James Roe revels in first podium finish of Indy NXT season

James Roe hailed a "great race" after picking up his first podium finish of the 2024 Indy NXT season at the Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday.

The Kildare native is in his second full campaign with the Andretti Global team in the final feeder series which leads to the IndyCar championship, the highest rung of single-seater racing in the US.

The 25-year-old finished down in 16th at the opening round of the season at the Grand Prix of St Petersburg in Florida early last month.

But he rebounded in round two of the campaign this weekend, qualifying third on the grid on the Barber Motorsports Park circuit in Birmingham, Alabama, before taking a third-place finish in Sunday's race.

"It was a great race for us today," Roe said.

"Obviously a podium is always good in this championship with how competitive it is. The No. 29 Topcon team did an awesome job and helped make today a good race and something I'm really happy about. On to the next."

It's the second ever podium finish at Indy NXT level for Roe, having claimed second place last August at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

The result lifts him up to seventh in the championship standings on 49 points after the opening two races of the 12-round season.

Fellow Irish driver Jonathan Browne is ninth in the standings on 44 points after finishing 14th on Sunday. A rookie at Indy NXT level, the native of Ratoath, County Meath had opened the season with a strong sixth-place showing in St Petersburg on the second weekend of March.