on lap 29, bringing out the final caution of the race, Hughes managed to maintain his lead on the restart on lap 31 and crossed the finish line first, fending off Collet for the victory.
Expressing his frustration about the multiple yellow flags, Hughes said, “I was pretty annoyed when I kept seeing the yellow come out. I was just trying to get a good jump off the last corner there and brake late into [Turn] 1 and make sure I don’t get passed.”
With this win, Hughes closed in on series leader and teammate Dennis Hauger, who had won the first two races of the season but finished eighth in the No. 28 Rental Group car. Hauger faced a setback on the opening lap when he made contact with Hedge in Turn 1, causing his car to go off track. Despite starting at the back of the field, Hauger managed to climb through the ranks and finish in eighth place by the end of the race.
The next race of the doubleheader, another 35-lap contest, is set to take place at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday on FS1, the FOX Sports app, and the IndyCar Radio Network. Once again, Hughes and Hauger will share the front row, with Hughes starting from pole position.
Hughes’ victory marks a significant milestone in his career, showcasing his potential in the competitive world of racing. As he continues to impress on the track, all eyes will be on him as he strives for more success in the future.
