Liam Sceats will start ninth in tomorrow morning’s (NZT) Indy NXT Grand Prix of Alabama, leading the Kiwi charge after a challenging, weather-affected qualifying session at Barber Motorsports Park this morning.
Fellow Kiwi Callum Hedge wasn’t as fortunate, caught out by damp conditions and a late red flag that left him 18th on the grid.
Sceats qualified in the second of two groups, where conditions steadily improved as the track dried. The 19-year-old set an early benchmark that had him sitting fifth when a red flag was brought out for Max Taylor with four minutes remaining.
Once the session resumed, Sceats briefly jumped back into the top four before being shuffled to fifth by the end.
His group time of 1:13.6967 placed him less than a second off pace-setter Dennis Hauger, and when the two groups were combined, it was good enough for ninth on the grid for tomorrow’s race.
“It came down to a one-lap shootout under tricky track conditions — and between myself and the car, we left a little bit on the table” Sceats wrote on social media after the session.
“Looking back, I wish I took a bit more risk, but it’s not too bad of a result out of 22 cars, and 3rd rookie. Not perfect, but not far off. Tomorrow’s where it counts for the big race — let’s fight!”
For Hedge, the session was far less straightforward. Running in Group 1, the young Kiwi faced significantly more difficult conditions than those in Group 2. The surface remained slick throughout, with multiple cars running off and lap times notably slower than in the later session.
Hedge posted a best time of 1:27.2800, placing him ninth in his group. A red flag in the final minute, triggered by Nolan Allaer going off, denied him a chance to complete his final flying lap.
It was a frustrating outcome for the 20-year-old, who had earlier shown promising speed by going sixth-fastest in the final practice session.
At the front of the field, Hauger secured pole position with a lap of 1:12.7705 in the No. 28 Andretti Global entry. It marks the Norwegian’s second consecutive pole in Indy NXT, following his top spot in St. Petersburg earlier this season.
The Kiwi duo will be aiming to move forward in tomorrow’s 35-lap race. Sceats will look to build from a strong grid spot, while Hedge has recovery work to do from 18th after showing encouraging pace earlier in the weekend.
Lights out is scheduled for 3:00am NZT on Monday, 6 May.
Qualifying Results:
| Pos | Driver | Group 1 | Group 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dennis Hauger | 1m12.7705s | |
| 2 | Caio Collet | 1m24.8394s | |
| 3 | Evagoras Papasavvas | 1m13.3669s | |
| 4 | Lochie Hughes | 1m25.4437s | |
| 5 | Myles Rowe | 1m13.4377s | |
| 6 | Bryce Aron | 1m25.5923s | |
| 7 | Josh Pierson | 1m13.5360s | |
| 8 | James Roe Jr | 1m25.5925s | |
| 9 | Liam Sceats | 1m13.6967s | |
| 10 | Seb Murray | 1m25.6971s | |
| 11 | Niels Koolen | 1m13.9664s | |
| 12 | Tommy Smith | 1m26.5433s | |
| 13 | Salvador de Alba | 1m14.1929s | |
| 14 | Nolan Allaer | 1m26.6250s | |
| 15 | Ricardo Escotto | 1m14.4622s | |
| 16 | Jordan Missig | 1m26.9820s | |
| 17 | Max Taylor | 1m17.0484s | |
| 18 | Callum Hedge | 1m27.2800s | |
| 19 | Hailie Deegan | 1m27.5294s | |
| 20 | Jack William Miller | No time |
Header Image: Indynxt.com / Joe Skibinski
