By Roy J. Akers- www.skyviewsports.net
Lexington, Ohio- Mid-Ohio Course
Caio Collet made a smashing impression, shattering the Mid-Ohio course record for INDY NXT Cars with a track record qualifying lap earning him his first pole. The rookie from Brazil took the top spot with a lap of 1 minute, 10.2879 seconds in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports car. That lap on the repaved, 13-turn, 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course easily scaled the INDY NXT track record of 1:10.8079 set by Oliver Askew in July 2019. But that was in qualifying, now for the race.
Checkered Flag
Starting with Collet, who will start on the front row after a blistering qualifying session that put him .02 ahead of Louis Foster. Collet comes into Mid-Ohio still looking for his first win of the season as he is racking up points and top five finishes. Collet led both practice and qualifying in speed. Moving to the race, at the midway point, Collet was picking up about .01 of a second each lap over Foster. It turned into a blowout by lap 28 of the 35 lap race. His lead went from 3.5 seconds to 6.8 before he cruised to the win. He was never out of the lead. Collet wins wire-to-wire for his first career NXT victory.
Collet believes he had pressure to win the Mid-Ohio.
I think for sure there was pressure because I know the next five events, four of them are
ovals, and I don’t know how it will be. I think there was quite a bit of pressure coming up on this weekend, but I knew that we were quick, we were strong, and we were always there, so it was a matter of time of having like a good balance from the start, good buildup from Friday, and I think this weekend everything came together. After Race Press Conference.
Podium Finishes-Second
Louis Foster has been dominating in the NXT Indy car series with four wins, 3 poles, and a tie or the lead in top five and top ten performances and is the clear favorite to win the 2024 NXT title. Foster qualified second behind Collet and will test the non winner starting on the first lap of the race. Only when the green flag dropped, Foster was not gaining on the leader. Foster was a good sport on the Collet win. “But for me, to be honest with you, a second place today
feels like a win. We worked really, really hard to be up here. Caio and HMD did an amazing job this weekend. I think it was going to be really tough to beat them.” The speed Collet showed in practice and qualifying was legit and Foster at no time, could cut into the lead. Foster remains the NXT series leader by nearly 80 points after his second place finish.
Podium Finish- Third
Jacob Abel– Second in the NXT Indy Car standings, Abel is a clear second behind Foster in wins (2) and top five finishes (7). With Collet charging at midseason, he may have to look over his shoulder at the hard charging Collet. At Midf-Ohio, Abel qualified third for and like Foster in second place and the winner, passing proved to be nearly impossible. Abel rode in the third position for the duration of the race and picks up no ground against Foster.
Worth a Mention
Jamie Chadwick entered Mid-Ohio ranked 5th in NXT driver points and the one-time winner in 2024 was not able to improve on her 10th place qualifying position and finished 11th. Chadwick had four passes on the day, second most among NXT drivers on the day.
Tough Day
Myles Rowe came into the day ranked 7th in NXT Indy Car points and he qualified 9th. Rowe found out early that his mechanical problems would become fatal. Rowe completed nine of 35 laps and his car sat on pit row for two brief stretches before he finally last saw the track before lap ten.
Race Stats
Mid-Ohio was basically follow the leader from start to finish. Other than an opening lap caution, there were no scheduled pit stops, no lead changes and a minimal amount of passing.
Race Stats- Final Standings
Roy J. Akers is a multi-media reporterĀ and covers several sports forĀ www.skyviewsports.net
