Note: This continues a series of 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone team previews on INDYNXT.com. The season starts Sunday, March 1 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida (10 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Starting Lineup: Matteo Nannini (No. 20 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR), Nikita Johnson (No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

2025 in Review: The team lost a step after a strong 2024 season that saw Salvador de Alba finish an impressive fifth in the championship with five top-five finishes, while Michael d’Orlando shared the second entry and competed in seven of the 14 races, earning five top-10 results. Last season, Cape Motorsports fielded a young lineup with a pair of teenagers behind the wheel. Sebastian Murray led the team, finishing 13th in points with two top-10 finishes. Ricardo Escotto competed in just the first nine races in the second entry, posting two top-10 finishes -- both coming in the opening two races. The team didn’t run the car during the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca doubleheader before d’Orlando returned to the car for the final three races and added two more top-10 finishes.

New for ’26: The Brownsburg, Indiana-based team founded by brothers Dominic and Nicholas Cape in 2001 fields two full-time entries in 2026 with a new alliance. After a two-year partnership with Andretti Global ended, Cape Motorsports forged a new relationship with ECR. Nikita Johnson and Matteo Nannini will drive the two entries. Johnson, 17, made three INDY NXT starts in 2025 with HMD Motorsports. He finished second in the USF Pro 2000 championship in 2024 and was runner-up in USF2000 in 2023. Late in the 2023 season, Johnson advanced to USF Pro 2000 and won at Circuit of The Americas, becoming the youngest race winner in series history at age 15. Nannini, 22, returns to INDY NXT for the first time since making seven starts in 2023 with Juncos Hollinger Racing, highlighted by a pole-to-win performance on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The Italian (photo, bottom) began racing at age 6 and progressed through karting before moving to single-seaters in 2019. He won the Formula 4 UAE Championship in his debut season with seven victories and 16 podiums. His career has since included competition in the F4 Spanish Championship, Formula Regional European Championship, FIA Formula 3 and select FIA Formula 2 rounds. The INDY NXT entries will carry ECR’s team colors of Carpenter Blue and Indiana Gold, mirroring ECR’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars.

Keep an Eye on This: Johnson has won races in every professional season he’s competed. He earned three victories in USF Juniors in 2022, followed by one win in USF2000 and two wins in USF Pro 2000 in 2023. In 2024, he claimed eight wins in USF Pro 2000 and added two victories in the GB3 Championship. Last season, he won in Formula Regional Oceania. Does that trend point to a rookie victory in INDY NXT?

Little-Known Fact: Cape Motorsports boasts a rich history, winning 14 USF2000 Championship titles in 21 years, and also has enjoyed success in sports car racing, earning the IMSA Prototype Challenge championship title in 2006. ECR’s entry into INDY NXT is a natural progression for the team. Although ECR has competed exclusively in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012, the team has long maintained an eye for talent developed in the ladder series. ECR cars have been driven by three USF2000 champions, four USF Pro 2000 champions and six INDY NXT champions. The team’s most recent race winner, Christian Rasmussen, is one of only two drivers in history to earn a championship in USF2000 (2020), USF Pro 2000 (2021) and INDY NXT (2023). ECR team owner Ed Carpenter is a graduate of INDY NXT, having competed in the series in 2002 and 2003. ECR also partners with Jay Howard Driver Development in the USF Pro Championships (USF Juniors, USF2000 and USF Pro 2000). Jay Howard Driver Development, Cape Motorsports and ECR establishe a direct pathway to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Matteo Nannini