St. Petersburg celebrates 18-year-old 2026 INDY NXT champion Nikita Johnson

St. Petersburg native Nikita Johnson was honored at City Hall Monday after becoming the youngest INDY NXT champion in history.

admin September 14, 2026 2 minutes read

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg native Nikita Johnson was honored at City Hall Monday after becoming the youngest INDY NXT champion in history.

Honoring a champion

What we know:

Fresh off capturing the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone championship with Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR, Johnson was honored by Mayor Ken Welch and community members.

He also won Rookie of the Year.

Inspiring the next generation

Local perspective:

Johnson was honored with a “key to the city” Monday and among the fans watching in attendance were students from Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School in South St. Pete.

The local middle schoolers, who have supported his journey throughout the season, shared lunch with the champion, snagged autographs, and even got to play reporter during a Q&A session.

First question by the students: What’s next?

To answer, Johnson compared the St. Pete Grand Prix to Formula 1’s iconic Monaco Grand Prix Circuit.

Future goals

What’s next:

Johnson already won the St. Pete Grand Prix at the NXT level this year – and hopes to win it at the highest level in the future. That’s when he wants to start a new tradition.

“Hopefully, I can win it next year or in the next few years and jump in the marina,” Johnson told FOX 13. “Because nobody has ever done that. They do that in Monaco, but why don’t we do it here? We are racing on the water. We have all the boats out there, all the yachts. Might as well go jump in and have a little dip. So that’s the plan when I win.”

But he already has plenty of wins to celebrate – which he’ll do by going fishing, boating, and golfing.

He’s also got a celebratory trip to Yogurtology with his NEW friends — though the elite athlete keeps his order strictly business.

“Usually, I like strawberry and vanilla. Strawberry-vanilla or chocolate-vanilla,” Johnson laughed. “I skip the toppings because that’s too much weight. I don’t want to pay like 50 cents more or whatever. Plus, I don’t want to get diabetes.”