Tymek Kucharczyk wins Laguna Seca finale as Nikita Johnson clinches Indy NXT title

Tymek Kucharczyk went flag-to-flag from pole to win the second leg of the Indy NXT season finale doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, while Nikita Johnson stayed clear of trouble to capture the championship.

Polish native Kucharczyk, driving the #71 entry for HMD Motorsports, was untouchable throughout all 30 laps, coasting to 6.5765s victory over Johnson on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile natural terrain road course. It marked his second win of the season, solidifying third in the overall standings.

"Yeah, really proud of the work," Kucharczyk said. "Everyone in the team did amazing. The car was really great. Obviously, a big congratulations to Nikita. Big congratulations to Enzo (Fittipaldi) as well. Championship has been very long and very strong. What can I say? What if yesterday didn't happen (being spun from second), but nevertheless, really, really proud. Today, we maximized what we had. I was pushing every lap. I left nothing on the table, so really proud. It was an amazing year."

For Johnson, who started fifth in the #21 Cape Motorsports by ECR entry, the result didn't come without some opening lap drama as he had to dodge a crash right at the green flag. After avoiding the incident, he moved into second and held the position to the finish. The Florida native ended his championship campaign with two wins, nine podiums, along with finishing top 10 in all 18 races.

"It's amazing," said Johnson, 18. "It's good to finally show my emotions. I think a lot of people thought I was passionless, but I'm just emotionless when I drive, right? I just go out there and do the work. And I'm happy that the work's done. Now, I can finally go celebrate."

Lochie Hughes (Andretti Global) took the third and final podium spot.

As Johnson's main title rival coming into the race, Enzo Fittipaldi (HMD Motorsports) mounted a recovery drive from 12th on the grid. The Brazilian-American made aggressive moves in the charge into the top five, but in the end was left finishing fifth. He finished second in the championship, 29 points behind Johnson.

Kucharczyk led the field to the green flag, but an incident immediately followed as Race 1 winner Josh Pierson (Andretti Global) was hit from behind by Max Garcia (Abel Motorsports) and spun from second, collecting Niels Koolen (Chip Ganassi Racing).

The top five after the incident were Kucharczyk, Garcia, Johnson, Hughes, and Jacob Abel (Abel Motorsports). However, Garcia was hit with a stop and hold penalty by Race Control as a result of the contact at the start, elevating Johnson and others up one spot.

Kucharczyk led the field to the restart on Lap 5. Despite starting 12th, Fittipaldi was already up to sixth.

By Lap 10, Johnson was under threat by Hughes for the runner-up spot, while Kucharczyk's lead widened to 3.5192s. Fittipaldi climbed up to fifth.

Kucharczyk's lead over Johsnon was 5.0201s at the halfway point. Hughes, Abel, and Fittipaldi continued to run third through fifth.

With 10 laps to go, the frontrunners were more strung out as Kucharczyk's lead reached 6.5480s over Johnson.

Fittipaldi began to hound the rear wing of Abel with nine laps to go, and attempted an unsuccessful move at the Zanardi Corkscrew.

Kucharczyk continued to extend his advantage, holding a 7.6539s lead over Johnson with five laps to go.

Kucharczyk remained clear to the chequered flag, winning by 6.5765s as Johnson's second place secured the 2026 Indy NXT championship.

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website .