Josh Pierson Paces Laguna Seca Practice; Title Fighters Stumble

Updated Sep. 5, 2026 12:13 a.m. ET

INDYCAR

Josh Pierson was quickest overall in two combined practice sessions Friday for this weekend’s Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader, as all three INDY NXT by Firestone title contenders were nowhere near the top of the speed charts.

Pierson led with a top lap of 1 minute, 14.2218 seconds in the No. 29 Starchive Andretti car of Andretti Global after two 25-minute practice sessions on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. Pierson is seeking his first career victory in the INDYCAR development series.

SEE: Combined Practice Results

All but one of the 24 drivers on track turned their quickest laps during the second practice, including Pierson.

“Massive fluctuation (between the two sessions),” Pierson said. “First session was super-green track. We did a good job not throwing ourselves out the window and not changing too much, but we made a few changes to get the balance right for this session.

“All in all, I feel like we’re pretty strong. I feel like there’s some stuff I can still clean up driving-wise, and I think there’s a little bit we can find.”

Fellow series veteran Jacob Abel was second by a slim margin at 1:14.2264 in the No. 48 Abel Motorsports machine. Max Taylor was third at 1:14.3416 in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen entry of Andretti Global.

Rookie Max Garcia, who earned his first career series victory last Sunday in Milwaukee, ended up fourth at 1:14.3979 in the No. 12 Abel Motorsports car. JM Correa rounded out the top five at 1:14.4806 in the No. 68 Cusick Morgan Motorsports machine.

Just 29 points separate series leader Nikita Johnson, second-place Enzo Fittipaldi and third-place Tymek Kucharczyk in a fierce race among three rookies for the championship and INDYCAR SERIES career enhancement package at this season-ending doubleheader. All three remained bunched today but not in a comfortable spot.

Kucharczyk was the quickest of the title trio, eighth at 1:14.7576 in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports car. His teammate Fittipaldi was ninth at 1:14.7689 in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports entry. Johnson, who leads Fittipaldi by just three points, was 11th at 1:15.0527 in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR machine.

Up next is qualifying for both races at 3 p.m. ET Saturday, followed by the 35-lap first race at 6:30 p.m. ET. FS2, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls will broadcast qualifying and the race live.