Title Race Reaches Full Boil at Milwaukee for Final Oval Race of '26

The INDY NXT by Firestone championship pursuit reaches a pivotal stop this weekend at Milwaukee Mile, where history, oval racing and a tight title chase collide.

INDYCAR’s development series returns to the historic 1.015-mile oval for the 30th race in series history at the track. The list of winners reads like a who’s who of open-wheel racing, with Paul Tracy (1990), Adrian Fernandez (1992), Bryan Herta (1993), Greg Moore (1995), Scott Dixon (2000) and Townsend Bell (2001) all earning INDY NXT victories at “America’s Legendary Oval.”

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More recently, Louis Foster won in Milwaukee in 2024 before Salvador de Alba earned his first career victory there last season. Who becomes the next driver to join that list in Sunday’s 90-lap race (11 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls)?

Enzo Fittipaldi (photo, top) enters the weekend leading Nikita Johnson and Tymek Kucharczyk in one of the closest championship battles in series history. Fittipaldi leads Johnson by one point and Kucharczyk by 18.

This is the fifth-closest top-three championship fight in INDY NXT history with three races remaining. Fabrizio Barbazza led Jeff Andretti by three points and Mike Groff by six in 1986. Groff led Tommy Byrne by 12 points and Gary Rubio by 13 in 1989. Jon Beekhuis led Dave Simpson by one point and Byrne by 14 in 1988. Carlos Munoz led Gabby Chaves by 15 points and Sage Karam by 16 in 2013.

By comparison, Alex Palou leads Kyle Kirkwood by 91 in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings with three races remaining entering Milwaukee this weekend.

Johnson owns an edge on the season’s two previous ovals. He finished seventh at World Wide Technology Raceway and second at Nashville Superspeedway, making him one of seven drivers and the only championship contender with top-10 finishes in both oval races.

Fittipaldi finished 13th and 11th, while Kucharczyk placed ninth and 18th. The duo may need to make a strong run through the field, with Kucharczyk starting sixth and 17th on the pair of ovals and Fittipaldi 23rd and 14th.

The good news for each? Passing is possible at Milwaukee. Last year’s race featured a record 110 on-track passes, including 66 for position.

Championship Aspirations on the Line

The title hasn’t truly come down to the season finale in several years.

Foster and Dennis Hauger each clinched the 2024 and 2025 championships at Milwaukee, the penultimate event of each season.

Christian Rasmussen entered the season-ending doubleheader in 2023 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with a 65-point advantage over Hunter McElrea and effectively secured the championship in Race 1. A year earlier, Linus Lundqvist carried a commanding 103-point lead into the finale with 108 maximum points available.

The last championship that went down to the final race came in 2021. Kyle Kirkwood left Laguna Seca with a 15-point lead over David Malukas before the season-ending Mid-Ohio doubleheader. Kirkwood increased his advantage to 22 points after Race 1 and clinched the title by 13 points despite finishing fifth in the finale.

With one race this weekend and one point separating Fittipaldi and Johnson (photo, above), this year’s title will come down to the Sept. 5-6 doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Oval Standouts

Seven drivers have produced top-10 finishes in both oval races this season:

• Myles Rowe (first, third)
• Alessandro de Tullio (second, ninth)
• Josh Pierson (third, sixth)
• Max Taylor (fifth, fifth)
• Lochie Hughes (sixth, seventh)
• Nikita Johnson (seventh, second)
• Max Garcia (eighth, fourth)

Sunday marks the third and final oval race before the season concludes at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. How many will remain on that list after 90 laps of action Sunday?

Andretti Global features three of those seven drivers – Pierson, Taylor and Hughes. Andretti drivers won the last two Milwaukee Mile races.

Another First-Time Winner?

De Alba became the 11th driver to earn his first INDY NXT victory at Milwaukee Mile last year. He joined Mike Groff (1986), Didier Theys (1987), Mark Hotchkins (1996), Clint Mears (1997), Derek Higgins (1998), Paul Dana (2004), Mario Romancini (2009), Esteban Guerrieri (2011), Sage Karam (2013) and Felix Serralles (2015).

Can anyone join that list this weekend?

There are plenty of candidates. AJ Foyt Racing’s Nicholas Monteiro (0-for-15), JM Correa (0-for-23) and Nicolas Stati (0-for-13) of Cusick Morgan Motorsports, Seb Murray (0-for-27) and Josh Pierson (0-for-51) of Andretti Global, Abel Motorsports’ Max Garcia (0-for-14) and Colin Kaminsky (0-for-22), Chip Ganassi Racing’s Bryce Aron (0-for-42), Niels Koolen (0-for-37), James Roe (0-for-67) and Carson Etter (0-for-14), HMD Motorsports’ Jack Beeton (0-for-14) and Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Nolan Allaer (0-for-26) and Alexander Koreiba (0-for-14) are all seeking their first INDY NXT victory.

A first victory from Koolen (photo, above), Roe, Etter or Aron would also give Chip Ganassi Racing a milestone it has been chasing.

Chip Ganassi Racing has won more than 270 races across its motorsports programs, including six Indianapolis 500s, eight Rolex 24 At Daytona victories, the 2010 Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. An INDY NXT by Firestone victory remains one of the few accomplishments missing from the organization’s résumé.

CGR could be in position to change that Sunday.

During the June 23 Milwaukee test, Koolen posted the second-fastest speed at 151.779 mph, while Roe ranked third and Aron fourth. Championship contender Fittipaldi topped the session at 152.012, with Alessandro de Tullio fifth and Beeton sixth.

Pole Record

This has become a familiar occurrence, but de Tullio is one pole away from tying Pato O’Ward in 2018 for the most in a single season with nine.

He earned his eighth pole of the season at Portland, a top spot he converted to his second win of 2026. He is tied with Ed Jones (2016) and Thiago Medeiros (2004) for second-most poles in a season.

De Tullio started second in both oval events this season, two of his 12 front-row spots in 14 races this year.

If he doesn’t win the Milwaukee pole, he will have two more chances in the Sept. 5-6 season-finale doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Weekend Schedule

The weekend begins with practice from 9-9:50 a.m. ET Saturday on FS2, followed by qualifying at 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1

Sunday's 90-lap race starts at 11 a.m. ET on FS1. FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls also will broadcast all sessions.

Qualifying Record (One Lap): Mark Hotchkis, 23.692 seconds (151.952 mph), June 2, 1996

Qualifying Record (Two Laps): Dennis Hauger, 47.877 (152.639 mph), Aug. 23, 2025