Solid finish to 2024 season for Andretti Cape sees both drivers move forward
The finale of the 2024 IndyNXT by Firestone season took place this past weekend, with the series making a stop at the Nashville Superspeedway for the Music City Grand Prix. Andretti Cape INDY NXT brought two cars to the high speed oval and ended the season on a high note.
Qualifying was rained out on Saturday, meaning the grid was set by points. Salvador de Alba’s previous good results proved an advantage and allowed him to line up on the third row, while Michael d’Orlando had to start from the back of the grid due to him only contesting half the season.
The action was fast and furious as soon as the green flag flew, with both drivers finding themselves fighting among a tight group of competitors. Both kept their cars free from damage amid the battles and set to work moving forward on the 14 degree banking.
de Alba made his way up to fourth after the first lap, but then began slipping backwards slowly through the first portion of the race. A conservative car setup allowed de Alba to have a stable chassis underneath him, but also made it difficult to hold off challenges from others.
The stable setup paid dividends as the race wore on, however, and de Alba was able to maneuver the #2 Grupo Indi entry past others as they began to struggle. He ended the day in the fifth position, his fifth top 5 result of the season. de Alba ended the season fifth in the overall points, just one point shy of fellow rookie Callum Hedge in fourth.
d’Orlando started at the back of the field, but was able to navigate traffic to make his way up to 11th by time a quarter of the 65-lap race was complete. He continued to fight with other young drivers for the entire race and moved well into the top 10 as the laps wore down.
A late restart allowed d’Orlando to squeeze through the middle in a three wide move, which jumped him up to sixth just behind de Alba as the checkered flags flew. d’Orlando easily earned the Josten’s Biggest Mover award for his 11-position gain on the day, and was more than pleased with his performance to wrap up the season.
de Alba’s fifth place championship result is the best finish for an Andretti Cape INDY NXT driver in the two years the team has been competing in IndyNXT. d’Orlando ended the season 18th in the standings on account of his partial schedule, but still averaged eighth place for the races he did contest.
Work will continue into the offseason, with preparations already being made for next year’s campaign. The first race of the 2025 IndyNXT season takes place on the streets of St. Petersburg on March 2.
Salvador de Alba
“Another top five and top five in the championship. Really proud of the team. They worked their asses off every weekend. Practice 1 was my first and only crash of the year, and they put the car together expertly. We ended up going to a safe car setup for the race, and it was too safe. We had no top speed to pass.
“In the end, this is more than our expectations at the beginning of the year. Top five on the year, two podiums. Really proud of everyone and very thankful to Grupo Indi and my sponsors for making this possible.”
Michael d’Orlando
“That was definitely one of the most fun races I’ve ever had. Coming from essentially last place up to P6 was one hell of a rush, and it was one hell of a weekend. I can’t thank the Andretti Cape crew enough for all the hard work and the amazing car we had this weekend and for giving me this opportunity.
“Another special thank you for Rising Star Racing and Flatrock Motorclub for another weekend and making this possible for me. I think with the results and the performance we had today, we showed we belong here in 2025. What a way to end the year, and I hope we can do more of this next year.”