By Austin Lawton, Staff Writer

The biggest domino to fall in the IndyCar silly season was the eventual moves of Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist to Arrow McLaren. Now, with seats open at Meyer Shank Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing, along with several others in the rumor mill, teams are searching for potential candidates. 

The Indy NXT by Firestone Series is a proving ground for future IndyCar talent, with the likes of David Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood as recent products of the series, turned front runners  in IndyCar. The championship winner in Indy NXT gets a scholarship award of one million dollars to take to a potential team for a season of IndyCar or the Indianapolis 500. Last year, Dennis Hauger was the champion and now drives for Dale Coyne Racing in his rookie campaign. 

After the 65-lap race at Nashville Superspeedway, the top three drivers in the championship, Nikita Johnson, Enzo Fittipaldi and Tymek Kucharczyk are in a class of their own as they look to show their talents to prospective IndyCar owners. Last year’s Nashville winner Myles Rowe is also in contention for a IndyCar test or an Indy 500 ride. 

Johnson, who started the season in great form, won two of the first three races. Much like his competitors for the championship, the young American has been the model of consistency all season for Cape Motorsports, tallying six podiums, only finishing as low as seventh on two occasions.

The 18-year old also serves as a full season driver for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series, co-driving the teams McLaren in the GTD Pro class. With the RLL connection, as well as driving for an Ed Carpenter Racing-backed Cape Motorsports, the  jump to IndyCar can be done for the 18-year old. 

“Everything is crazy,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of funny to see rumors on Instagram. I’m definitely looking to make the jump next year. I think it’s possible. I just have to kind of figure out what’s the best deal and where the best place is for me.” 

If Johnson can land an Indycar seat for 2027, a budget help aid his efforts. 

“Right now I’m just looking for a ride,” Johnson said. “I know I could probably scrap up a little bit, but a lot of these other drivers have countries behind them, so it’s easier for them to get a budget. For me, I’m looking for that ride and if I can bring budget, that would most likely go to me and partially the team.” 

Former Red Bull junior driver, and current Red Bull athlete, Fittipaldi is currently second in the Indy NXT championship. The 25-year old Brazillian has notched four wins and two poles so far this season, recently sweeping the races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 4 & 5. 

Fittipaldi has experience in IndyCar machinery, having tested for Arrow McLaren on two occasions. The goal is simple for the grandson of the legendary Emerson Fittipaldi: To be in IndyCar next season. 

“That’s definitely our goal,” Fittipaldi said. “We’re doing everything possible to make that happen. My goal as a racing driver is to continue performing on track. We have a big weekend ahead of us here in Nashville. I want to show all the team as wellt hat I can perform on an oval as well since I didn’t really have the chance at Gateway. We had a very good test at Milwaukee two weeks ago and led that test.” 

Fittipaldi leads Indy NXT with four wins. Photo Credit: Austin Lawton-KickinTheTires.net

Fittipaldi’s HMD Motorsports teammate, Kucharczyk, is only 25 points out of the points lead in third. The Polish driver dubbed “Timmy Kachow” by FOX Sports, has shown consistency throughout his rookie campaign, amassing seven podiums. Kucharczyk’s lone win came at Race 2 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. 

Kucharczyk and his camp have their eyes on the IndyCar Series and the one million dollar scholarship prize. 

“Absolutely IndyCar is the goal,” Kucharczyk said. “We’re working hard towards it. I’m trying to be the best version of myself and be ready, be prepared. If there’s anything that pops up, I want to maximize it. We’re in talks and obviously it’s the beginning of the silly season. I believe the scholarship is crucial in talks with the teams, especially the smaller ones.” 

Kucharczyk has been the model of consistency in the Indy NXT championship with eight podiums. Photo Credit: Matt Fraver- Penske Entertainment

Rowe, who is currently seventh in the standings, is currently in his third season in Indy NXT and second with Abel Motorsports. Most drivers look to spend a maximum of three seasons in the series and Rowe is looking towards what will be next, while also trying to maximize his points haul. 

“I’ve been thinking of options right now,” Rowe said. “ I can’t really do much talking and we’re just waiting to understand how to move, which is a bit of wrong timing. With good faith, you know, it’ll work out for me in the end. Hopefully the long game pays off.” 

Despite early struggles for Rowe, the start to the second half of his 2026 campaign is full of upside. A win a second place at the Detroit Grand Prix and a comeback win at World Wide Technology Raceway kickstarted a run of five top 10’s in-a-row, ending at the second race at Mid-Ohio. 

Rowe is the guy to beat on ovals and hopes to turn that into an Indy 500 seat or IndyCar opportunity. Photo Credit: Austin Lawton-KickinTheTires.net

The Abel Motorsports car has seen an uptick in performance over recent weeks, especially on road courses, and Rowe thinks that will aid in trying to clinch the fourth spot in the championship. 

“The road courses are coming together really nicely,” Rowe explained. “On the No.12 car side, they had a really good trend going on with their setup and it was a good sign. In Ohio, for us, we had a really good setup coming into qualifying. It was the best baseline we had and best foundation on a road course setup we had. The engine failed, so we didn’t get to capitalize on that. We saw how good the car was in Race One, being able to pass through the pack a little bit. Race Two was a bit experimental, so we didn’t have the same car to really extract that potential from qualifying.

“Despite the success last year, gathering a huge bunch of points stays the key. It’s a tight race in those fourth to sixth positions. I no doubt, want to step above my fourth place position from last year, so doing the most to have a consistent result is absolutely key this weekend.”