Indy NXT Detroit: Agony then joy for Siegel, as Gold wins R1

Siegel held a five-second lead on the final lap of Saturday’s race but snapped a halfshaft on the exit of Turn 7 of the last lap, allowing Gold – who he’d passed with a brilliant move six laps earlier – to cruise past and inherit the victory by 0.2974s.

Jagger Jones, the grandson of the legendary Parnelli, chased Gold across the line while Ernie Francis Jr made an amazing comeback from recent wrist surgery to claim third, the first Haitian-American driver to make the podium in an IndyCar development series.

The top three were covered by half a second, while the crippled car of Siegel limped across the line in eighth.

Polewinner Louis Foster didn’t make the first corner, after Andretti Autosport team-mate Hunter McElrea rear-ended him into the wall as soon as the Briton touched the brakes. McElrea was given a stop-and-go penalty but had the time to rebound through the field to finish seventh.

Points leader Christian Rasmussen’s tough weekend, which started badly with electrical problems in practice, continued when he broke his front wing at the first corner. He rallied to finish ninth, enough to keep the championship lead over Siegel.

Indy NXT Detroit Race 1 results

In Sunday's race, early leaders Foster and Rasmussen ran way too deep into the first corner, allowing Siegel to jump out in the lead.

Foster and Rasmussen banged wheels on the second lap too, with Rasmussen barging into second, with McElrea running fourth ahead of Francis – but the latter had to pit for a new front wing.

Jones crashed heavily at Turn 2, to bring out the first caution, and another was required late on when Kyffin Simpson nosed into the wall at Turn 9. That created a two-lap shootout to decide the race.

Siegel held his nerve to make it five winners in five races, beating Rasmussen, Foster and McElrea. Francis starred again by driving from last to seventh.

The win puts Siegel within two points of championship leader Rasmussen.

Indy NXT Detroit Race 2 results