Content Days Notes: 'Drive to Survive' Hooked Max Taylor on Racing

Max Taylor didn’t dream of becoming a race car driver as a child.

That changed after he stumbled upon Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” documentary series.

A preteen at the time, Taylor (photo, above) turned on the television out of curiosity. He liked toy cars – and the popular “Cars” movie trilogy – but racing wasn’t something he had envisioned for himself.

“I had such an unorthodox entry into racing,” Taylor said. “I was basically just a ‘Drive to Survive’ fan of Formula One. That’s how I got into racing.”

Taylor was immediately hooked. From then on, every birthday party was spent at a go-kart track. What began as casual karting quickly turned into competitive national events.

Taylor, 18, has enjoyed a rapid rise on the open-wheel ladder, which has him one step from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. He enters his rookie season in INDY NXT by Firestone, INDYCAR’s development series, driving the No. 28 Andretti Global entry.

“I think it really comes from my love and passion for the sport,” Taylor said. “To get to this level, you have to live and breathe it and love it so much.

“I’m so honored to be here. With the support from my family and my parents, you really need the whole package to make this work. My rapid progression has been thanks to them and to me doing a good job along the way.”

Taylor made his open-wheel debut in 2023 in the USF Juniors Championship, recording one win, three podiums and six top-five finishes. He also competed part-time in the USF2000 Championship and the Formula 4 United States Championship, earning four top-10 finishes in USF2000 and a best result of sixth in Formula 4.

In 2024, Taylor took another major step forward, winning the USF Juniors Championship and finishing third in the USF2000 standings.

Last season, Taylor competed full-time in the USF Pro 2000 Championship while also making six INDY NXT starts. He closed his USF Pro 2000 rookie campaign with one win, four podium finishes, nine top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes in 18 races. In INDY NXT competition, he added one top-five finish and four top-10 results.

Taylor has been quick in three offseason tests, first or second on every speed chart.

“I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t deserve to be here and hadn’t proven myself,” Taylor said.

Johnson Born To Race

Nikita Johnson was born to race – literally.

When Scott Dixon won the 2008 Indianapolis 500, Johnson (photo, above) was born that same day: May 25, 2008. Since then, Johnson has dreamed of one day winning the Indy 500 on his birthday. Now, he’s one step closer to chasing that goal.

The 17-year-old Florida native enters his rookie season in INDY NXT by Firestone in 2026, driving the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry.

“Hopefully, of course, make it to the INDYCAR SERIES first,” Johnson said. “I’ll just keep fighting for the Indy 500 until it lands on my birthday. That would be unbelievable. I don’t know if anybody’s ever done that before, but it would be very cool.”

Johnson made three INDY NXT starts in 2025 with HMD Motorsports after a rapid rise through the development series. He finished second in the USF Pro 2000 championship in 2024 and second in USF2000 in 2023. Late in the 2023 season, Johnson jumped into USF Pro 2000 and won at Circuit of The Americas, becoming the youngest race winner in series history at age 15.

As he prepares for his first full INDY NXT campaign, Johnson has clear expectations.

“Top three in the championship would be my goal as a rookie,” Johnson said. “Obviously, winning would be amazing, but we have so much talent in INDY NXT this year. If I could get top three, that would be an excellent result. By the end of the year, I hope to get to test an Indy car somewhere. That would be a dream come true.”

Odds and Ends

• Taylor said the No. 28 team closely resembles the group that powered Dennis Hauger to last season’s INDY NXT championship, with one notable change. “Will Power stole my engineer,” Taylor said with a laugh, referring to Andy Listes’ move to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as engineer on Power’s No. 26 TWG AI Honda. “But it’s been great working with Don Bricker (new engineer) this year and building that relationship. I’m really excited about it.”

• Seb Murray enters his second INDY NXT season and first with Andretti Global after competing as a rookie with Andretti Cape in 2025. Murray said access to Andretti’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers is a major advantage. “Moving into the main team comes with more perks,” Murray said. “I’m going to try to pick the brains of Will Power, Kyle Kirkwood and everyone in the INDYCAR team to get as much advice and as many secrets as I can.”

• Salvador de Alba moved from Andretti Global to HMD Motorsports for 2026 after closing the 2025 season on a high note. De Alba recorded three consecutive top-five finishes, including his maiden INDY NXT victory at the Milwaukee Mile in the penultimate event. He credited HMD for showing early faith in him, even inviting him to an offseason test before he had a signed contract. “It felt very natural with HMD,” de Alba said. “I’m very thankful they trusted me, even before everything was signed and put in the effort. I went to the Barber (Motorsports Park) test without knowing what was happening next season. I think that built a lot of trust and confidence between me and the team. Now I’m signed, and I’m ready for 2026.”

• Tymek Kucharczyk, a 19-year-old from Poland, begins his rookie INDY NXT season after winning the 2025 Euroformula Open championship. While new to American racing, Kucharczyk said familiarity with several drivers eases the transition. “I’ve raced some of them in GB3 – Max Taylor, Seb Murray,” Kucharczyk said. “I know a couple from F4, as well. It’s a new type of racing for me, but there are familiar faces, and I know what to expect from at least a few drivers.”

• Colin Kaminsky returns to ABEL Motorsports and INDY NXT by Firestone for the first time since 2023, when he made eight starts with the team. Kaminsky, who grew up playing hockey, is also backing Team USA to win gold at the Winter Olympic Games that begin this weekend. “I’m going to ride with the U.S.,” Kaminsky said. “Being a Chicago guy and (Connor) Bedard not being on the roster is questionable, but I like the U.S.”