# EXCLUSIVE: IndyCar’s Newest Rookie Eyes Historic Indy 500 & Title Crowns After Signing With Dale Coyne Racing
> HelixNews · Web page: https://helixnews.one/story/964895 · All pages for agents: https://helixnews.one/llms.txt
3 outlets covering · First listed: EssentiallySports, Nov 11, 2026, 7:30 AM · Read it:
25 years and counting. That is how long Sam Hornish Jr. has held the record for being IndyCar’s youngest champion, having achieved the feat at 22 with Panther Racing in 2001. But Dale Coyne Racing’s latest recruit, an 18-year-old from St. Petersburg, Florida, is now on the hunt to snatch that crown as part of
## Who's covering it
In the order they published:
- Nov 10, 2026, 2:03 PM: [INDY NXT Champion Nikita Johnson Graduates To IndyCar With Dale Coyne]() — Yahoo Sports (Sports, United States)
After becoming the youngest champion in INDY NXT By Firestone history, 18-year-old Nikita Johnson will be the youngest driver on the grid in IndyCar in 2027.
- Nov 10, 2026, 2:03 PM: [INDY NXT Champion Nikita Johnson Graduates To IndyCar With Dale Coyne]() — Forbes (Magazine, United States)
After becoming the youngest champion in INDY NXT By Firestone history, 18-year-old Nikita Johnson will be the youngest driver on the grid in IndyCar in 2027.
- Nov 11, 2026, 7:30 AM: [EXCLUSIVE: IndyCar’s Newest Rookie Eyes Historic Indy 500 & Title Crowns After Signing With Dale Coyne Racing]() — EssentiallySports (Sports)
25 years and counting. That is how long Sam Hornish Jr. has held the record for being IndyCar’s youngest champion, having achieved the feat at 22 with Panther Racing in 2001. But Dale Coyne Racing’s latest recruit, an 18-year-old from St. Petersburg, Florida, is now on the hunt to snatch that crown as part of