INDY NXT SERIES: AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

June 15, 2025

Caio Collet

Lochie Hughes

Myles Rowe

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joined by the winner today, starting from fifth position, Lochie Hughes, who led 14 of the 75 laps. First oval win, second of the season. Climb within 19 of the championship now.

What do you think? You got the win over, checked that box?

LOCHIE HUGHES: Yeah, it was pretty cool. Yeah, I don't really know what to say. Still kind of in shock. Really just so far behind in the beginning there. The car balance wasn't feeling great. It wasn't till we got to traffic and I started, I don't really care anymore because I was in sixth. Just started running the high line. Oh, there's some grip out here (smiling).

Yeah, kept the foot into it. Got a little bit better with how I was using it. We were in the lead.

THE MODERATOR: Where did the grip come from? Was it from the high line practice yesterday?

LOCHIE HUGHES: For sure from INDYCAR's high line practice. But it's just one of those things. These ovals, they're kind of scary, so you're kind of scared to go out there because no one really knows.

Like, it's always the unknown. You don't know unless you try. Yeah, as soon as I put the car there, yeah, it stays. I just committed to it.

THE MODERATOR: Around the outside both on the 28 and the 76. Talk about those passes a little bit. What did you see?

LOCHIE HUGHES: Yeah, I can't remember who I passed. I just got Myles and we actually made a little bit of contact through three, I think. I was catching a lap car, I think. Sort of rolled around the outside of a lap car through three. Dennis was right there. Really closing in on Dennis. Oh, we're about to pass the polesitter. All of a sudden Caio was there. We just had great momentum.

Yeah, I don't know. It's like an Eminem song: Around the Outside.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Caio. Fourth podium of the season for Caio. 10th podium in his INDY NXT by Firestone career. Also joining us Myles Rowe. Best finish of his career in a couple seasons in INDY NXT by Firestone. His third podium of 2025, as well.

Caio, your thoughts on a crazy race?

CAIO COLLET: Yeah, to be honest, after the first few laps I thought we had a pretty good car and pretty good race going on. Everything was settled.

But I think towards the end of the race, once we started hitting traffic, I started to really lose the balance. I think we took a gamble with downforce before the start of the race. Yeah, by lap 25, 30, I said, Okay, it's a little bit tough to drive, but let's see if we can make it to the end.

Finally when we hit traffic, I was really stuck and I couldn't really move on. I think it's where Lochie came by fine. I didn't even see him. After the last 15 laps, I was just trying to survive and finish the race. Really tough.

I think we had a great car the whole weekend. Wrong decision, I think we definitely missed out on the win. In general, I'm happy with what we did in the race. The race, after leading 58 laps, was tough to lose. We'll move on.

THE MODERATOR: Were you surprised to see Lochie on the outside?

CAIO COLLET: When I saw him on the outside, I tried the next lap to try and move on the traffic cars, the lap cars. I was thinking how we did that. It's quite hard to go on the high line. I just played it safe and finished the race.

THE MODERATOR: Myles, second-place finishing driver. Your best finish in a season and a half. Your thoughts on a podium here?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, grateful to be on the podium, for sure. Especially on Father's Day. For sure I we wanted a little bit more. I think we could have done a little bit more.

But Lochie came on quite surprisingly in the end, could make the high line work, especially in 3-4, which was the hardest part of the track to make that high line work. With it naturally being a flat-out corner, being able to stay up there and keep your foot in it is very important. We were struggling with that.

Looked like Lochie could do a bit better. So deservedly had the win. So pleased.

THE MODERATOR: Was the high line always there or a matter of confidence?

MYLES ROWE: I think it is more balance, like Caio said. I could see through with Caio, me being behind him. Me as well, we were very loose especially as the race went on. The high line there in 3-4 is quite hard to manage, at least passing around the outside or making it faster than staying on the inside with a loose car rather than staying under the rubber.

Yeah, missed it a little bit there. For sure we'll look at data and video and see what we could have done a little bit differently.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Caio, how dicey was catching up to the back of the pack and catching the back of the field? What was it like maneuvering? Myles made a big move going into three. Getting through traffic seemed to be a bit difficult, but obviously it all worked out.

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, it was a bit tough. Like I said, I think 3-4 is the one that was making it quite tough. You have to stay as close to full throttle as you can. 1-2, there's quite a lot of aero wash going through there. Then it's the cycle going back and forth.

A couple times where I had to lunge it in 3-4. A couple times where I was stuck behind traffic because I couldn't get to them coming into three sort of a thing. That made strategy a bit different. You had to leave more space on entry.

It was really a timing game out there. Always sometimes you don't really know what the other guys in front are going to do, especially when you get close to the middle on the exit, whether they're going to wash up into you, have whatever balance effect on your car. Definitely had to have your thinking cap on.

