Louis Foster extended his INDY NXT by Firestone championship lead to 91 points over second-place Jacob Abel with a victory in last weekend’s OUTFRONT Showdown at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Foster has won six of the last eight INDY NXT by Firestone races and comes to Sunday’s 35-lap race at Portland International Raceway as the defending winner. His next victory would be the ninth of his career, which would tie Pato O’Ward for sixth on the all-time wins list. Greg Moore (13 wins), Tommy Byrne (10 wins), Alex Lloyd (10 wins), Paul Tracy (10 wins) and Kyle Kirkwood (10 wins) are the only drivers with more.
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Can Foster clinch the championship with a victory on the 12-turn, 1.964-mile natural road course?
Here are some storylines entering the race weekend for the first road course race since July 7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Can Foster Clinch Early?
If Foster leaves PIR with a championship lead of 108 points or more, the championship trophy is his. That would be the sixth INDY NXT by Firestone championship for Andretti Global, its first since Kyle Kirkwood in 2021.
Foster has two challengers mathematically eligible to take the title with Abel and HMD Motorsports rookie Caio Collet still in the mix.
Collet has his work cut out for him to remain in the hunt leaving PIR the final two races. The Brazilian trails Foster by 147 points and must gain 40 points on the championship leader this weekend to keep his title aspirations alive.
Foster has eight consecutive top-two finishes, so Collet gaining that much ground may be a feat too tall to reach.
That puts the pressure on Abel, who is winless in his last eight races. He has five podium finishes in that span, but if Foster, who has an average finishing position of 1.25 in those same eight races, reaches the top step of the podium once again, Abel must finish on the podium or the championship goes to Foster. And that’s not factoring in extra points for pole, leading a lap or leading the most laps.
The max number of points available this weekend is 54. A win is granted 50 points. Second-place receives 40 points, third nets 35 points, fourth 32 points and fifth 30 points and so forth.
A driver receives an additional bonus point for earning the pole, an extra point for leading a lap and two bonus points for leading the most laps.
Victory by Foster would guarantee him a minimum of 51 points. That would require Abel to finish no worse than third. If Foster scores maximum points (54), Abel must finish second.
Abel finished runner-up to Foster last weekend, the first time since May 13.
Tight Race for Fifth
The top three drivers in points have distanced themselves from the pack. HMD Motorsports rookie Callum Hedge has a 31-point lead on Jamie Chadwick of Andretti Global for fourth.
Hedge has five top-six finishes in the last seven races, including his last three results of fourth, fourth and fifth, respectively.
But, with 23 points separating fifth through 10th, the race between Chadwick (251 points), Salvador de Alba (248), Reece Gold (248), James Roe Jr. (242), Christian Bogle (230) and Myles Rowe (228) should be a barnburner.
Rookie De Alba is one to watch among this group. He has three top-five finishes in the last four races, allowing him to climb from 12th in the standings to sixth. With finishes of third and fourth, respectively, on ovals this season and two of the final three races being on circle tracks, the Mexican driver could be in prime position to get a top-five points finish.
Bogle is another interesting driver to keep an eye on. He has four top-eight finishes in the last five races.
Sundaramoorthy, Aron Ascending
Abel Motorsports rookie driver Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Andretti Global rookie Bryce Aron have flashed signs of growth over the last six races.
Sundaramoorthy has five top-10 finishes in that span compared to a previous best finish of 12th. His average finish jumped from 17.6 through the first five races to 7.33 over the last six. That includes a career-best third-place finish last weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Aron scored a career-high third-place finish in the second leg of the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca doubleheader weekend June 23. He has four top-10 finishes in this span compared to one in the previous five. His average finish also leaped from 16.0 to 9.83.
Sundaramoorthy is 12th in points, nine behind 10th place Rowe. Aron is 13th, 19 behind Rowe.
Eye on 2025
The final USF Pro 2000 weekend takes place this weekend at Portland, with a doubleheader. The champion advances to INDY NXT by Firestone in 2025. Entering the final two races, Australian Lochie Hughes leads American Jace Denmark by 35 points.
Hughes drives for Turn 3 Motorsports and boasts five wins and 10 podiums in 16 starts. Denmark is winless this season competing for Pabst Racing but has been consistent with nine podium finishes, including six in the final eight races.
Track Specs: 1.964-mile, 12-turn road course
Qualifying Record: Louis Foster, 1:02.6302 (112.891 mph), Sept. 2, 2023
Push To Pass Parameters: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation