St. Petersburg Honors INDY NXT Champion Nikita Johnson
- Petersburg native Nikita Johnson was honored at City Hall on Monday after capturing the INDY NXT by Firestone championship as the youngest titleholder in history.
- According to reporting from FOX 13, the celebration featured a key to the city presentation and a special visit from students attending Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School in...
- Hopefully, I can win it next year or in the next few years and jump in the marina.
St. Petersburg native Nikita Johnson was honored at City Hall on Monday after capturing the INDY NXT by Firestone championship as the youngest titleholder in history. Mayor Ken Welch and local community members gathered to celebrate the driver’s historic season with Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR, where he also secured Rookie of the Year honors.
Hometown Celebration Draws Local Students
According to reporting from FOX 13, the celebration featured a key to the city presentation and a special visit from students attending Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School in South St. Pete. The young supporters shared lunch with the racing champion, collected autographs, and participated in a Q&A session where they interviewed Johnson about his career and future aspirations in motorsport. During the interactive session with local students, Johnson discussed his long-term ambition to win the St. Petersburg Grand Prix at the highest level of motorsport. He outlined a unique celebratory vision for the local event modeled after European traditions.
Hopefully, I can win it next year or in the next few years and jump in the marina. 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.
Nikita Johnson (via FOX 13)
Off-Track Traditions and Future Plans
Outside of his racing commitments, Johnson plans to spend his offseason enjoying boating, fishing, and golfing. He also celebrated his championship victory with a trip to a local Yogurtology shop alongside his middle school fans. True to his elite athletic discipline, Johnson kept his post-championship order straightforward.