Indy NXT leader Johnson in talks for IndyCar move in 2027
- Archie O’Reilly
- Jul 29
- 4 min read
Indy NXT championship leader Nikita Johnson is progressing in discussions with IndyCar teams over the possibility of stepping up to the series in 2027.
The 18-year-old, driving for Cape Motorsports powered by Ed Carpenter Racing in IndyCar’s premier junior championship, leads HMD Motorsports’ Enzo Fittipaldi by one point at the head of the standings with four rounds remaining in the NXT season.
“We’re talking to a few teams and have been talking to them for months,” Johnson told DIVEBOMB this week. “It’s a weird thing because obviously we [Indy NXT drivers] come behind IndyCar drivers so they have to figure out if they want an IndyCar driver back and where the other guy’s going to go and all that.
“So we don’t really get signed until pretty much the last minute and we’re at the bottom of the food chain in a way. But the goal is to go win the championship first, take the scholarship money, move up and try to sign with a team as quickly as possible because it would be nice to be signed and ready to go for next year. But talks are going good.”
Despite his tender age, Johnson already has a wealth of open-wheel success in the bank. He finished third in the USF Juniors championship in 2022 at only 14 years old and was a podium-sitter in USF2000 by the end of that same season. The following year, he stepped up to USF2000 for a complete campaign and finished runner-up in the championship.
By the end of 2023, at only 15 years old, he had already debuted in USF Pro 2000, becoming the series’ youngest-ever race winner, with two victories and a total of four podium finishes in his five races. He then took eight victories in a full campaign in the category the following year, again coming up just shy of the title as vice champion.
The Floridian has also had a foray over to race in Europe, where he won twice in the GB3 Championship in 2024, becoming their youngest race winner, too, at 16 years old.
He competed in four more triple-header rounds in GB3 in 2025 alongside four FIA Formula 3 weekends, plus a pre-season venture to Formula Regional Oceania, where he won once, claimed six podiums and finished third in points. A fourth category of competition for 2025, he also made his first three appearances in Indy NXT early last season.
But for 2026, he turned his attention back to a full-time schedule in his homeland, making an immediate impression with wins in two of the first three NXT rounds, setting up a rookie season of seven podiums and no result worse than seventh through the first 13 races.
Consistency has been the name of the game for a young driver exhibiting maturity beyond his years. And given the resume he has built while still so young, he feels his youth is actually an advantage against competitors for any open IndyCar seats.
“If I win the championship, I’ll be the youngest to ever win it so that’s for sure a good talking point on my side,” said Johnson, who debuted in NXT at only 16 years old last year and won his pair of races this campaign while still a 17-year-old, having turned 18 in late May.
“I’m in a fortunate position where I could almost get anywhere in the top three and I’m so young that I think most IndyCar teams would pick me because I’ve got so much less experience than the drivers around me that are fighting for the championship.
“It would be good to win [the championship] but it’s not going to be all or nothing for me when these IndyCar teams are looking.”
Winning the championship would, of course, still be favourable for Johnson. The title-winning driver receives a scholarship reward of $850,000, which can go some way to helping fund at least part of a champion driver’s graduation from Indy NXT.
All three champions since Indy Lights rebranded to Indy NXT in 2023 - Christian Rasmussen, Louis Foster and Dennis Hauger - have secured IndyCar rides for the following season.
“That for sure helps chip into the budget to run in the car,” Johnson said of the scholarship, “because most teams are going to want to do a two- or three-year deal and my second year would be 2028 when the new car comes out. So these teams are going to have to put a lot of money into getting the new car, buying all that, buying all equipment.
“For sure if you can bring a little bit, it’s going to help you secure a ride - just to help offset the team financially. [I am] trying to figure out budget on my end as well. Obviously the scholarship helps, but I’ll probably have to find two or three more sponsors just to get a good ride and be able to secure one and not get bought out at the last minute.”
Should a drive in IndyCar not materialise in 2027, given what he has already proved this campaign, Johnson is keen not to return to Indy NXT for a sophomore season.
Alongside this year’s single-series open-wheel exploits, he has already dovetailed a full season in the IMSA Sports Car Championship with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as part of their new McLaren 720S GT3 EVO programme. Competing in the GTD Pro class, this has given Johnson valuable initial experience of competing against top-level professionals.
In the case that talks with possible suitors do not result in an IndyCar move, a season focusing on sportscars could provide an alternative option for Johnson in 2027. But even still, he would want to remain firmly involved within the IndyCar landscape.
“We haven’t really thought about that yet,” he said of contingency plans. “I really don’t want to do a second year of Indy NXT. I’ve already already learned a lot and there’s not really too much more to learn. I’m already not making rookie mistakes and all that, not crashing people out. So to do a second year almost would be, in my mind, going a step backwards.
“I’d rather do IMSA for a year and probably be a reserve driver [in IndyCar]. So even if whatever falls through, I’d probably still try to be reserve driver for one of the teams - and I think they get an extra [test] day or two just because they have a rookie. So it’ll help the team out and help me.”
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