Mixed fortunes for the Andretti Cape duo at Barber Motorsports Park
After a long break waiting for the second race weekend of 2025, the INDY NXT by Firestone series reconvened at Barber Motorsports Park this past weekend. Fast, flowing corners and ample elevation changes gave all the young drivers a workout for the 35-lap tussle.
Seb Murray started from the tenth position and deftly avoided touching wheels as he and rest of the field steamed through the first turn. He then proceeded to put a nice move on Andretti team-mate Salvador de Alba on the lap four restart, moving forward early in the running.
Lap eight spelled trouble for the 18-year-old, however, as he unexpectedly lost control while navigating the tricky downhill complex in Turns 8 and 9. His #2 Dream Racing Dubai entry bounced over the curbs sideways, stopping in the middle of the track. Murray got going again quickly, but shortly after he had a small altercation with Callum Hedge that sent him through the grass a second time.
The dual incidents severely flat-spotted Murray’s tires, and he struggled with pace for the remainder of the event. He battled through the vibrations and gained a couple spots through attrition, but still ended the day much lower than he had hoped in 16th position.
The Andretti Cape NXT’s other driver Ricardo Escotto started further down the grid, but was able to turn his fortunes around during Sunday’s race. On the first lap, he dove down to the inside of the downhill Turn 5, moving up two positions in the process. It was the first but not the last time the young Mexican racer would make a pass in the same turn.
Escotto’s progression was set back temporarily when a small mistake caused him to lose two positions on the fifth lap. But by lap 12 he had climbed up into the top 10, and he ended the day with a ninth place result courtesy of a lap 26 pass on James Roe.
By virtue of earning two top 10 results in the first two races, Escotto now sits eighth in the overall points standings. He already has his sights on next weekend and aims to extend his streak of good results.
Both Cape Motorsports drivers will be on track next weekend, when they will contest a double-header around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The compressed schedule will feature two full-length races on consecutive days, giving dual opportunities for success at the Racing Capital of the World.
Seb Murray
“That’s the race all done and dusted. It was really good until I got involved in an incident. I think I was sitting P8 and it was looking good for solid points. Just had a snap in the rear going into Turn 8, and that was our race over. The tires were destroyed after that so at that point the main goal was to get it over the line.
“It was unfortunate, but I think there are a lot of positives to take from this weekend. The team have done a great job, so a big ‘Thank you’ to all of them. Moving on to Indy next week where we can hopefully get some proper points.”
Ricardo Escotto
“Tough race here in Barber, as always. Qualifying is really important here, and unfortunately this weekend we couldn’t get the most out of it. Definitely will be the thing that we have to work on most for Indianapolis. But happy with the car, happy with the race, and just looking forward to Indy now.”