Alessandro de Tukkio doubles up in INDY NXT qualifying with record lap at Barber Motorsports Park
- Jeffrey Hrunka
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor
Record-breaking.
While many drivers displayed record-breaking lap times around Barber Motorsports Park, it was rookie Alessandro de Tukkio who topped the leaderboard, taking pole for both races for his third consecutive pole position.
Through the 10-minute qualifying session, Alessandro de Tukkio, driver of the A.J. Foyt Racing No.14, and Nikita Johnson, driver of the Cape Motorsports No.21, traded the top spot with Tukkio gaining the advantage. Johnson had to settle for third (1:10.402s). Tukkio broke a lap record by four tenths, originally held by Christian Rasmussen in 2023, with a 1:10.318s.
Max Taylor, driver of the Andretti Global No. 28, was the fastest driver in the first group but, with rising track temperature, had to slotted in the runner-up starting position. Through the 10-minute qualifying session, he and Nikita Johnson, driver of the Cape Motorsports No.21, traded the top spot with Taylor gaining the advantage.
Enzo Fittipaldi, driver of Cape Motorsports, No. 67, came on late in that session, taking second, fourth overall with a 1:10.665s lap-time. However, with the second-best lap time being taken as the starting order for the second INDY NXT race on Sunday morning, Fittipaldi and others were scattered throughout both sessions.
INDY NXT Qualifying 1 Results (Top 10):
* Denotes Group 2 drivers
Tukkio, Taylor and Johnson remained consistent, timing inside the podium places for both races in first, second and third, respectively.
Abel Motorsports teammates Jordan Missig, driver of the No.48 and Max Garcia, driver of the Abel No. 12, gained the largest advantage from this rule. Their consistency in lap time took them from seventh and eighth in race one to fifth and fourth, respectively, for race two.
Bryce Aron was the one driver most affected by this rule. After qualifying fifth (1:10.642s) for the first race of the doubleheader, the lack of consistency saw him slot into 11th (1:10.863s) for race two with a two-tenth fall off.
INDY NXT SERIES Qualifying 2 Results (Top 10):
* Denotes Group 2 drivers
Starting lineup for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama Race 2 based on the second-fastest lap time
The INDY NXT SERIES returns to the track on Saturday afternoon for the first of two races at Barber Motorsports Park. Fans can tune into the action on FS1 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
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