Nikita Johnson took a test with Dale Coyne Racing at Barber Motorsports Park two weeks ago to see if the 2026 INDY NXT By Firestone Champion was ready for a full-time IndyCar ride.

Johnson passed the test with ease and when his grade was posted, he had officially graduated to IndyCar.

Graduation Day for Johnson was on November 10 when Dale Coyne Racing officially announced the 18-year-old Johnson would be driving one of the team’s Honda-powered entries in IndyCar beginning in 2027.

“Every interview people were asking, ‘When is it going to be done?’ We were trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together,” Johnson said. “We finally got it all together. Now we’re ready to go racing.

“I’m just going to be training very hard and focusing on St. Pete and the start of the IndyCar season.”

Nikita Johnson Became The Youngest Champion In INDY NXT History In 2026

In 2026, Johnson became the youngest driver in history to win the INDY NXT By Firestone Championship. Next season, the 18-year-old will be one of the youngest drivers in IndyCar history.

The St. Petersburg, Florida native begins his IndyCar rookie season at the first race of 2027, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The highlight for the young driver is the 111^th Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 2027.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot,” Johnson said. “The Indy 500 is the big one, right? For me there’s a lot of history. I’ve always watched that because it’s been on my birthday weekend. I was born on it. To be in it is a dream come true.

“I also love ovals. Even though this is not exactly a regular oval, it is rectangular-ish a little bit, it’s going to be very fun. I’m just excited to get out there in May and turn some laps.”

Johnson had no doubt that he would be making the move to IndyCar in 2027 after he won the INDY NXT championship this past season.

“I always knew that I was going to try to do it one-and-done,” Johnson said. “I’m very humble, right? I wasn’t going to beat on my chest and say it’s one-and-done, right?

“I definitely did work very hard for it. I’m happy that I was able to win at a really young age and be able to move on. We’re just going to have to be, yeah, in the gym a lot and on the sim a lot just trying to get prepared for St. Pete and every single road course, street course and oval there is on that calendar. It’s so diverse. We race everywhere really.

“I’ve just got to be ready for everything, right?”

Passing His IndyCar Test With A Racing Professor

Johnson participated in an IndyCar test with Dale Coyne Racing at Barber Motorsports Park on October 27. The student learned his lessons well and discussed the difference he felt with the Indy car.

“There was a little bit of a gap, but it didn’t feel too big,” Johnson explained. “A lot of people were saying that it was going to be a really big jump. I mean, it just felt like a little bit overall of everything. It wasn’t extremely crazy, anything in particular. It was just the braking, had to get used to kind of warming them up, how the bite point on it was.

“Other than that, people were going to be like it’s extremely physical, you’re going to be gone in a few laps. I made it through my first day really good. Obviously, we’re going to keep training, because the more fit you are the better and easier.

“It wasn’t too big of a jump. I think it was a natural progression how it should be.”

Among the differences between the INDY NXT car and the Indy car was one major component that Johnson discovered.

“I’d say from the test I just had to get used to braking,” Johnson said. “That was my first time driving with carbon brakes. Other than that, I’ve never driven a car with carbon brakes. Just getting used to that will not take a while but need to get in the car. With limited test days, we’re going to be working on that pretty heavily just to get on it.

“I think before St. Pete, it should be out of the way and not an issue.”

Team Owner Dale Coyne Known For Working With Young Racers In IndyCar

Team owner Dale Coyne owns one of the smaller teams in IndyCar. But it is also one of the most efficient at managing its resources.

The owner is also known for giving new drivers their first start in IndyCar. This past season, 2025 INDY NXT Champion Dennis Hauger drove for Dale Coyne Racing and the 2026 INDY NXT champ gets his shot in 2027.

“This is a great opportunity for DCR to sign a young and talented driver with an impressive résumé,” team owner Dale Coyne said. “Nikita has raced many types of cars and has gained great experience in the USA with INDY NXT, the USF series, Formula Regional in New Zealand, and GB3 and F3 in England and Europe.”

The 17-race series begins March 7 in Johnson’s hometown with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Johnson has previously won the season-opening race at St. Petersburg in INDY NXT (2026), USF Pro 2000 (2024) and USF2000 (2023).

The 18-year-old Floridian is one of the most exciting young talents joining the NTT IndyCar Series in 2027. During the 2026 INDY NXT season, Johnson became the youngest ever champion, winning the title at 18 years, three months and 12 days old. Winning the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the Grand Prix of Alabama.

He consistently raced at the front of the field, recording nine podiums and 10 top five finishes. He finished in the top eight in all 17 races and was the only driver to complete all 656 laps.

Before winning the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone championship, Johnson climbed the road to Indy becoming the 2024 vice champion in the USF Pro 2000 Series and 2023 runner-up in USF2000. In 2025 Johnson took his talents oversees winning at Zandvoort and the historic Brands Hatch circuit in GB3 at just 16 years old.

Sensible Goals For Nikita Johnson’s First Year In IndyCar

Johnson is just getting started with what could be an impressive career in racing.

Now that he has graduated to IndyCar, the tests will get more difficult, but Johnson is confident he can make the grade.

“For me, I look at it as getting a few podiums, which is always possible,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be hard to get a win just because IndyCar is such a challenging series. If you could get a win in your rookie year, I think that would be amazing.

“How I really look at it is I believe Alex Palou finished 16th in the championship. A lot of rookies have a tough time in their first year. They finish like 18th to 20 something. My main goal is to be Rookie of the Year and top 15 or 16 in the championship my first year.”

Johnson is taking a sensible approach to his next step in racing, but one day he is prepared to race to the head of the class.