Ireland’s James Roe is INDY NXT presented by Firestone pole winner after the Andretti Global driver of the No.29 Topcon Dallara set the fastest time for Saturday’s opening oval race of the 2024 season at Iowa Speedway. It was a shot in the arm that Roe needed after what has been a tricky couple of weeks for the talented Irishman; he suffered a fractured right hand in Detroit at the beginning of June and had contact with his teammate last time out in Mid-Ohio.
Roe commented after setting a new track record, saying:
I didn’t know (all) that – there you go,
Not only did Roe claim the pole, but he also led a team 1,2,3 to the green flag. Roe’s new track record is 170.625 mph, beating the previous INDY NXT track record set by his teammate and driver of the No.26 Gainbridge Honda, Colton Herta, set in 2017. Roe stated:
“I can’t thank these guys enough. “It’s been a hell of a few weeks. Yeah, here we are. We’ve got a rocket ship. So, let’s get the job done tomorrow.”
Roe is currently ninth in the championship, equal on points with fellow Irishman, Dubliner Jonathan Browne, and speaking about the race on Saturday, he said:
“We were strong here last year. “We knew that our (qualifying) car was mega, so it was a matter of just putting it together. Honestly, we guessed a little bit on setup. I left the pits and said I’m holding it flat … to the checkers.”
Roe will be hoping that he can convert his maiden pole position in INDY NXT presented by Firestone into his first career victory