AutoAction
FREE DIGITAL MAGAZINE SIGN UP

Hughes stays at Andretti in major deal

Indy NXT Lochie Hughes

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 15 October 2025

Australian rising star Lochie Hughes will carry on racing Indy NXT IN 2026 with Andretti and has been rewarded with a significant step to his IndyCar dream.

Hughes will aim for a crack at the Indy NXT title in 2026 after finishing a strong third in 2025.

In addition to the announcement, he is closer than ever to reaching IndyCar as he enjoyed a maiden test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Monday.

As big as that moment is, he has also been revealed as Andretti Global’s Reserve driver for the 2026 IndyCar season.

The 23-year-old impressed with two wins at Indianapolis and Gateway and eight podiums.

After the strong rookie season, Hughes will stay with the IndyCar giant and race alongside Seb Murray.

“I’m really excited to be returning to Andretti Global for the 2026 INDY NXT season,” Hughes said when the deal was announced. 

“It was a dream to drive for this team this past season, and I’m proud that we finished third in the Championship.

“I’m looking forward to building on that success next year with a team I know well now.

“I am also beyond excited to be doing my first INDYCAR test. 

“It’s something I’ve looked forward to for a long time, and doing it in Indy makes it even more special. 

“It will be a great experience to work closely with the team as an INDYCAR reserve driver in 2026.”

Andretti Global Team Principal Rob Edwards believes Hughes is their man.

“We are delighted to welcome Lochie back to the Andretti INDY NXT family for the 2026 season,” he said. 

“Coming off a successful rookie year with two wins and six podium finishes, the goal for 2026 is very clear: we expect Lochie to challenge for the INDY NXT Championship. 

“Both Christian Rasmussen and Louis Foster have shown the growth and maturity that a second season in INDY NXT brings, and I am confident we will see more of the same with Lochie.”

Read the new issue of Auto Action Digital HERE

Buy the new issue of Auto Action Premium HERE

Don’t forget the print edition of Auto Action available via subscription here, or you can purchase a copy of the latest issue from one of our outlets here.

Shares

Recent Stories

array (
  0 => 
  WP_Term::__set_state(array(
     'term_id' => 1530,
     'name' => 'Indycar',
     'slug' => 'indycar',
     'term_group' => 0,
     'term_taxonomy_id' => 1530,
     'taxonomy' => 'category',
     'description' => '',
     'parent' => 660,
     'count' => 452,
     'filter' => 'raw',
     'cat_ID' => 1530,
     'category_count' => 452,
     'category_description' => '',
     'cat_name' => 'Indycar',
     'category_nicename' => 'indycar',
     'category_parent' => 660,
  )),
  1 => 
  WP_Term::__set_state(array(
     'term_id' => 11,
     'name' => 'Latest News',
     'slug' => 'latest-news',
     'term_group' => 0,
     'term_taxonomy_id' => 11,
     'taxonomy' => 'category',
     'description' => '',
     'parent' => 0,
     'count' => 16906,
     'filter' => 'raw',
     'cat_ID' => 11,
     'category_count' => 16906,
     'category_description' => '',
     'cat_name' => 'Latest News',
     'category_nicename' => 'latest-news',
     'category_parent' => 0,
  )),
  2 => 
  WP_Term::__set_state(array(
     'term_id' => 2029,
     'name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
     'slug' => 'email',
     'term_group' => 0,
     'term_taxonomy_id' => 2029,
     'taxonomy' => 'category',
     'description' => '',
     'parent' => 2031,
     'count' => 7460,
     'filter' => 'raw',
     'cat_ID' => 2029,
     'category_count' => 7460,
     'category_description' => '',
     'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
     'category_nicename' => 'email',
     'category_parent' => 2031,
  )),
  3 => 
  WP_Term::__set_state(array(
     'term_id' => 2031,
     'name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
     'slug' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
     'term_group' => 0,
     'term_taxonomy_id' => 2031,
     'taxonomy' => 'category',
     'description' => '',
     'parent' => 0,
     'count' => 6816,
     'filter' => 'raw',
     'cat_ID' => 2031,
     'category_count' => 6816,
     'category_description' => '',
     'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
     'category_nicename' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
     'category_parent' => 0,
  )),
)
101925
2025 Supercars co drivers

Do or die as Finals fight gets fierce at Bathurst

Only four Finals berths remain open after The Bend 500, with the cut to fall after the Bathurst 1000. The teams will also roll into Mount Panorama with a revised […]

Oscar Piastri 2025 McLaren

Piastri’s place in F1 history

A rare error-strewn weekend in Azerbaijan ended a golden run of finishes for Oscar Piastri, which has given him a small slice of F1 history. The first-lap crash at the […]

Drivers surviving the rain

Drivers stunned by unbelievable conditions

The Bathurst 1000 made worldwide headlines with drivers racing through the clouds to the finish, conditions not even veteran Craig Lowndes has ever seen. On top of the rain that […]

Toyota Supra at Bathurst

Crompton cuts Supra’s first Bathurst laps

The Toyota GR Supra has already played a starring role, with the legendary Neil Crompton cutting its first laps around Mount Panorama. Toyota is making a highly anticipated return to […]