De Tullio wins at Barber, delivers first INDY NXT victory with Foyt

Alessandro de Tullio completed a rapid turnaround at Barber Motorsports Park, securing his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday just one day after a late-race incident cost him a shot at the win.

The rookie driver led all 30 laps in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry, holding off Andretti Global’s Max Taylor to win by 0.3635 seconds on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course in Birmingham, Alabama. It marks the first victory in the INDYCAR development series for AJ Foyt Racing since Ed Carpenter’s win at the Freedom 100 in 2003.

“It’s incredible,” de Tullio said. “We knew we could have done it two races ago in Arlington. We could have had it yesterday. But we stayed focused, and this time we got it done.”

The result capped a weekend defined by resilience. In Saturday’s race, de Tullio and Taylor collided while battling for the lead with eight laps remaining, allowing Nikita Johnson to take the victory. That incident followed another missed opportunity earlier this season in Arlington, where de Tullio started from pole but was pushed wide on the opening lap and finished outside the top 10.

Sunday’s race offered no such complications. Starting from pole position, de Tullio controlled the pace from the outset in a caution-free contest, though the margin for error remained slim throughout.

Taylor applied constant pressure, keeping the gap between five- and seven-tenths of a second for most of the race. The Andretti Global driver closed further on the final lap, trimming the deficit to less than three-tenths and briefly threatening a repeat of Saturday’s late-race drama.

This time, de Tullio managed the situation cleanly.

“I managed as best as I could,” he said. “The rear tires were pretty worn in the middle of the race, so I was just trying to hang on, use Push to Pass when needed, and cover what I could.”

The composure under pressure proved decisive. Unlike the previous day’s contact in Turn 16, de Tullio left no opening for a late move and maintained control through the final corners to secure the win.

Taylor finished second, earning valuable points while acknowledging the contrast between the two races.

“It’s points, and it’s a long season,” Taylor said. “Yesterday I made a move that was too aggressive. Today, Ale didn’t make any mistakes. I was pushing him the whole way, trying to get him to slip up, but he was solid.”

Behind the leading pair, Nikita Johnson continued his strong start to the season by finishing third in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports entry. The result allowed Johnson to retain the series lead following his win in Saturday’s race.

Enzo Fittipaldi finished fourth after attempting to close on Johnson in the closing laps, while Tymek Kucharczyk maintained his consistent rookie campaign with a fifth-place finish. Kucharczyk has now recorded four top-five finishes in four starts this season.

The absence of caution periods placed added emphasis on race management and consistency. With no interruptions to reset the field, drivers had to manage tire degradation and maintain pace over the full 30-lap distance.

For de Tullio, that meant balancing aggression with control. His early pace allowed him to dictate the race, but the closing laps required defensive driving as Taylor remained within striking distance.

The victory also carries significance for AJ Foyt Racing, which returned to full-time INDY NXT competition this season. Ending a more than two-decade wait for a win in the series provides an early benchmark for the program’s return.

As the INDY NXT season continues, the result positions de Tullio as a contender capable of converting pace into results. After two near-misses in the opening rounds, his breakthrough win reflects both speed and the ability to manage pressure over a full race distance.

The series now pauses before returning May 8-9 for the next doubleheader weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.