Rookie Dennis Hauger maintained his flawless record in the young INDY NXT by Firestone season by winning Sunday’s Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. The Andretti Global driver from Norway led every lap of the 35-lap race from pole position, replicating his season-opening victory at St. Petersburg, Florida, on March 2.
Dennis Hauger’s Flawless Start
Hauger has now led all 79 laps contested this season and topped every session except one practice at St. Petersburg, where he finished second.
“That was a good weekend, for sure,” Hauger said. “It felt really good out there. I was trying to take care of the rear tires, especially in the beginning. After that, I was just trying to keep it consistent.
“The pace was really there. Andretti gave me a good car all weekend. I’m super happy for all of us.”
Read More: Interview with Dennis Hauger
Race Summary and Key Performances
Driving the No. 28 Rental Group car, Hauger crossed the finish line 11.0196 seconds ahead of 17-year-old Evagoras Papasavvas, who impressed in his first career start in the No. 24 HMD Motorsports car. Rookie Lochie Hughes secured third place in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine, completing a podium comprised entirely of rookie drivers.
Veteran Myles Rowe tied his career-best series finish with fourth place in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car, while Josh Pierson achieved a career-best fifth in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports car.
Race Dynamics
Two caution periods briefly interrupted Hauger’s dominant run on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural terrain road course. He was never seriously challenged and extended his lead on restarts on Lap 4 and Lap 13.
Caio Collet, who started second, kept close to Hauger early in the race. However, Collet fell back after his No. 76 HMD Motorsports car developed a throttle issue during the second caution, which was triggered on Lap 11 by a collision between Salvador de Alba’s No. 29 Grupo Indi car and Bryce Aron’s No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing machine in Turn 5.
Papasavvas inherited second place and held off challenges from Hughes, Rowe, and Pierson through the final laps. The margin between second-place Papasavvas and fifth-place Pierson at the finish was a tight 1.8332 seconds.
Looking Ahead
The INDY NXT series shifts into high gear with a doubleheader set for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course this weekend. Race 1 of the Indianapolis Grand Prix is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Friday, May 9, followed by Race 2 at 1 p.m. ET Saturday, May 10. Both 35-lap races will be broadcast live on FS1, the FOX Sports app, and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
