INDY NXT by Firestone veterans Lochie Hughes and James Roe will take the next step in their career development Monday, Oct. 13 by participating in their respective first NTT INDYCAR SERIES test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Hughes (photo, top), the top rookie in the INDYCAR development series in 2025, will test for Andretti Global, his INDY NXT team. Roe, Hughes’ teammate last season at Andretti, will drive for Juncos Hollinger Racing.

The tests come at different junctures in the respective careers for Hughes and Roe.

Hughes already knows his racing destination in 2026. He is staying with the Andretti Global INDY NXT team with full focus on winning the series championship, and he was named as a reserve driver for Andretti’s three-car NTT INDYCAR SERIES effort featuring drivers Marcus Ericsson, Kyle Kirkwood and Will Power.

Australian Hughes finished third in the standings behind teammate and champion Dennis Hauger and Caio Collet of HMD Motorsports in 2025 and is the top confirmed returning driver in the series in 2026. Hauger is climbing to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with Dale Coyne Racing, while Collet has not announced his plans but will participate in this test Oct. 13 with A.J. Foyt Enterprises, his second test this month with the team.

“I am also beyond excited to be doing my first INDYCAR test,” Hughes said. “It’s something I’ve looked forward to for a long time and doing it in Indy makes it even more special. It will be a great experience to work closely with the team as an INDYCAR reserve driver in 2026.”

James Roe

Roe (photo, above), from Ireland, has raced full time in INDY NXT for the last three seasons after a partial season in 2022. It’s unclear whether he will return to the series for a fourth full year in 2026, as he also has raced in LMP2 sports cars, including in the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race Sept. 21 on the IMS road course.

“Driving in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has always been my goal, and I'm incredibly grateful to Juncos Hollinger Racing for this opportunity,” Roe said. “INDY NXT has been great preparation, and getting seat time in the LMP2 car on the IMS road course last month has only added to my confidence.”

Other drivers besides Hughes, Roe and Collet participating in the test Oct. 13 on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile IMS circuit include ECR full-time drivers Christian Rasmussen and Alexander Rossi, Hauger with Dale Coyne Racing and Formula One veteran Mick Schumacher with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.