Lochie Hughes saved his best for last, turning the top lap of practice for the INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix on Saturday with just 25 seconds remaining in the session.

Hughes was fastest on the 1.33-mile concrete oval at 179.235 mph in the No. 26 Andretti Global entry. The Australian is seeking his second victory of the season and the second oval win of his career in the INDYCAR development series, as he won last year at World Wide Technology Raceway as a rookie.

SEE: Practice Results

“That’s everything she’s got, but it’s so different in practice than going out and qualifying by yourself,” Hughes said. “It’s been really tricky this morning. (Turns) 1 and 2 are super-slippery. It’s definitely different than when we tested here, but we’re all in the same boat.”

Hughes took the top spot from Andretti Global teammate Josh Pierson, who ended up second at 178.988 in the No. 29 Starchive Andretti machine.

Series leader Enzo Fittipaldi, fresh off a doubleheader sweep July 4-5 at Mid-Ohio, was third at 178.909 in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports entry. Fittipaldi leads fellow rookie teammate Tymek Kucharczyk by 17 points in the series standings.

Rookie Nikita Johnson was fourth at 178.803 in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR car, while early session leader Niels Koolen rounded out the top five at 178.723 in a strong performance in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing machine.

Recent series oval master Myles Rowe clocked in sixth at 178.645 after struggling early in the 50-minute session with loose handling in his No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy entry. Rowe won the only previous oval race this season, last month at WWTR, after climbing a series-record 23 spots from last on the starting grid to first. He also won two oval races last season, as all three of his career victories in the series have come on circle tracks.

Up next is qualifying at 4:30 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). The 65-lap race starts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday (FS1, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio Powered by OnlyBulls).