Cape Motorsports powered by ECR visited the historic Road America circuit this weekend for a double dose of IndyNXT by Firestone events on the 4.014-mile course. Two races were scheduled on back to back days, making for a busy schedule for both of the team’s drivers and the crew as well.
The first race of the weekend took place on Saturday afternoon, with Nikita Johnson starting from the second position and Matteo Nannini one row behind in third. The draft worked against Johnson as he accelerated down the long main straight at the start of the race, and he was shuffled back to fourth. The same draft worked well for Nannini, who jumped ahead of his team-mate and slotted into third.
The race was put under caution before the first lap was complete, and a couple more cautions later in the event slowed the action further. Each restart saw shuffling of the order past the flag stand with little time to properly sort out positions on pace.
The final half of the race was completed under green, and both Nannini and Johnson were embroiled in side by side battles for position. They worked hard to keep their cars free from damage and succeeded in not becoming the cause of the next caution. Nannini crossed the line in fifth, with Johnson right behind in sixth to secure a double top 10 for race 1.
Sunday’s race was a reset and a chance to fight for even better results. Both Cape Motorsports drivers accelerated cleanly at the green flag and were able to secure second and third positions into the first corner. Nannini was forced wide on the exit of the first corner, but held his foot to the floor over the rough pavement and kept hold of third tucked in behind Johnson.
On the second lap, Nannini drafted off his team-mate and attacked in the braking zone for Turn 5. Johnson completed a small powerslide while defending out of the turn, but Nannini slipped past and took second place. Both drivers were sure to keep the racing clean, though there was not much room between them.
Nannini held second position for the entirety of the rest of the 18-lap race, while Johnson stayed close before ultimately slipping one position into fourth by time the checkered flags flew. However, a post-race disqualification for the lead car meant that Nannini was belatedly promoted to the race win and Johnson was brought back into the podium positions.
The victory was Nannini’s second in IndyNXT, but his first this season. His persistence through some tough moments earlier in the year paid off as he scored a win for the #20 entry. Johnson’s podium was his fifth of the season, and kept him in the points lead by a narrow six-point margin. The result was Cape Motorsports’ first double podium in IndyNXT.
Nikita Johnson:
Great to come away from Road America with another podium. Thanks to the Cape boys for another good car. Had a few tough battles out there, but came away with solid points across the weekend. Kept the points lead as well. But it’s tight, so we can’t let up. Looking forward to Mid-Ohio!
Matteo Nannini:
A win is a win. We’ve had the pace all season, but for one reason or another the results haven’t always matched our performance. This victory in race 2 is a reward for all the hard work put in by everyone behind the scenes who never stopped believing.
I want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. My family, my engineers, mechanics, partners, and everyone who continued to believe in us even when things weren’t going our way. This season has tested us in many ways, but we never gave up and kept fighting.
