Josh Pierson and Myles Rowe involved in a crash in Indy NXT practice session at Indianapolis road course

The opening practice session of the Indy NXT series at the Indianapolis Grand Prix ended in dramatic fashion following a collision between Josh Pierson and Myles Rowe. The pair made contact with each other slightly under three minutes before the conclusion of the session.

The incident occurred on Turn Seven of the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit. Rowe, who was exiting the pit lane, rejoined the track parallel with Pierson. The duo ran side by side through the first six turns of the track before making contact through the heavy braking zone of Turn Seven, causing them to slide off into the grass.

The incident quickly prompted the services of the track marshals. While Josh Pierson, who was driving for HMD Motorsports, could continue his drive around the circuit, Myles Rowe, who was driving for Abel Motorsports, appeared stuck on the grass and had to have his vehicle towed back to the pit lane.

Pierson would accept the blame for the incident on his team radio following the conclusion of the practice, saying:

"I braked too late. That's my fault," as captured by Indy NXT on X.

Despite the crash, Rowe and Pierson completed the session in sixth and seventh, respectively. Meanwhile, championship leader Dennis Hauger continued his stunning run of form, clocking yet another fastest time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit.

The Andretti Autosport star remains the favourite for victory ahead of this weekend’s doubleheader at the Indianapolis permanent road course.

Josh Pierson reacts after the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix

Josh Pierson reflected on his performance at the Indy NXT Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix. The 19-year-old had entered the race weekend off the back of a mixed outing at the season-opening St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

The 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship rookie ensured he recorded a better outing at the Barber event, qualifying in seventh place and completing the Grand Prix in fifth place — a career best so far. Sharing his thoughts following the conclusion of the Birmingham event, Pierson took to his Instagram to share a carousel of photos, accompanying them with the caption:

“Solid weekend in Alabama. I feel like I learned a lot this weekend and built on a great race in St. Pete last time out. The hardworking people at @hmdmotorsports gave me a great car all weekend and I was able to capitalize on the package I was given.

I definitely had more speed to find in qualifying and there are still bits to work on, but P5 is a solid step in the right direction. I'm really looking forward to getting back on track in Indy.”

The Oregon native had failed to record a lap during the season-opening St. Petersburg Grand Prix qualifying after his car suffered an electrical issue, and he could only muster a ninth-place finish from the outing at the California event. Shifting focus to the Sonsio Grand Prix weekend, Josh Pierson will be eyeing an even more impressive outing at the Indianapolis track.