Nannini Dominates Nashville: Cape Motorsports Secures Stunning 1-2 Finish in Indy NXT

Nashville, TN – Matteo Nannini put on a masterclass at Nashville Superspeedway, steering his Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR machine to a dominant victory and leading a sensational one-two finish for the team in the latest Indy NXT round. The Italian talent, starting from pole position, displayed unwavering focus and blistering pace to cross the finish line a commanding 5.6449 seconds ahead of his teammate, Nikita Johnson, on the 1.33-mile concrete oval.

This triumph marks Nannini’s third career win in the series and his second of the current season. “I knew we had the car to stay up front,” Nannini shared with Racetrack World after the race. “I wasn’t sure if we would get passed, but I wanted clean air, so I was running different lines depending on how close the guys behind me were. It’s fantastic to get P1 on track and actually secure it here, not after penalties or anything like at Road America. This is huge for the team, for me, for our sponsors, and for our confidence. Hopefully, it’s the first of many more.”

Johnson’s strong run secured him the runner-up spot, while Myles Rowe rounded out the podium in the #99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy entry. The valuable points haul sees Johnson reclaim the championship lead with 451 points, now sitting just one point ahead of rival Enzo Fittipaldi after 13 of 17 races.

A Thrilling Start and Early Drama

Nannini, from his prime grid position, led the field to the green flag, with Alessandro De Tullio of AJ Foyt Racing alongside him on the front row. The battle for supremacy ignited immediately, as Johnson piled pressure on his teammate Nannini for the lead by just the second lap of the 65-lap contest. Meanwhile, misfortune struck early for Chip Ganassi Racing, with Niels Koolen and Carson Etter both making unscheduled pit lane visits due to mechanical issues.

The race was quickly punctuated by a dramatic incident on Lap 5. As Myles Rowe skillfully climbed from fourth to third, further back in the pack, chaos erupted in Turn 4. JM Correa (Cusick Morgan Motorsports) and Jordan Missig (Abel Motorsports) made contact after Missig lost control and spun, leaving Correa with nowhere to go. Both vehicles slammed into the unforgiving outside wall, necessitating an extended clean-up and a lengthy caution period.

Resumed Battles and Tire Troubles

Following the significant delay, Nannini once again led the restart on Lap 15. The respite was brief, as Johnson immediately renewed his challenge, going side-by-side with Nannini for two exhilarating laps. The intensity wasn’t limited to the front, with De Tullio and Rowe locked in their own spirited duel for third. Just moments later, Rowe executed a bold dive to the inside of both Nannini and Johnson, briefly snatching the lead on Lap 17. However, Nannini’s resilience saw him draw back alongside and reclaim the top spot just before another caution flag flew for debris the very next lap.

The second restart came on Lap 21, with Nannini maintaining his lead. Rowe’s runner-up position, however, was quickly challenged by Johnson, who seized second place on the following lap and began to once again apply pressure on Nannini. Further back, championship contender Tymek Kucharczyk (HMD Motorsports) faced a heartbreaking setback, forced to pit with a tire puncture, rejoining the race three laps down and effectively out of the top-ten fight.

The Final Charge for Podium Glory

As the race progressed, the midfield battles continued to rage. On Lap 27, Hughes (Andretti Global) executed a daring outside pass on Rowe for third, with a slight contact between the two but both continuing unimpeded. By Lap 30, Nannini held the lead, followed by Johnson, Hughes, Rowe, and Max Garcia (Abel Motorsports).

Hughes mounted a strong challenge, moving into second by Lap 36 and setting his sights firmly on Nannini. Meanwhile, Johnson began to lose ground to the leaders, falling into the clutches of Rowe, who relentlessly sought an outside pass. With 25 laps remaining, Hughes attempted an outside move on Nannini, but the Italian expertly defended his position. Rowe, however, capitalized on the evolving situation, finally passing Johnson for third and then closing right in on Hughes’ rear wing with 20 laps to go.

In a masterful display of racecraft, Rowe executed an “over-under” move on Hughes with 17 laps left, seizing second place. While this intense battle for second unfolded, Nannini shrewdly capitalized, extending his lead to a comfortable 1.7 seconds. With 12 laps remaining, Nannini’s advantage swelled to 2.6 seconds over Rowe, while Johnson managed to retake third, 2.9 seconds adrift.

Hughes continued to fall back, dropping to seventh as Garcia moved up to fourth, and Max Taylor (Andretti Global) into fifth, with Josh Pierson also from Andretti making his way to sixth. In the closing stages, Nannini’s lead became insurmountable, reaching over 5 seconds with just five laps to go. However, the fight for second remained fiercely contested, with Johnson pulling off a brilliant outside pass on Rowe to reclaim the position. The final two laps saw Rowe and Johnson locked in a tight duel, but Johnson ultimately held on to secure the runner-up spot.

Matteo Nannini crossed the finish line to a resounding victory, a testament to his control and the strength of the Cape Motorsports team, celebrating a memorable one-two finish at Nashville Superspeedway.