It was another Top 5 finish for Tony Quinn Foundation Ambassador Callum Hedge in Indy NXT, with fourth place at Portland International Raceway continuing his strong run of form as we approach the final two rounds of the 2025 season.
Callum arrived in Portland in great form, fresh off his first podium of the season at Laguna Seca and carrying a streak of six consecutive Top 7 finishes.
He also had prior experience at the 3.166km circuit from his rookie campaign last year, though that result was one he was determined to improve on this time around with Abel Motorsports.
The weekend began strongly, with Callum showing pace straight away in Practice 1. While no one could touch series leader Dennis Hauger’s blistering 1:02.8638, Callum’s 1:03.6196 put him fourth, just a tenth off second place in a tightly bunched group behind the leader.
In Practice 2, Callum went three-tenths quicker than Friday’s best, clocking a 1:03.3404 to close the gap to Hauger to just 0.1152. That effort was good for second overall, giving him plenty of confidence heading into qualifying.
Drawn into the first qualifying group, Callum’s main rival was teammate Myles Rowe. The pair traded fastest laps throughout the session, with Callum’s final effort of 1:03.6185 falling just 0.0430 shy of Rowe’s best.
When the combined times were set, Hauger’s quicker Group 2 lap meant Callum would start from the second row in fourth, his first start inside the top two rows since Indianapolis in May.
At the start, a slipstreaming battle saw everyone fighting for the inside line into Turn 1. Aron dived inside Callum into the braking zone and briefly took the spot, but ran deep and found no space on the inside of Rowe ahead, making contact and spinning.
Callum avoided the chaos to retain fourth, while the incident triggered trouble further back and brought out an early caution.
Racing resumed after four laps under yellow, with Callum still behind Rowe and ahead of Niels Koolen.
A slow restart left him under pressure, but when Koolen attacked around the outside into Turn 1, Callum held firm, and the move instead allowed Salvador de Alba and Tommy Smith to slip past Koolen.
From there, Callum closed right up to Rowe’s gearbox, applying early pressure before the gap slowly opened. He managed the pace well, easing clear of the pack behind and running a comfortable fourth.
Despite some strong late-race speed, Rowe stayed just out of reach, and Callum crossed the line three seconds adrift after 35 laps, securing his third straight Top 5 and tenth Top 10 of the season from 12 races.
The result brings him within 23 points of Josh Pierson in fifth in the standings, with de Alba just seven points ahead in sixth.
With only the Milwaukee Mile on August 22–24 and the Nashville Superspeedway finale the following weekend left on the calendar, the battle for a Top 5 championship finish is well and truly alive.
Header Image: Penske Entertainment – Chris Jones
