By Austin Lawton, Staff Writer
For the first time in his career, five-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou piloted Indy NXT machinery on Friday afternoon during the Chris Griffis Memorial Test.
The 2025 Indianapolis 500 champion was tasked by his team, Chip Ganassi Racing, with shaking down their No.11 Indy NXT by Firestone car in the test, named after the late Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team manager, in hopes to gather data and find some ways to increase performance for the coming 2027 season. Palou replaced Carson Etter for the test, with Etter sidelined from offseason shoulder surgery.
While the goal was not to be fastest or set track records, Palou was indeed fastest on the day with a time of 1:14.5050, set during the afternoon session. The Indy NXT rookie’s day started with radio issues and only a single install lap completed, but what started as a joke turned into an opportunity for Palou to pilot another car in 2026.
“I think the team was joking on if I could do it,” Palou said during the lunch break. “I said ‘Yeah, of course’. I love driving cars, any kind of cars. The car is a bit lower than what I’m used to. It was tough to drive the car, even on the out-lap. A lot of power, but not much grip. These kids are really fast on these cars.”
All 22 drivers made their fastest laps during the, primarily dry, afternoon session, as Indy NXT regulars and 2027 championship contenders, Tymek Kucharczyk (01:14.8209) and Max Taylor (01:14.8453) finished the day in second and third, respectively. Kucharczyk is coming off of a third-place finish in 2026 for HMD Motorsports, while Taylor finished fourth for Andretti Global.
Max Garcia (01:14.9443) and Jack Beeton (01:14.9577) filled out the rest of the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively. Garcia, the 2025 USF Pro 2000 champion, is entering his second year of Indy NXT competition. Garcia won at Milwaukee in August, becoming the second-youngest-winner in series history at just 17. Garcia, a Team Penske development driver, switched from Abel Motorsports to HMD for Friday’s test and sported a Penske-stylized No.6. Beeton also enters his second year of NXT racing, moving from HMD to Andretti Global.
The morning session was plagued with rain, as most teams decided not to run in the wet conditions, with only 14 of the 22 drivers setting times. Beeton was fastest in the wet at 01:26.6632. Andretti Global swept the first four spots on Friday morning’s charts, with Taylor and rookies Martinius Stenshorne and G3 Argyros following. Stenshorne is a current participant in Formula 2, while Argyros recently wrapped up the 2026 USF Pro2000 championship in third place.
Joining Argyros at the test from USF Pro2000 were the two drivers that finished ahead of him in points: Jack Jeffers, the champion and Leonardo Escorpioni, the runner-up. Both young drivers have shown potential throughout their junior careers and now make the step up to NXT with HMD Motorsports. Jeffers, testing with A.J. Foyt Racing with HMD.
For Jeffers, it was his first time in Indy NXT machinery. The young driver got a first taste of the difference in downforce, torque and grip on his out-lap. Jeffers would spin the car around in the wet in Turn 1, get the car going again and set respective lap times. The 20-year-old from San Antonio would end the day 13th on the charts (01:15.2646).
“It was kind of mind blowing,” Jeffers said regarding his spin. “I came out of pit lane and gave it a little throttle and just looped it around immediately. I’m like, “Okay, this is what I’m working with. This is what I’m gonna have to do’, I think the biggest thing for me is the torque and power and the braking. I already feel confident in the car handling through the corners, and it feels very good underneath me. It’s learning what you can get away with, right? How much can you ask without overstepping the limit. That’s the kind of learning curve I’m going through right now.”
SEE: 2027 Chris Griffis Memorial Test Overall Results