Nikita Johnson has made a habit of being among the youngest drivers to accomplish just about everything in his racing career. At 18, he's preparing for his biggest challenge yet: taking on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
Dale Coyne Racing
"I always knew that I was going to try to do it one and done (one season in other series), but I'm very humble," Johnson said. "I wasn't going to go beat on my chest and say,‘It's one and done.’I worked very hard for it, and I'm happy that I was able to win at a really young age and be able to move on."
He certainly made the most of his opportunity. Johnson became the youngest champion in INDY NXT history at 18 years, 3 months and 12 days old. The championship was another milestone in a career filled with them.
In 2023, Johnson won at Circuit of The Americas at age 15, becoming the youngest race winner in USF Pro 2000 history. A year later, he won a race in theGB3 Championship at Zandvoort, making him the youngest race winner ever in the European open-wheel seriesat 16. His St. INDY NXT victory in 2026 at St. Petersburg, the first of two wins this season, makes him the third-youngest winner in INDY NXT history.
Johnson faces a deep learning curve next season but isn't approaching his INDYCAR SERIES debut with unrealistic expectations. He recognizes that while he's accustomed to winning, competing against an experienced field in one of the world's most demanding racing series requires patience.
"How I look at it (his rookie season goals) is getting a few podiums, which is always possible," Johnson said. "It's going to be hard to get a win just because the INDYCAR SERIES is such a challenge. My main goal is to be Rookie of the Year and to be top 15, top 16 in the championship my first year.But if I could get a win in my rookie year, that'd be amazing.”
There is reason to believe Johnson (photo, above) could make an impact sooner rather than later.
Dale Coyne Racing also has a history of getting the most out of its resources. Its past successprovides an example of what a smaller operation can accomplish.
Johnson feels comfortable in that environment. Much of his development has come with smaller teams, including Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR, with which he won the 2026 INDY NXT championship.
"I've always liked smaller teams,” Johnson said. That's just kind of how my whole career has been. We proved a lot of people wrong last year with Cape. Nobody really thought about us as being front-runners.
“I think it doesn't matter how big you are or how small your team is, as long as everybody there loves to come to work, race on the weekendsand has a lot of passion, you're going to end up doing very well.”
Johnson feels that same vibe with DCR. He had an opportunity to test for the team Oct. 26 at Barber Motorsports Park. That initial experience strengthened that belief.
"It gives me a lot of confidence that we'll do well,” Johnson said. “I think we worked really good together at the test. I'm very happy with everyone in the team. Everybody's just amazing, and it seems that they care so much about the car and racing. Even though that we're going to be a small team, I think there's a lot of passion behind us."
That helps his approach to his rookie season, which may be one of his most important attributes. Colton Herta remains the youngest INDYCAR SERIES race winner, having won at Circuit of The Americas in 2019 at 18 years, 11 months and 25 days. Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti are the only other drivers to win an INDYCAR SERIES race as teenagers.
Johnson, who turns 19 on May 24, aims to join that list. His mantra is taking what the race gives him. That’s his blueprint to success. In the 2026 season, Johnson finished among the top eight in all 17 races and was the only driver to complete all 656 laps of the season.
“Happy to bring the car home in one piece and let everybody from the team relax and not have to rebuild the car every time I’m out there like some drivers,” Johnson said. “That’s going to be my goal for next year. Racing is expensive. I’ve got to make smart decisions.”
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