ROWE MAKES HISTORY WITH DRIVE FROM 24TH TO WIN AT WWTR

MADISON, Ill. (Sunday, June 7, 2026) – In a historic drive for the ages, Myles Rowe climbed from 24th and last in the starting field Sunday to win the INDY NXT by Firestone race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

It was the longest climb to victory in the 40-year history of the INDYCAR development series. The previous lowest starting spot for a race winner was 18th, set by Esteban Guerrieri in the 2012 Freedom 100 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.

SEE: Race Results

“It’s a chess game out there,” Rowe said. “Confidence is key in motorsports. The Abel Motorsports Force Indy guys, they really gave me a car today to have that kind of confidence to have a plan and to be able to execute it.

“I’m so thrilled I could give this to them, especially after the disappointment yesterday and having to start from the back. This is no doubt awesome.”

Rowe drove his No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy machine to his first victory of the season and third career INDY NXT victory – all on ovals – by 2.2081 seconds over rookie Alessandro de Tullio in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing car.

Josh Pierson finished a season-best third in the No. 29 Starchive Andretti entry, prevailing in a fierce joust for the final podium spot with fellow series veteran Niels Koolen, who ended up a career-best fourth in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing car, and fifth-place Max Taylor in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen machine of Andretti Global.

Rowe was forced to start last in the 24-car field after he lost his qualifying run Saturday for failure to follow the direction of INDYCAR. Rowe continued on a third flying lap after taking the checkered for his two-lap run, which would have earned him the pole, due to what he said were radio communication problems.

But Rowe wasted little time charging toward the front on the asymmetrical, 1.25-mile oval just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis and its famous Gateway Arch.
He climbed to 10th by Lap 19 of the 75-lap race, using the high line around the track to zoom past rivals on corner exit. Rowe passed Taylor for third with a rare inside move in Turn 1 on Lap 32 and set his sights on pole sitter Lochie Hughes running second in the No. 26 Andretti Global machine and leader Pierson.

On Lap 41, Rowe passed Hughes for second while running in the middle in a breathtaking, three-wide move entering Turn 3. Rowe then zeroed in on leader Pierson, who was one second ahead but starting to navigate lap traffic.

It didn’t take long for Rowe to catch and pass Pierson. On Lap 47, Rowe dove under Pierson exiting Turn 4 for a lead he would not surrender. That was the most noteworthy of 229 on-track passes and 183 passes for position in this thrilling race, series records for this track.

“It’s a balance, an equilibrium,” Rowe said of his strategy. “There are times where I needed to be aggressive and times I really needed to be calculated. I was definitely trying to make sure I managed the right rear (Firestone Firehawk tire) because I knew at the end that was going to be important, just making sure I kept it underneath me so I had something for the end.”

Two caution periods bunched the field in the last 22 laps, with the yellow flying for debris on Lap 54 – which Rowe ran over at speed while leading without any damage to his car – and for a two-car accident on Lap 61 involving veterans Salvador de Alba in the No. 17 HMD Motorsports entry and Yuven Sundaramoorthy in the No. 15 Cusick Morgan Motorsports car. Neither driver was hurt.

Pierson made his last gasp for the lead on Lap 68 after the final restart, looking under Rowe in Turn 1. But he couldn’t complete the pass, and Rowe rocketed away over the closing laps to win comfortably.

The series points lead changed hands again as rookie Nikita Johnson returned to the top after finishing seventh in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR car. He is two points ahead of previous championship leader and fellow rookie Enzo Fittipaldi, who finished 13th in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports machine. Rookie Tymek Kucharczyk is just five points behind Johnson in third after placing ninth in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports entry.

While not as dramatic as Rowe’s charge, Fittipaldi climbed from 23rd after starting from pit lane due to a mechanical problem. He already forfeited his guaranteed qualifying attempt Saturday due to a mechanical issue while rolling out for qualifying that prevented the No. 67 HMD Motorsports entry from going through pre-qualifying technical inspection.

The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is a doubleheader at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with a race Saturday, June 20 and another Sunday, June 21.