Gold wins Indy Nxt’s first Detroit race after last-lap problem for Siegel

Photo: James Black

Reece Gold won Indy Nxt’s first race on the streets of Detroit after Nolan Siegel suffered a mechanical issue with two corners remaining of the race. 

Siegel had a comfortable lead at the front of the field heading into the final lap, but a gearbox issue as he approached the finish line caused him to slow. He managed to crawl across the line in eighth, while Gold took his first series win. 

It was a heartbreaking end to the race for Siegel, having spent most of ir battling with Gold for the lead. 

The pair had come to the front of the field after an early safety car intervention, brought out when Hunter McElrea tipped Louis Foster into a spin. McElrea continued at the front of the field but received a stop-go penalty for the incident. 

Gold held the lead on the restart while Rasmus Lindh challenged Siegel for position. Lindh was taken out of the fight after Josh Green attempted a move up the inside of him and both went spinning. 

The top two broke away slightly, only to be reeled back in when the safety car was brought out again. Danial Frost had come to a stop on track after contact with James Roe Jr, who was already nursing a damaged front wing. 

Siegel challenged Gold on the restart, but Gold again held onto the position. Siegel attemtpted multiple moves over the remainder of the race before finally managing to make one stick around the outside of turn three. That gave him the inside for turn four and the race lead. 

Siegel immediately began to pull away from Green, as Green came under pressure from Jagger Jones and Ernie Francis Jr behind. 

Francis had enjoyed a strong drive up through the order with a wrist still broken from an incident earlier in the season. He was seventh at the second safety car restart and under pressure from Toby Sowery behind. Sowery dropped back and came into the pits with a mechanical issue while Francis continued to fight forward. He took fourth from Jacob Abel and was pushing Jones as he closed in on Gold. 

The trio were a considerable gap back from Siegel when the leader began to slow, but had enough of the lap left to catch and pass his stricken car.

Abel took fourth, ahead of Enaam Ahmed and Christian Bogle, who was on a charge in the race’s closing stages. McElrea was the final driver to pass Siegel as he limped to the finish line. Points leader Christian Rasmussen and Roe completed the top 10. 

Race result (45 laps)