Photo: Paul Hurley
Andretti driver Louis Foster dominated the first Indy Nxt race of the weekend at Laguna Seca.
Foster led from start to finish and coasted over the line more than eight seconds clear of Caio Collet. Further back there was drama as Yuven Sundaramoorthy took the chequered flag with only three wheels after making contact with a backmarker.
Despite an early safety car, there was little challenge for Foster throughout the race. At the race start, Collet just seemed to have the edge, but Foster pulled ahead and would remain there for 35 laps.
After a brief safety car, brought out when Reece Gold ran into the gravel at turn five, Collet couldn’t stick with the race leader and it wasn’t long before Foster had a gap of several seconds. He was 8.2445s clear at the chequered flag.
Collet was more than 20 seconds clear of third at the chequered flag, in part due to the final lap drama for Sundaramoorthy. Sundaramoorthy had spent most of the race close behind team-mate Jacob Abel but was able to fight against the championship contender. Late in the race, Sundaramoorthy found a way through, though the two made slight contact while running side by side.
Sundaramoorthy had pulled ahead and was coming up to lap Lindsay Brewer at the end of the final lap when the two made contact. The front left wheel of Sundaramoorthy’s car was damaged. He was able to limp over the line, but lost the podium finish to Abel and came to a stop in the gravel just past the line.
James Roe finished fifth ahead of Myles Rowe and Christian Bogle, who had been battling Gold early in the race before Gold put his car in the gravel.
The main battle throughout the race took place at the tail end of the top 10. Christian Brooks in only his first Indy Nxt race was engaged in a close battle with Road America race winner Jamie Chadwick. The pair ran side by side a number of times, with Brooks just coming ahead ahead to take P8 ahead of Chadwick. Jack William Miller, six seconds back, completed the top 10.
Race result (35 laps)
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louis Foster | Andretti Global | |
| 2 | Caio Collet | HMD Motorsports | +8.2445s |
| 3 | Jacob Abel | Abel Motorsports | +28.9764s |
| 4 | Yuven Sundaramoorthy | Abel Motorsports | +29.9716s |
| 5 | James Roe Jr | Andretti Global | +35.8921s |
| 6 | Myles Rowe | HMD Motorsports | +38.0620s |
| 7 | Christian Bogle | HMD Motorsports | +38.2935s |
| 8 | Christian Brooks | HMD Motorsports | +46.2739s |
| 9 | Jamie Chadwick | Andretti Global | +46.7545s |
| 10 | Jack William Miller | Miller Vinatieri Racing | +52.8912s |
| 11 | Salvador de Alba | Andretti Cape | +53.1387s |
| 12 | Callum Hedge | HMD Motorsports | +53.6344s |
| 13 | Josh Pierson | HMD Motorsports | +55.8273s |
| 14 | Reece Gold | HMD Motorsports | +56.3662s |
| 15 | Jonathan Browne | HMD Motorsports | +1m00.2795s |
| 16 | Bryce Aron | Andretti Global | +1 lap |
| 17 | Lindsay Brewer | Juncos Hollinger Racing | +1 lap |
| 18 | Ricardo Escotto | Juncos Hollinger Racing | +1 lap |
| 19 | Niels Koolen | HMD Motorsports | +” laps |
| Ret | Nolan Allaer | HMD Motorsports | |
| Fastest lap: Foster, 1m14.2070s
Championship standings |
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