Max Taylor backed up his strong preseason form by leading the opening practice session of the 2026 INDYCAR NXT by Firestone season Friday at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The Connecticut native delivered a best lap of 1 minute, 5.0852 seconds in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen entry for Andretti Global, topping a 1-2-3 sweep for the team.
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Taylor enters his first full INDYCAR NXT season after six starts in 2025 and a full campaign in USF Pro 2000. His early pace continues a trend that began last fall, when he led the INDYCAR NXT Group Test at Barber Motorsports Park, posted the second-fastest time at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and ranked in the top two in all four sessions during last month’s Sebring group test.
“A good first session,” Taylor said. “Always loved driving around this place. Missed it. It was a really good session working with the team, developing the setup, fixing my driving, as well. A really good start to the weekend, and I’m excited to keep on attacking it.”
Andretti Global Sweeps the Top Three
Series veteran and Andretti newcomer Josh Pierson finished second with a best lap of 1:05.5358 in the No. 29 Starchive Andretti entry. Second-year driver Seb Murray completed the Andretti sweep, clocking in at 1:05.5368 in the No. 27 Prosperity entry.
Myles Rowe placed fourth at 1:05.5845 in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy car. Rookie Enzo Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, rounded out the top five with a 1:05.7017 lap for HMD Motorsports.
Incidents Slow the Session
Two red flags interrupted the 45-minute session. Rookie Jack Beeton backed into the Turn 10 wall in the No. 45 HMD Motorsports entry about 15 minutes in, damaging the rear of the car but managing to drive back to the pits. Later, Lochie Hughes nosed into the Turn 7 barrier in the No. 26 Andretti Global machine. Hughes, the top returning driver in the series, returned to the pits without a front wing.
What’s Next in St. Petersburg
The weekend continues with another practice at 8:35 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by qualifying at 3:45 p.m. ET. FS1 will televise practice live, with qualifying airing on FS2. FOX One, the FOX Sports app, and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls will also provide live coverage.
The 45-lap season-opening race is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET Sunday.
