Tymek Kucharczyk Applying Title Pressure in Strong First U.S. Season

Tymek Kucharczyk admitted his third-place finish in the INDY NXT by Firestone season opener at St. Petersburg was a surprise.

What a difference five months makes.

That March 1 podium finish was a precursor to something much bigger for the Polish rookie with HMD Motorsports: a championship fight.

Kucharczyk (photo, top) left the Aug. 9 race at Portland International Raceway third in the INDY NXT by Firestone standings, 18 points behind leader and teammate Enzo Fittipaldi and 17 points behind second-place Nikita Johnson of Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR. Kucharczyk entered the weekend 25 points behind then-leader Johnson, still in third.

Kucharczyk started and finished fourth on the Pacific Northwest road course, while Fittipaldi and Johnson finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

Fittipaldi leads Johnson by one point entering the Aug. 30 race at Milwaukee Mile, with only the Sept. 5-6 doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca remaining after.

Kucharczyk is part of the fifth-closest top-three championship battle 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.

It’s quite a feat for Kucharczyk, particularly considering how much he had to learn when he arrived in the United States last winter.

Racing in America required adjustments from his European background, he admitted in March.

“The racing here is very much different from Europe,” he said. “We’re still new to this series, so it’s nice to jump into a new car, new series and be straight away on pace.

“Coming to America has been very enjoyable. It’s my second time in America, so there’s still a lot I need to learn. I didn’t have much experience in quicker cars than INDY NXT, so it’s been all about learning. This year is a learning process.

“There are still a lot of things we can improve.”

Ovals were a major part of that learning process.

Kucharczyk (photo, above) had never competed on a circle track before this season, so he entered the USF Pro 2000 race May 21 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with TJ Speed Motorsports. He had never competed in those cars, either, but the opportunity provided a chance to learn an oval without the pressure of championship points.

He finished third.

In two INDY NXT circle-track starts, he finished ninth at World Wide Technology Raceway and 18th at Nashville Superspeedway. Milwaukee is the final oval this season.

Kucharczyk arrived in the United States after a dominant 2025 season in the Euroformula Open Championship, where he won the title with BVM Racing. He also competed in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix, part of the FIA Formula Regional World Cup, with Van Amersfoort Racing in 2025.

His climb began much earlier.

Kucharczyk started karting at age 5 and quickly emerged as a standout before moving to auto racing. He finished third in the 2022 F4 Spanish Championship with one win and 12 podiums before advancing to the GB3 Championship. Over two seasons, he earned four victories and three poles and finished third in the championship.

Now, in his first INDY NXT season, he has found a home with HMD Motorsports.

“I’m just really grateful because I got the opportunity to race here,” Kucharczyk said. “The team behind me, the HMD crew for car 71, they gave me a happy place, a safe zone where I can develop and work on myself.”

He has done plenty of developing.

Kucharczyk has seven podium finishes in 14 starts, including his first victory in Race 2 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road-course doubleheader. He also has two runner-up finishes in his last four starts and 11 top-five finishes overall.

His permanent road-course results tell the story: third, fifth, fourth, first, eighth, second, second, fifth and fourth, respectively. He leads the series with a 3.77 average finish on those circuits. Johnson’s average is 4.44 while Fittipaldi’s is 5.0.

The season-ending doubleheader is on a permanent road course, giving Kucharczyk two prime opportunities to win the championship in his first season.

Kucharczyk is no longer simply learning America. He’s racing for a championship. And perhaps that’s the most telling part of his rapid rise.

In February, Kucharczyk was asked to name his hero. His answer?

Himself -- five years from now.

“I’m trying to be as close to what I want to become as possible,” he said.