- Max Garcia scores second podium finish of the season in race one
Monterey, CA (September 7, 2026) – The final two rounds of INDY NXT competition in 2026 have come and gone at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca capping off the 17-race schedule for the series.
Rookie Max Garcia continues to impress as the 17-year-old Florida native grabbed his second podium finish of the season in race one and also his best qualifying effort for race two.
“Getting to finally drive around this track and compete here was amazing, the elevation changes and especially the Zanardi Corkscrew just don’t compare to anywhere else we go,” said Max Garcia.
“I was glad that we were able to get on the podium one more time together as a group and to just cap off my rookie year on a high. I want to thank everyone at Abel Motorsports for this season, especially my guys on the 12 car, Jeremy Morales, Max Neyron, and Phil Arscott. We had a challenging but fun year and I’m excited for what the future holds.”
Colin Kaminsky returned to Monterey California and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the first time since 2019 where he competed in the USF 2000 category. Kaminsky battled to get up to speed and continued to progress throughout the weekend.
“It was great to get back out on track at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, this track is just so fun to drive and has so many unique challenges, just a great circuit to compete at,” said Colin Kaminsky.
“We didn’t get the result that we had hoped for, but like we have all year we continued to keep our head down and work hard and continued to make progress. This has been a difficult but fun year trying to get back up to speed in the INDY NXT car, but I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with any other group. Huge thank you to everyone at Abel Motorsports, Slick Locks, and Kaminsky Park for making this year possible.”
Myles Rowe’s weekend in California was one filled with turbulence. Contact on the opening lap of race one resulted in a drive through penalty for the Georgia native ultimately ending his race one. Determined to rebound in race two on Sunday, Rowe steadily worked his way from his ninth place starting position to sixth where he would end his day.
“The weekend didn’t go exactly how we had hoped or drawn it up, but in typical fashion our entire Abel Motorsports with Force Indy crew never gave up and continued to work to try and give me everything possible to challenge for the front,” said Myles Rowe.
“This year has been filled with ups and downs, but I am beyond thankful to everyone at Abel Motorsports, Force Indy, Rod Reid, and everyone who believed in me day in and day out. I’m excited for what the future holds and can’t wait to see what 2027 looks like.”
Jacob Abel closed out the season in the number 48 car scoring the team’s 12th top-five finish in the 2026 INDY NXT season.
“It was great to again be out on track and working the Abel Motorsports group. We had a solid car all weekend long but just didn’t have things fall our way in race one to be able to battle with the leaders up front,” said Jacob Abel.
“I really think we hit on some good setup information these past few races and given the engineers and everyone plenty of information to look through as they plan ahead for next season. Obviously, the situation that brought the opportunity to jump back in the INDY NXT car is something we never want to see, but it was great to get back with the Abel Motorsports guys and go racing again.”
While the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone season has come to a close, the work continues on for Abel Motorsports as the team will transition into off-season testing ahead of the 2027 season. Abel Motorsports would like to thank everyone that made the 2026 season possible, and for their belief in the team each day. Keep up with all the offseason news including testing reports and driver announcements by following @abelmotorsports on social media, or by visiting www.abelmotorsports.com