INDY NXT SERIES: BY FIRESTONE AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

June 7, 2026

Alessandro de Tullio

Josh Pierson

Myles Rowe

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up the INDY NXT by Firestone here this afternoon. Our podium finishers are joining us.

Myles Rowe led a race-high 29 laps. It's his first win here in St. Louis, first win of the season. Second straight podium of 2026. Second straight win on an oval back to Nashville Superspeedway last year. Third career win. Furthest back ever winner in INDY NXT or Indy Lights before that, to come back and win a race, as Myles started in 24th position. Most positions gained in a race in all-time history of INDY NXT by Firestone.

Alessandro de Tullio finished second. Second podium of the season. Moves up to fifth in points.

Josh Pierson led 20 laps. First podium of the season, third career podium as well.

Myles, congratulations. When you realized you were going to start in last position, did you think you still had a chance to win this race today?

MYLES ROWE: First of all, thank you, Dave.

I did. It was hard for me to accept honestly yesterday. It's funny to smile about it today. Yeah, I knew just the pace of the car, I knew with the right technique and just execution and patience that it could happen. I knew there was enough laps to do that.

THE MODERATOR: Tell us a little bit about the drive, passing cars. Became more difficult as you got towards the front of the grid there.

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, I mean, I found something a little bit in practice one. I like to call it not the high line, but the higher line, where it's kind of just a way of approaching it that made things open up a lot more than we found in testing, than I found in my previous experience with oval racing.

I was even sketching some things this morning thinking of alternate ways to approach it, especially in one and two. It's really hard to make it work in one and two sometimes. Yeah, just managed to do that when we started. Found that it worked extremely well. Just worked with that plan.

THE MODERATOR: Alessandro, started second, finished second. Late restart opportunity to make up some positions there. What were you thinking?

ALESSANDRO de TULLIO: First off, lap five, lap 10, something like, that I saw this guy behind me. I was like, Wow, okay.

Yeah, we weren't very fast at the beginning. There was no point in really fighting super hard with the guys around me 'cause I knew, like, I was expecting a safety car at some point. I was hoping for it late in the race because that's when we got going.

Yeah, luckily we got a bit of luck this time for me. Got the safety cars at the end. Struggled in the first two restarts we had. Couldn't really find the clean air to make moves.

But my spotter and my engineer really guided me through that last one. They did an incredible job, especially Cole up there spotting me. He pretty much guided me, told me what to do. I trusted him with everything I had.

Yeah, made a few moves in the end, had a good fight with Josh. Happy to come out with P2 today.

THE MODERATOR: What are your thoughts on oval racing now?

ALESSANDRO de TULLIO: It's a lot of fun. So much more going on than some people think. I did Lucas Oil last year in USF Pro. Before that I was, How hard can it be? You're turning left, on the gas.

It's so much more than that, super complex.

THE MODERATOR: Josh, first podium of the season, third career. Your thoughts on really what was an incredible race, your fight there to the end.

JOSH PIERSON: Yeah, obviously it was a really exciting race from start to finish. Didn't really know everything that was going on around me, but was getting told. When I got told that Myles was behind me, same reaction as de Tullio. They had really strong pace.

Felt like we were really good, especially at the start, managed the pace well, felt like I was managing the tire. Probably lost the front there a little bit towards the end. That was my Achilles' heel there.

The Andretti guys and everybody on the 29 crew has done a phenomenal job. Ovals last year were kind of a struggle for me, which for some people I feel like was kind of a surprise, being one of the only guys that's got experience on the dirt, some other forms of motorsports on an oval.

Yeah, it's really nice to come back and settle in and kind of find my footing here on an oval. Yeah, hats off to these guys. The race at the end, I felt like I was holding on for dear life. Everybody raced clean and respectful. It was one heck of a show.

THE MODERATOR: Start with questions.

Q. Myles, if you could compare the way you felt last night and how much did that fuel your desire and determination with the drive you had today?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, for sure the whole strategy was changed in an instant. Last night it was hard to not run through different scenarios in your head, different ways you'd approach this start, different ways the second and third quarter, even the last quarter of the race would go. Whether I was going to be up front, whether I was still going to be struggling to get by some guys.

I knew if I just looked back at practice one and some of the things I found with, like I said, the higher line, that was kind of what was going through my head constantly, literally in circles, right? I knew if I committed to that and had just the right determination and approach to it that everything would open up today.

Q. You didn't hold anything back at the end because the fastest lap of the race was the final lap. Was it one you were going to prove a point?

MYLES ROWE: I just wanted the fastest lap. I had everything in control. I needed the extra point, for sure (smiling).

Q. Myles, you knew after yesterday you had great pace. Was it at all a surprise to you to get to the lead and lead the most laps of the race?

MYLES ROWE: I knew that I could get there when I did. It was just a matter of, oval racing. De Tullio touched on it, it's kind of a complex situation. I knew if things opened up at a certain point, I would be in the lead at this point of the race, as long as I controlled what I did accordingly and stayed patient. I didn't push too much in the beginning. It was just about making sure I placed myself correctly, yeah.

Q. With how frustrating the start of the season was for you, what do you think it means for you and your momentum having these two races?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, for sure huge. Our program still needs to work on how we come out the box on road and street. I think we found a little something, no doubt, in Detroit that hopefully we take towards Road America and Mid-Ohio. No doubt the momentum is going to fuel us to keep up this performance.

Q. Myles, setting history, what are your thoughts on that? How much is this win a statement to other teams maybe on the next step in INDYCAR that you belong on that step?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, no doubt it's a good feeling to make that achievement, most passes or just coming from the back in general. I think it's clear that I have the skill to run in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Hopefully teams see this performance. No doubt, that's why we're here, that's why we all are here. I plan to just keep doing what I got to do.

