Indianapolis, Ind. (Sunday, August 13, 2023)– A full day of racing on Friday ended in a champagne shower for James Roe as he piloted his No. 29 Topcon machine to a front row start and a podium finish at the Racing Capital of the World.

Roe attacked the world renowned 2.4-mile, 14-turn road course with pace and precision – qualifying second behind Andretti Autosport teammate Hunter McElrea. After the green flag, Roe settled into  third, awaiting his opportunity to strike.  After a late-race incident between the leaders, Roe took second and immediately commenced hunting down McElrea. A thrilling chase ensued as  Roe closed a multi-second gap, positioning himself to challenge for the lead on the final lap – ultimately crossing the finish line less than half a second behind his teammate.

“I’m really happy with how we did today and for Hunter, if there’s anyone to win, it’s him,” Roe said. “I did try to use the push-to-pass there at the end, but I didn’t have the tire to match the amount of push-to-pass that I had. But we still walked away with a podium here today.”

On the day Roe collected his best qualifying result and first podium in the INDY NXT™ by Firestone series. The result marks his second consecutive top-five finish and fourth top-five finish of the season for his partners Topcon, CES Power, Strong Roots, Ring Power Corporation, The Ireland Funds, and GAAPP.

“We’ve had a nice run recently since we were also super fast in Nashville and qualified on the second row,” Roe said. “This team is awesome, we just have to keep this momentum going.”

With 259 points and a seventh place standing, Roe continues to set his sights on climbing the championship ranks – with just one point separating him from sixth place and fifth place just a ten point gap.

Roe and his No. 29 Topcon ride will be back in action at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois on Saturday, August 26.

ABOUT JAMES ROE

Hometown: Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland

Residence: Indianapolis

Age: 24

2023 Car: No. 29 Topcon Andretti Autosport Dallara

Points Position: 7

Social: @jamesroe_ie (Instagram), @jamesroe_IE (Twitter), @JamesRoeJr (Facebook)