Q. What was the give-and-take, Caio, when you got to traffic?

CAIO COLLET: Yeah, I think the beginning of the race when the pace was a little bit different compared to the cars we were lapping. Also I think I had pretty good balance at the beginning of the race. I could use the high line. Especially with the first few laps with Dennis, we could easily be there. Once the race got settled, I started to lose a little bit the balance. Was kind of tough. Wanted to be high when we started to get to lap cars. I was just washing off, losing the rear. I don't really know what to do anymore. I was praying for a yellow to see if everything got clear.

In clean air we had a pretty good balance. I started to prefer yellow, but it never came. I'm glad we finished the race on the podium. I think it was good. But definitely we missed out on the win today.

Q. Myles, before the race in the pits we talked about Father's Day, what a deal this would be for you and your family. Talk about the support your parents have given you your entire career, about your surrogate racing father, Rod Reid.

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, for sure it's good to have my father here. It's pretty great to be on the podium. He sacrificed a lot in order to just have me start go-karting, so to speak.

Every day I'm at the track, it's honestly a very surreal experience for me because I think even being in INDY NXT, not to mention hopefully INDYCAR, is so far away, especially with all the difficulties we had when we were younger.

So yeah, to be on top of the podium, not on top of the podium, but to be on the podium is really nice on Father's Day. Yeah, I'm just glad he's still here to watch me and enjoy it. He's at all the races I go to, which I couldn't ask for more support. I have a great support system with my father and my whole family. You can't ask for more. I'm so blessed.

Yeah, Rod Reid has been mentoring me, watching over my shoulder for a pretty long time now. Yeah, he's been guiding me in the right direction, making sure I keep my head on my shoulders, go through the right doors, so to speak.

Yeah, happy Father's Day to them all, all the fathers. I'm really, really grateful to have the support system I have for sure.

Q. Lochie, you never sort of raced early on intending to race on ovals. How have you found the adaptation to ovals since you've come over to America? How much do you enjoy that style of racing compared to road and street courses?

LOCHIE HUGHES: Yeah, I'd say this is the first real oval race I've had. In the USF Series, Lucas Oil is a great oval, but it's super hard to pass. It's very different the way you race. It's kind of like you're just running the high line the whole time.

This type of oval racing is, like, kind of scary. You got to throw it on the dash a little bit and just sort of hold on. Yeah, so I didn't really know what to expect. Yeah, after that race, I loved it. I thought it was awesome. I'm sure there's a lot of other people who didn't like it so much.

Yeah, if that's what every oval race is like, yeah, bring it on (smiling).

Q. Obviously six races into your INDY NXT career, it's hard for rookies to set expectations pre-season, but how do you feel you've gone in your first six races? Pretty happy so far?

LOCHIE HUGHES: Yeah, I mean, obviously come in, it's been a big jump to this car from what I was in. Yeah, no, previously we were on the podium every race until Detroit. I feel like Detroit we had a good chance of winning. We were really quick in the middle there. We had front wing damage, it got worse and fell out off. Indy race two, I kind of threw that away a little bit.

I'm always, like, there. I just got to sort of put it all together, be faster out of the box at the beginning of the weekend. That stuff is just the experience.

THE MODERATOR: A ton of action throughout the field. 165 on-track passes in that race, which is an INDY NXT record here.

LOCHIE HUGHES: Do you count lapping cars?

THE MODERATOR: On-track passes, yeah. A ton of action throughout the race.

Before we wrap-up, your thoughts, Will Power is on pole. You guys are very close to Will. I'm sure you might hear from him about the finish today. Your relationship with Will, how that's developed.

LOCHIE HUGHES: Yeah, I mean, I got obviously to support the Andretti drivers. If no one's listening, I would say I'd love Will to go out there today and grab the win. It would be pretty cool two Aussies to get a win. Maybe we can go get a beer after if that's the case.

No, it's hard being an Aussie coming over here. We don't really get much support. It's honestly pretty, like, horrible. Australians don't seem to support themselves enough. If you look at the Kiwis, for such a small country, I mean, they're just next door to us, but they really get behind their drivers. You see it all throughout the categories. There's multiple Kiwis over here.

In Australia, I don't know if it's because we have Supercars back home. They don't seem to back an Australian talent so much. It's hard when you don't come from a rich family.

Yeah, I didn't make my dad too happy yesterday in qualifying. But hopefully he's, yeah, pretty happy today. Yeah, it would be awesome if Will can go out there and get an Aussie sweep.

THE MODERATOR: Myles, for you, Will has meant everything to your career.

MYLES ROWE: For sure, Will and Liz Power have helped me tremendously. Just mentorship, talking to the right people, getting through the right doors. Yeah, I couldn't thank him enough.

Yeah, I'm really hoping he can pull off a win today for sure. Yeah, I don't really need to say much more. Just a huge thank you always. I always thank Will so much.

THE MODERATOR: Guys, thanks for coming in.