BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Friday, March 27, 2026) – Myles Rowe needed this.
INDY NXT by Firestone veteran Rowe led the only practice for the Grand Prix of Alabama doubleheader Friday at Barber Motorsports Park, turning a top lap of 1 minute, 12.0345 seconds in the No. 99 ABEL Motorsports with Force Indy car.
Rowe entered his third season in the INDYCAR development series as a championship favorite after finishing fourth in the standings in 2025, boosted by his first two career INDY NXT victories. But this early season has been a grind, as Rowe finished seventh and 10th, respectively, in the first two races of the season and is eighth in the standings.
“Happy with P1, no doubt, especially with a couple of performances we weren’t happy with in Round 1 and Round 2,” Rowe said. “Coming into our first doubleheader weekend, it definitely makes it easier on the team knowing we have pace coming into qualifying in a weekend where we have double points (two races).
“I’m happy with the performance. Very grateful for the team, ABEL Motorsports with Force Indy, and looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”
Rowe kept the top spot by just seven 10-thousandths of a second over JM Correa, who stopped the clocks in second at 1:12.0352 in the No. 68 Cusick Morgan Motorsports entry. Josh Pierson was third at 1:12.1283 in the No. 29 Starchive Andretti car fielded by Andretti Global.
Enzo Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, was fourth – and the quickest rookie – at 1:12.1869 in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car. Lochie Hughes, the top returning driver to the series this season, rounded out the top five at 1:12.2004 in the No. 26 Andretti Global machine.
Andretti Global drivers took three of the top six spots on the speed chart, as series leader Max Taylor was sixth at 1:12.2265 in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen car.
Qualifying for the doubleheader weekend is up next at 10 a.m. ET Saturday (FS2, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls) on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course. Competition should be tight, as just .1920 of a second separated the top six drivers in today’s 45-minute practice.
Each driver’s quickest lap will set the field for the first 35-lap race at 1 p.m. ET. Each driver’s second-quickest lap sets the starting grid for the second 30-lap race at 11 a.m. ET Sunday. Live coverage of both races will be available on FS1, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.
