Written by Archie O’Reilly, Edited by Morgan Holiday
The start of the IndyCar season on the streets of St. Petersburg also marked the beginning of a new Indy NXT campaign.
Eight fresh faces and two cars for the returning Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) team made up the 21-driver field for the opening race of 2025 in the premier North American open-wheel feeder series. And in the end it was Dennis Hauger who led home a rookie one-two from Andretti teammate Lochie Hughes.
Topping opening practice by half-a-second over last season’s third-place championship finisher Caio Collet, 2021 Formula 3 champion Hauger was off to a fast start on his debut weekend. The Norwegian driver went on to lead his qualifying group by a similar margin over Collet.
Hauger took pole as his quickest time from the opening group was not beaten in the second, with reigning USF Pro 2000 champion Hughes sharing the front row on debut after leading the second group. Collet and fellow sophomore Myles Rowe completed the top four.
There was trouble before the race start for rookie Liam Sceats, who was due to start in fifth, as he failed to make the green flag and instead found himself confined to the pits with an issue that put him 11 laps down.
It was a clean start for the leaders, though trouble unfolded in the mid-pack before Turn 1 as rookie Tommy Smith tagged Niels Koolen - driving for the returning CGR - and sent the Dutch driver into the outside wall. James Roe was also caught up but continued, with Smith beached on the inside kerb and falling two laps down.
The first half of the race was punctuated by two further cautions as Roe - driving with Andretti for his fourth NXT season - crashed on his own in Turn 10 on Lap 10. Nolan Allaer was then a victim at Turn 14 on Lap 22 after previously-sustained damage.
There was little change among the front-runners throughout the race, with Hauger in control and neither Hughes nor Collet - despite the restarts - able to make an impression. With Rowe in fourth, it was status quo between the top-four starters.
A crash at Turn 9 for Jack William Miller, who was running a career-best fifth, on Lap 42 saw the 44-lap race finish under caution, confirming a dominant win for Hauger to kick off his stateside venture after three years in Formula 2. It was a first win on debut for a driver since Linus Lundqvist in 2021.
Hauger “super happy” with NXT debut
Making a pivot in his career despite offers to continue for a fourth year in F2, Hauger’s start to life in Indy NXT could hardly have gone better.
“Didn’t expect to be straight up there like that,” said the four-time race winner in Formula One’s premier feeder series. “We definitely had a good weekend as a team - I think the pace was strong for most of us. Tried to keep it clean up front and not do anything crazy.
“We had a few safety cars and a few restarts but managed it well. Super happy to end the weekend on top.”
There was plenty for Hauger to get up to speed with, from restarts to learning more about the intricacies of the Firestone tyres.
“But it went really well,” he said. “It felt nice and it felt smooth and Andretti gave me a good car to be up there comfortably.”
A winner on the streets of Monaco and Azerbaijan in F2, Hauger is a driver who relishes “being close to the limit” on street tracks. But his debut in the United States was always bound to pose new challenges, which he overcame with flying colours.
“I think it’s all different: the environment, the atmosphere and the driving style, the car, the tracks,” Hauger said. “I go in with some experience overall but it’s all completely new for me.
“The car is a lot lighter and that changes your driving style a lot. I think that’s the main thing. The Firestone tyres are a bit different - you can push a lot harder through a race and do a few more laps in qualifying, which is something different for me as well.
“So it’s all been about gaining experience and taking it step by step. Definitely had a good run but we are just building on from here.”
While he did not have much wheel-to-wheel combat to contend with on debut, Hauger likes the “pure racing” of the IndyCar ladder. Along with the rest of the field, he now has the best part of two months to prepare for the second round of the season, which comes at Barber Motorsports Park, where the entire field tested during the off-season.
Hughes’ longest-ever career race
For reigning USF Pro 2000 champion Hughes, St. Pete was a test of endurance. Having progressed through the USF championships, the Australian driver had never competed in a race as long as Indy NXT’s St. Pete visit.
“I don’t think I’ve ever - especially around here - done more than 25 laps,” he commented. “To just be racing for that long was just a big learning curve, feeling what the tyre does for that long.
“These big cars are very different, the way you drive them. Honestly learning a lot of things. Felt pretty good for most of the race up until 10 laps to go. I couldn’t really do anything [to catch and pass Hauger] so just tried to bring it home.”
Hughes stayed in close pursuit of Hauger, but while he fairly comfortably fended off Collet behind, he was unable to make any inroads to pass his race-leading teammate
“Off-line there’s no grip around here,” Hughes said. “It would be a pretty ballsy move if I was going to pull it off.”
Like with Hauger, who was transitioning from the F2 car to the Dallara IL-15, Hughes also had a new car to get up to speed with.
“It’s just completely different,” he said. “It’s just so much faster, heavier, different tyre. Racing for a team like Andretti so there’s a little bit of added pressure there.
“Just trying to get used to it. You don’t get as much testing in these cars as well so taking it one step at a time. Pretty reasonably happy with this weekend. I think it’s been a while since the [USF Pro 2000-winning] scholarship car has had a podium on debut.”
Collet and HMD “a step behind” Andretti
For the returning Collet, who achieved six podiums, including one win, en-route to finishing third in the standings as a rookie in 2024, winning the championship is a clear goal in 2025. But his HMD Motorsports trailed Andretti across the opening weekend.
“For sure it’s good to start on the podium,” Collet said. “We aim to be in the top three all year and want to fight for the championship. So in a way, one of our goals we achieved. But for sure we were a step behind the whole weekend.
“As a team we struggled a little bit. For sure we need to come back to the workshop and manage to improve.”
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