Myles Rowe needed this.

Rowe delivered the most impressive victory of his INDY NXT by Firestone career Sunday night at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Driving the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy entry, Rowe charged from the rear of the 24-car field to victory, leading a race-high 29 of 75 laps and finishing 2.2081 seconds ahead of AJ Foyt Racing rookie Alessandro de Tullio.

Myles Rowe 

The win did more than add another trophy to Rowe's (photo, above) case. It vaulted him from seventh to fifth in the championship standings entering the June 20-21 doubleheader at Road America and reinserted one of the series' most talented drivers into both the title conversation and discussions about his future.

“It’s a good feeling to make that achievement, most passes or just coming from the back, in general,” Rowe said. “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.”

The Georgia native entered 2026 with championship expectations but struggled to find consistency through the season's opening six races. His average finish was 12.3, with his best result of fifth in Race 1 of the Barber Motorsports Park doubleheader.

But the last two weekends have changed the trajectory of his season.

Rowe climbed from 11th to finish second May 31 on the streets of Detroit before producing the historic drive Sunday night. The victory completed the largest charge from a starting position to victory in the 40-year history of the INDYCAR development series.

Yet less than 24 hours earlier, Rowe's weekend appeared headed toward disappointment.

He displayed race-winning speed throughout Saturday’s practice and was fast enough to win the pole position before a mistake relegated him to the back of the field. Rowe completed a third lap after his required two-lap qualifying run, resulting in a penalty of losing his qualifying effort.

Rowe said communication issues that have lingered throughout the season contributed to the mistake.

“Obviously I had to go through (Turns) 1 and 2,” Rowe said. “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.”

The frustration didn't last long.

Myles Rowe

Rowe said the Abel Motorsports with Force Indy crew immediately reminded him of the speed they had shown throughout the weekend. With 75 laps ahead Sunday (photo, above), the team believed there would be enough time to recover.

They were right.

“I found something a little bit in practice one,” Rowe said. “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.

“It was hard for me to accept, honestly. It's funny to smile about it today. 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 were enough laps to do that.

“I was even sketching some things Sunday morning, thinking of alternate ways to approach it, especially in (Turns) 1 and 2. It's really hard to make it work in 1 and 2 sometimes. Just managed to do that when we started. Found that it worked extremely well. Just worked with that plan.”

Sunday's performance continued Rowe's impressive record on oval tracks. All three of his INDY NXT victories have come on ovals, following wins last season at Iowa Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway.

The result also served as another reminder of the promise that has followed Rowe throughout his career.

He joined Force Indy in USF2000 in 2021 and became the first Black driver to win a race in series history. After finishing runner-up in the championship in 2022, he advanced to USF Pro 2000 and captured the 2023 title, becoming the first Black driver to win a North American open-wheel championship.

Rowe moved to INDY NXT in 2024. He became the first Black driver to win a race in the series and finished fourth in the championship in 2025.

Those accomplishments helped make him one of the favorites entering 2026, which is why the turnaround over the last two races has been so significant.

The climb remains substantial. Rowe trails championship leader Nikita Johnson by 73 points entering Road America.

But for the first time all season, momentum is on his side.

“Our program still needs to work on how we come out of the box on road and streets,” Rowe said. “I think we found a little something, no doubt, in Detroit that hopefully we take toward Road America and Mid-Ohio. No doubt the momentum is going to fuel us to keep up this performance.

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

As if charging from last to first wasn't enough, Rowe punctuated the night by setting the fastest lap on the final circuit, collecting an additional championship bonus point.

“I just wanted the fastest lap,” he said with a smile. “I had everything in control. I needed the extra point, for sure.”