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Nikita Johnson Wins Indy NXT St. Petersburg Opener, Delivering First Win for Cape Motorsports

An early Turn 1 pass proved decisive after cautions converted the event into a 55-minute, 42-lap sprint.

Overview

  • Starting second, Johnson swept around pole-sitter Max Taylor into Turn 1 and controlled the restarts to lead all 42 laps.
  • The scheduled 45-lap race was shortened to a timed contest after four full-course cautions.
  • Taylor finished 0.699 seconds behind, with HMD Motorsports’ Tymek Kucharczyk third on his series debut.
  • The result was Johnson’s first series victory and Cape Motorsports’ maiden Indy NXT win in partnership with Ed Carpenter Racing.
  • Incidents included a clash between Chip Ganassi Racing teammates James Roe Jr and Niels Koolen and Carson Etter’s Turn 8 crash into the tire barrier.