– Max Garcia scores his third top-five finish in INDY NXT and first on an oval
Lebanon, TN (July 23, 2026) – A trip to Nashville Superspeedway and the Music City Grand Prix yielded successful for the Abel Motorsports squad, with Myles Rowe and Max Garcia finishing the weekend inside the top five.
Scoring his third top-five finish of the 2026 season, Max Garcia was happy with the progress he made on his second oval in INDY NXT and to have an opportunity to use the knowledge he gained at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“I had a ton of fun in Nashville for my second ever INDY NXT oval race. We had a great car when we unloaded off the truck and my engineer Phil and I just kept making progress with it through Sunday,” said Max Garcia.
“I think what we learned at World Wide Technology Raceway, especially just using the draft to my advantage, came to help us with the bigger Nashville Superspeedway. Can’t thank my Abel Motorsports guys enough for their hard work, and ready to get back after it in Portland in a couple of weeks.”
Continuing to put his oval skill on display, Myles Rowe again found himself on the podium after an INDY NXT oval race. This marked the fifth time in six oval races that Rowe has found himself on the podium.
“So close in Nashville! Unfortunately, we just didn’t have that extra pace needed to edge out Nikita and Matteo in the end, but still really happy with the points we managed to grab and to again show our strength together on an oval,” said Myles Rowe.
“Just a few races left until the end of the season and all of us on the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy car are going to keep pushing for wins.”
The hopes for a strong finish for the No. 57 Slick Locks machine and Colin Kaminsky were high leading into the 65-laps on Sunday, especially after the Illinois native posted the seventh fastest lap in qualifying.
“My first race on a superspeedway didn’t quite go to plan. We had a really solid qualifying effort with seventh place thanks to a great car from the team. During the race I fell back but made a few spots up to settle into 12th. With under 15 laps to go, while trying to run the high line, I washed up into the grey and hit the wall just enough to knock the car our of alignment. As to not do more damage, I decided to park the car on pit lane and that ended our race,” said Colin Kaminsky.
“Once again, a bitter end to a relatively promising weekend. We will keep our heads down and look to finish the season strong with just three weekend to go.”
The weekend in Nashville looked promising for veteran Jordan Missig too after his 13th place qualifying effort, but unfortunately for Missig contact from behind with another competitor ended the day before it could truly begin.
“Nashville was a tough weekend. We had great speed through practice and qualifying and felt probably the most confident I had felt going into a race. Unfortunately for us on the 48, some bad luck in the race resulted in a crash but that’s just racing I guess,” said Jordan Missig.
“We have a couple of weeks at home to get the car repaired and ready to go again for Portland, but I have no doubt our group will come back stronger from this.”
Just four races remain in the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone championship as Abel Motorsports prepares to head west to Portland Oregon and the Portland International Raceway on August 7 -9 for the Grand Prix of Portland. Keep up to date with all things Abel Motorsports by following the team on social media, @abelmotorsports or by visiting www.abelmotorsports.com
About Abel Motorsports: Abel Motorsports Team Principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family motorsports tradition. In 2015, Abel Motorsports was launched starting in the USF2000 series and building their way up the junior open-wheel ladder. Abel Motorsports was able to capture the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood.
Today, Abel Motorsports is a leading force in the INDY NXT by Firestone Championship, the official development series of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, where the team operates as a multi-car organization focused on the future. 2024 was a breakout season for Abel Motorsports scoring three wins, three pole positions, and 12 podiums on their way to second in the entrant championship.