Right now I'm focusing on this championship. That's all that matters to me at the moment.

Q. You were very motivational after the DQ. The speed was there. Felt like there was no doubt you could achieve what you did today. How much does it mean that your team rallied around you and believed you could get it done?

MYLES ROWE: The response from my team, that's why I love these guys. It's really an honor to drive for them. They were, like, down because I think obviously we all want to win and start up front. It wasn't a disappointment in me. It was just, Man, we're starting from the back. Every single crew member, it was immediate turn of like they had my back, they knew we had this.

I know that's not something you get everywhere in every team in the paddock. Just that response from the team, that's why I'm with them. It's really an honor to drive for them.

Q. Myles, your run would have been second fastest had it stood. Was it more fun coming from the back?

MYLES ROWE: Now that it's over (laughter).

Q. What was the actual issue that made everything happen? Was it the radio that was the catalyst of all that?

MYLES ROWE: I knew it was my last lap. I even lifted. The radio was silent for whatever reason. I just put my foot back to the throttle because normally that's just another push lap. Obviously I had to go through one and two. I was like surely they'll come on the radio and be like checkered, pit. Nothing happened. At that point it's might as well just go instead of not finishing the next lap.

Honestly, it was all on me. For sure I knew it was the last lap and should have pitted. We've been having radio issues the whole season. We did a whole kit change and everything to make sure I can hear clearly and things like that. It's just a communication error.

Q. Very little side to side, no major contact. How about the level of trust between the three of you?

ALESSANDRO de TULLIO: It was definitely close, but really respectful, at least in the front. I don't know about the other incidents that occurred. For me on that restart when I went on the outside line, on the inside line, especially with Josh in those last few laps, was really respectful, really clean.

On the limit, for sure, but really clean.

JOSH PIERSON: Yeah, I mean, I more or less echo Ale's comments. This series is super competitive. Everybody is so close. When you run at these speeds side by side, it definitely takes a lot of trust, not only in yourself, but the people around you.

That's one of the things that makes the sport so unique. On the track we're all competitors, we all want to win so bad. Outside of it, we race with the same guys all year long. If you play a different sport, you're against other teams, you have teammates with you. We kind of have to be friends off the track and see each other every weekend. You can't escape from it when you have an incident.

I think it takes a lot of trust and mutual respect as athletes between all of us.

Q. Alessandro, how chaotic was your race? Did you even think a podium would be possible with all the good restarts towards the end?

ALESSANDRO de TULLIO: Yeah, it was definitely difficult. We were not very fast for like the first three quarters of the race, I'd say. But I knew I was taking care of my tires. I was doing everything I could to be ready whenever there was a safety car, if there was going to be one, or whenever the battling would start.

I saw them also get pretty close, especially Nikita and Max were going at it right before the safety cars happened. I knew at some point we were going to close the gap and fight for a podium. I knew it was still on the table.

Then we had those first two restarts, I think one or two restarts, and I couldn't really find where to put the car to get around. I had pressure from behind, as well.

The first restart or two didn't go my way. Then the last one, yeah, just sent it. Had a moment in three behind Josh, it was a big moment, nearly lost it completely. Gathered it back up from my head back down and got to P2.

Q. Myles and Josh, you were battling a lot. How was the tire wear?

MYLES ROWE: I was quite surprised by the wear at the end. I was definitely very, very cognizant of my right rear. Knew that would be a different factor that would control the whole race.

When I was behind Hughes and Pierson, whatever lap it was, I was just making sure I managed that then. Then when I finally was able to get by both of them. The clean air helps, no doubt. That was kind of the goal, get in clean air and be able to manage.

I knew at that point there was several, several laps to go. I was going to have to kind of cruise and hoped they wouldn't come charging back, whether I run into lap traffic or something like that.

I was very surprised how I hung on in the end. We definitely had more for the finish, a longer race.

JOSH PIERSON: Yeah, for me I think kind of echoing Myles' comments about the right rear. That was the tire we were worried about last year, that was where the race went to deg-wise.

With more power that probably has more of an influence, especially when you're picking up the throttle aggressively. You're stressing that right rear tire.

I think for me I probably overprotected the right rear at the start, then ended up struggling more with the right front. It was hard with understeer towards the end to get the car to do what I wanted. That was probably my downfall.

I still think I was able to manage quite well. I think I looked after the right rear a bit too much. The Andretti Global guys, this car is really, really strong, I feel like I could have done a better job at the start and tried to keep it a little more neutral so I could have had more at the end.

Q. Myles, you started in the back. I think by lap 40-something you were already in the lead. You set the fastest lap on the last lap. How did you judge how your tires were wearing? Do they change that much on a 75-lap race here?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, I was just tying to make sure if any cautions came, at that point I'm managing the race. I made the switch mentally very fast. Definitely just making sure whatever cautions came, I had the best tires at that point.

So a lot of that second half of the race was just managing what I had because I had the pace to do so. That's why I started kind of laying it down in the last couple laps because I knew if a caution came out at that point the race would end under yellow, I could just kind of send it. Yeah, glad I got the fastest lap.

Q. Myles, you tested here a month ago. The track here, how much did that play into your confidence, last to first?

MYLES ROWE: No doubt comfortable with the ovals. I mean, the team does a good job. It's a lot with the balance and working with your engineering. Just setup and communication plays a big part in your confidence at any track, on an oval.

I think me and Kent do a good job of just feeding off of each other. That was something we saw being on top, near the top yesterday, then just being able to do what we can today. I think a lot of it's just communication factor with our engineering program.

THE MODERATOR: Guys, thank you.