Test Patterns: Chris Griffis Memorial Test

Myles Rowe began preparation for the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone season with ABEL Motorsports during the Chris Griffis Memorial Test on Monday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Rowe, who was quickest in last year’s annual test named in memory of Chris Griffis, the late Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team manager who passed away suddenly in September 2011, was seventh out of 24 entries on Monday.

SEE: Test Report | Test Results

Unlike last year when speed was the focus, Rowe treated this year’s test as an opportunity to refine his driving skills.

“I’m taking the test as a day to work on my techniques,” Rowe said.

Rowe, the 2023 USF Pro 2000 champion, joined ABEL Motorsports for the 2025 campaign after competing with HMD Motorsports during his rookie INDY NXT season in 2024.

He claimed his first two series victories last season, at Iowa Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, and finished fourth in the championship standings. He was 11th in 2024.

Entering his third INDY NXT season in 2026, Rowe is widely expected to be a championship contender. He’s coming off a year that included six podium finishes, 10 top-fives and 13 top-10s in 14 starts.

To make that leap to the title, Rowe believes the car must perform better in hot conditions. However, with temperatures in Indianapolis not reaching the 60s until late afternoon Monday, focusing on heat-related improvements wasn’t the day’s priority.

“Regardless of whether we feel a momentum shift in a positive direction, you can’t overthink it or look too deep into it,” Rowe said. “The weather will be different when the season starts. The last thing you want is for expectations to get too high too early because then you’re only setting yourself up to go down.

“The goal (on Monday) was just to focus on our program and nothing else.”

Lochie Hughes Among Seven Drivers Testing New Gearbox

Expectations are also high for second-year Andretti Global driver Lochie Hughes.

The Australian (photo, above) finished third as a rookie for the team in the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone standings, collecting two wins, eight podium finishes and 10 top-10s.

His teammate Dennis Hauger won the championship, Andretti’s second consecutive title, making Hughes a leading contender for next year’s crown.

But his test-day speeds may not reflect his 2026 potential. Hughes ranked ninth in the morning session and sixth in the afternoon, as he was one of seven drivers experimenting with the new Xtrac gearbox that debuts in 2026. He joined Rowe, Ariel Elkin (Cape Motorsports), Niels Koolen (Chip Ganassi Racing), Juan Manuel Correa, Enzo Fittipaldi (both HMD Motorsports) and Alessandro de Tullio (AJ Foyt Racing) in testing the new component.

The remaining 17 cars in attendance ran the 2025-spec gearbox. While the old gearbox is significantly heavier, the lighter version featured many options during use, so speed wasn’t a goal for teams with the new equipment, especially with ballast being added to counter the weight loss.

“We spent all morning learning it,” Hughes said. “They had us trying different maps and settings. My main goal was just to understand it as much as possible since that’s what’s new and important for next year. Luckily, I already know my way around this track, so that part was easy.”

Hughes first tested in this event last year and earned his maiden INDY NXT victory May 9 on the IMS road course. He made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES testing debut with Andretti Global on Oct. 13, a moment he described as a dream come true.

Jumping between the two cars provided perspective, as the INDY NXT car is lighter and features a halo rather than the NTT INDYCAR SERIES car’s aeroscreen.

“It kind of felt weird jumping back in this car,” Hughes said. “I was pressing the wrong buttons because in the Indy car, that’s where the radio was. It also felt nice not having a screen in front of me. It’s great to be back in these cars, and it really opens my eyes to what the faster car is like.”

HMD Motorsports Tests Next Wave of European Talent

HMD Motorsports appears to be following the same formula that produced a 2025 championship for Hauger and Andretti Global.

Hauger came to INDY NXT via the European ladder system. He won the 2021 FIA Formula 3 title and won five times and scored 13 podiums across three FIA Formula 2 seasons. Hauger also served as a Red Bull Junior Driver for six years and was named Red Bull reserve driver for the 2022 and 2023 Formula One seasons.

HMD entered Jack Beeton, Enzo Fittipaldi, Tymek Kucharczyk and Victor Martins (photo, above) in Monday’s test – all with European backgrounds.

Fittipaldi, the 24-year-old grandson of two-time Formula One World Champion, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and 1989 INDYCAR SERIES champion Emerson Fittipaldi, has F2 experience with race victories in both 2023 and 2024. He raced this past season in the European Le Mans Series.

Kucharczyk, 19, of Poland, raced this past season in the Euroformula Open Championship, taking six wins and the championship.

Beeton, 17 from Australia, won the 2023 Formula 4 South East Asia championship and raced in 2025 in the Formula Regional European championship.

Martins is the standout name among them. The 24-year-old French native won the 2022 F3 championship and has two wins across three F2 seasons. He’s a Williams Racing Academy Driver and took part in a Free Practice 1 session for the team in Spain this season, similar to what Pato O’Ward did with McLaren Racing in last weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.

“I like it (the car),” Martins said. “After a few laps when the tires are coming in, the car is nice to drive. The car is moving a bit and the braking on exit through the corner balance is nice. I like the feeling of the power.”

Martins had never been to the United States before landing in Indianapolis around 6 p.m. ET Saturday. He was fourth quickest in the morning session and 12th Monday afternoon.

“This is something I’m looking at,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to come and get a feeling in the car with this championship.”

Odds and Ends

• Andretti Global drivers produced the top three times on Monday, led by 2025 series rookie Seb Murray.

• Both Cape Motorsports cars carried liveries identical to the ECR entries in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Elkin, from Haifa, Israel, drove the No. 21 car styled after Christian Rasmussen’s, while Nikita Johnson of St. Petersburg, Florida had a car mirroring to eight-time INDYCAR SERIES winner, Alexander Rossi. ECR and Cape recently announced a partnership in INDY NXT for 2026.

• The two AJ Foyt Racing entries driven by de Tullio (No. 14) and the No. 4 car driven by Nicholas Monteiro featured all-black designs, but their car number fonts matched those used by the INDYCAR SERIES team. The Foyt team recently announced its return to INDY NXT in 2026 in a partnership with HMD Motorsports.

• Pietro Fittipaldi was spotted on pit lane assisting brother Enzo and the HMD Motorsports crew (photo, above), flying from North Carolina for the test.

• Two-time Indy 500 runner-up finisher Scott Goodyear was on site helping drivers.

• Correa returns for a second season in INDY NXT after competing in nine races with HMD last year. This season, he joins Cusick Morgan Motorsports, a new team to the series with an alliance with HMD.