MADISON, Ill. (Sunday, August 18, 2024) – With the wind blowing hard in the American heartland, Irish driver James Roe and his No. 29 Topcon team battled on World Wide Technology Raceway’s unique oval to bring home a top 10 finish in the INDY NXT™ by Firestone Series’ OUTFRONT Showdown.   

In the weekend’s only practice session, Roe continued to show the pace that landed him on the pole at Iowa, putting up a fast lap that secured P2 on the practice leaderboard. Unfortunately, that practice prowess didn’t translate to a matching result in the evening qualifying session where the No. 29 notched a starting spot on the grid’s sixth row.   

Confident that the No. 29 Topcon machine had more speed to unleash, the Irish driver stepped into race day ready to battle for positions and move up the field.  As the race unfolded, Roe and the No. 29 team executed their plan, running as high as seventh before a late race restart pass attempt moved the car up the track and into the marbles. The top 10 finish puts Roe in 8th position in the INDY NXT™ by Firestone Series Championship standings – with just nine Championship points separating 8th from 5th. 

“There’s a lot for the No. 29 Topcon team to be proud of today,” reflected Roe. “We worked our way forward on a track that’s tough to pass. On the restart, I went for it, but got into the marbles and fell back a bit – that’s just oval racing. I’d rather go for a move than sit back and be content running further back. So, we have a quick race car that we’ll take on to the next.”

That next race comes quickly for Roe and his No. 29 team – representing partners Topcon, Ring Power Corporation, CES Power, Strong Roots, Trintech, Tourism Ireland, and The Ireland Funds – as they head to the Pacific Northwest next weekend to tackle the final road course of the season at Portland International Raceway.

ABOUT JAMES ROE

Hometown: Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland

Residence: Indianapolis

Age: 25

2024 Car: No. 29 Topcon Andretti Global Dallara

Points Position: 8

Social: IG – @jamesroe_ie, X – @jamesroe_IE, FB – @JamesRoeJr