The Indy NXT Double-Header at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is now complete — and what a weekend it was for Tony Quinn Foundation ambassador Callum Hedge!
The 21-year-old Kiwi delivered a career-best qualifying performance and backed it up with two strong points finishes! Let’s take a look at how it all unfolded.
Hedge came into the weekend with confidence, having impressed at the Brickyard last year with two top-ten finishes, including a standout fourth place in Race 1 with HMD Motorsports.
This time around with ABEL Motorsports, it was clear from the outset that his strong form had carried over into 2025. In Friday’s only practice session, Hedge set the second-fastest time — a 1:14.6287 — only behind the dominant Dennis Hauger, with Hedge the only driver to get within half a second of the Andretti Global star.
Next came Qualifying, which held added weight this weekend with each driver’s second-fastest lap setting the grid for Race 2. Hedge was again drawn into the opening group.
He was on the pace immediately, clocking a 1:14.7846 on his third lap — just 0.0006s shy of Australian Lochie Hughes’ best time. His second-best time of 1:15.1812 also held up well, securing him second in the group.
Once Group 2 finished their runs, it was confirmed — Hedge would start both races from third on the grid, narrowly missing out on his first Indy NXT pole by six-thousandths of a second. A fantastic bounce back from his tough qualifying showings at St. Pete and Barber.
In Race 1, Hedge made a solid getaway but was challenged into Turn 1 by Myles Rowe. As the pair attacked Hauger ahead, the three went side-by-side — and as expected, three into one didn’t fit. Hauger was forced off, and Hedge also lost momentum, falling to fourth behind Rowe and Caio Collet.
He maintained fourth for the next ten laps, showing strong pace with the front runners. A mid-race caution for Juan Manuel Correa reset the field, and on the Lap 13 restart, Salvador de Alba got a good run and slipped past Hedge into Turn 1. Hedge stayed close behind de Alba until another caution came out with seven laps remaining.
On the final restart, Rowe and de Alba battled hard into Turn 1, opening the door for Hedge to sneak back through when de Alba ran slightly wide. Hedge reclaimed fourth and held the position to the flag — his best result of the season, and his first top-four finish since Iowa last July.
Lining up third once again for Race 2, Hedge got through Turn 1 cleanly after another three-wide moment and settled into third. An early caution interrupted the opening phase, and on the Lap 6 restart, Rowe got a strong tow and made a late move down the inside, running Hedge wide and dropping him to fifth.
Hedge held firm in fifth but came under pressure from Collet behind. With 13 laps to go, Collet moved around the outside of Turn 1, relegating Hedge to sixth. Josh Pierson then joined the fight, and over the next several laps, the two battled hard, going side-by-side on multiple occasions.
On Lap 26, the fight came to a head. Pierson made a late dive into the penultimate corner and overran it, colliding with Hedge.
Both drivers were forced wide, and while Hedge recovered quicker, the incident compromised his exit onto the front straight, and he dropped back to eighth.
He couldn’t recover the lost ground over the final laps and ultimately came home tenth.
While the result in Race 2 wasn’t what he hoped for, it capped off a weekend full of positives. Coming within six ten-thousandths of his first Indy NXT pole and taking home a fourth and a tenth across the double-header marks a significant step forward for the young Kiwi.
The strong points haul sees Hedge climb back into the top ten of the championship, now sitting eighth overall. He trails series leader Dennis Hauger by 99 points. He is just two points behind fellow Kiwi and Tony Quinn Foundation ambassador Liam Sceats in seventh.
Indy NXT now takes a two-week break before heading to the Streets of Detroit — the site of Hedge’s first Indy NXT podium last year.
Stay tuned for our preview heading into the weekend as we continue to follow Hedge’s journey in Indy NXT!
Header Image: Penske Entertainment – Karl Zemlin
