Dennis Hauger continued his strong start to the INDY NXT by Firestone season by posting the fastest lap in Friday’s practice session for the Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. The Andretti Global rookie from Norway set the pace with a lap time of 1 minute, 12.1621 seconds in the No. 28 Rental Group car during the 45-minute session.
Dennis Hauger Builds on Early Momentum
Hauger, a former Formula 2 race winner, kicked off his INDY NXT campaign by winning the pole and leading every lap of the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2. His performance in practice at Barber shows he remains a strong contender.
“It was a good run,” Hauger said. “As a team, we seem strong today. I think we still have some things to work on and feel like there was still some time in there for me. But a good start, and it’s good to see we sort of left off where we ended in St. Pete.”
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Top Performers in Practice
Caio Collet, in his second season in the INDYCAR development series, was second fastest with a lap of 1:12.4694 in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. His veteran teammate Josh Pierson followed closely in third place at 1:12.7627 in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports entry.
Rookie Lochie Hughes, driving the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car, clocked the fourth quickest lap at 1:12.7689. Hughes finished second to Hauger in his series debut at St. Petersburg, showing strong early form.
Andretti Global showcased impressive depth, placing four drivers in the top six. Salvador de Alba was the third Andretti driver in the top five, posting a 1:12.7865 lap in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car. James Roe rounded out the top six with a 1:12.8097 lap in the No. 29 Topcon machine.
Incident During Practice
The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag 19 minutes in after rookie Evagoras Papasavvas made contact with the tire barrier at the final turn of the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural-terrain road course. Papasavvas, making his first series start in the No. 24 HMD Motorsports car, was unhurt.
Upcoming Sessions
The schedule continues with another practice session at 10:10 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by qualifying at 1:30 p.m. ET. Both sessions will be broadcast live on FS1, the FOX Sports app, and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
