Cape Motorsports powered by ECR headed west to Portland International Raceway for round 14 on the 2026 IndyNXT by Firestone schedule. The 1.97-mile road course is filled with unique high-speed turns, and a notorious chicane at Turns 1 and 2 that often brings trouble when the field piles through for the first time.

Nikita Johnson and Matteo Nannini qualified in ninth and 16th respectively, meaning they were prepared for a tight squeeze through the first turns as soon as the green flags flew. Unfortunately, both were hindered by the chaos that unfolded.

Johnson was pinched on the inside of a four-wide battle through Turn 1, but then was pushed wide through Turn 2 by the gaggle of cars to his left. His #21 machine kicked up dust as he elbowed his way back onto the tarmac and got back up to speed. By time he found a place in line, he had been shuffled down to 17th.

Nannini also found trouble on the first lap, and his car’s nosecone took damage when the field stacked up early braking for the first turn. After running straight through the chicane and then serving a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact, Nannini found himself back in 23rd position.

Both drivers quickly set about moving forward, however, and after just a couple laps Johnson had already improved to 12th and caught his nearest championship rival Enzo Fittipaldi on track. Multiple other competitors ahead were involved in incidents or were penalized over the next dozen laps, which boosted Johnson all the way up to eighth.

Johnson held within one second of Fittipaldi for the duration of the 35-lap event, driving a steady race and securing solid points from what could have been a disastrous opening lap. He finished the race in eighth and continued his impressive streak of finishing every race this season inside the top eight.

Nannini ran much of the race free from traffic, but picked up a few positions as opportunity allowed. The damage to his nose and a lack of cautions in the final 30 laps prevented him from moving forward further. He crossed the line in 20th.

With just three races remaining in the 2026 season, Johnson now sits one point out of the championship lead. The razor-thin battle for the title will roll on at the Milwaukee Mile on August 30.

Nikita Johnson:

Had a solid recovery in that race. Went down to P17 after I had some contact and was pushed off. The car had a lot of race pace and we were able to charge forward. If we had a clean start, we for sure would have had a top 5 day and maybe a chance at a podium. So a little disappointed there.

The Cape boys did a great job all weekend, getting the car better every session. Can’t thank them enough for all the hard work. We all keep pushing, which is crucial when every point matters for the championship.

Matteo Nannini:

This was my first time in Portland, and I feel like as a team we made huge step forward from practice to the race. In Turn 1, I got caught off guard a little bit by the car in front braking early and that ruined the race for me. It was still good to see we were one of the quickest cars out there when we were a bit off in practice.

Huge effort from the team to give me a better car every session. Looking forward now to the final couple events of the year.