Season report
Opening rounds
The 2025 Indy NXT season began with a brilliant debut for Andretti's Dennis Hauger, who broke the track record in qualifying around the Streets of St. Petersburg to claim pole position. [43] He led from the outset of the race, which was interrupted early by multiple crashes leading to three caution periods. Despite pressure from his teammate Lochie Hughes at each restart, Hauger gradually pulled clear after the third interruption ended on lap 24 and established a commanding lead, before a late crash for Abel/Miller Vinatieri Motorsports’ Jack William Miller brought out the pace car, ending the race under caution. Hauger secured victory ahead of Hughes, with HMD Motorsports’ Caio Collet third. [44]
Hauger carried his dominant form into Barber Motorsports Park, taking pole position on a drying track with a lap over half a second clear of the field, while Collet topped the first group to start second. [45] Hauger led from the rolling start but, incidents during the opening part of the race caused two cautions. During that period, Collet encountered throttle problems that dropped him out of contention, leaving Hughes, Abel/Force Indy’s Myles Rowe and HMD’s Evagoras Papasavvas to fight for the remaining podium places. Hauger steadily built a gap of over 11 seconds to win ahead of Papasavvas, who resisted Hughes to finish second on debut. Hauger extended his championship lead to 29 points. [46]
Hughes led qualifying on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course to secure both pole positions of the weekend. [47] At the start of race one, Hauger’s attempt to take the lead around the outside of turn one ended in contact with Rowe and HMD’s Callum Hedge, sending him off track and dropping him to the back of the field. Collet took advantage to slot into second, while Hughes built an early gap. Two cautions interrupted proceedings, but Hughes managed both restarts and controlled the race throughout, eventually finishing ahead of Collet and Rowe. Hauger recovered to eighth, allowing him to narrowly retain the championship lead by three points over Hughes, with Rowe third. [48]
Hughes once again started from pole position for race two at Indianapolis, with Hauger alongside on the front row. An early caution was triggered by a multi-car clash involving Miller, Andretti’s James Roe, and HMD’s Nolan Allaer, which also delayed Abel’s Jordan Missig and HMD’s Nikita Johnson. On the restart, Hauger made his move on Hughes to take the lead, and although his team-mate stayed close for much of the distance, Hauger gradually edged away to win by almost five seconds. Behind them, Rowe and Andretti’s Salvador de Alba secured third and fourth. Hauger extended his points lead to 187, ahead of Hughes on 172 points and Rowe losing ground in third on 134 points. [49]
Hauger was back in front for qualifying at Detroit, ahead of Hughes. [50] The race began with chaos as contact between Hedge and Rowe triggered a multi-car pile-up at turn four, blocking the track and causing a stoppage. At the restart, Hauger led Hughes and de Alba. The Andretti pair fought, both suffered damage and were forced to pit, handing a huge lead to Hauger. His gap was then eradicated when Missig hit the barriers and caused a late caution. That set up a one-lap dash to the finish, which Hauger managed to win ahead of Collet. HMD’s Juan Manuel Correa claimed his first podium in just his third race in third as Hauger extended his championship lead to 240 points, 38 points ahead of Hughes. [51]
Mid-season rounds
Round six saw the season’s first oval race at WWTR. Hauger took pole position in a rain-delayed qualifying session, with Collet second. [52] The Brazilian immediately passed Hauger to take the lead, while Hughes endured a difficult opening lap and slipped back from fifth. The lead pair quickly broke away from the rest of the field, with Rowe running in third. The order remained largely static, until Hughes started charging through the field using the high line. He quickly reeled in the leaders to move into the lead by lap 62 and pulled away. Rowe followed Hughes’ path forward in the closing laps, ending up in second ahead of Collet. Hughes’ won the race to cut Hauger’s championship lead to 19 points. [53]
Hauger took his fifth pole position of the year at Road America, narrowly denying Collet in qualifying. [54] He led the opening laps of the race, holding off Collet’s challenge through the first corners. The pair soon pulled clear of the field, with HMD's Josh Pierson running a distant third. Collet slowly closed the gap to Hauger, but with no push-to-pass available, he had to wait until Hauger made a small error on lap 15. Collet drew alongside to take the lead and with it the win. Hughes and Pierson fought closely for the final podium spot all race, with the Australian eventually getting by. Hauger extended his advantage in the championship to 28 points over Hughes, with Collet strengthening his hold on third. [55]
Mid-Ohio saw Hauger claim another pole position with a new track record. [56] He maintained his lead at the start of the race, holding off Collet and Hughes before a dramatic crash on lap four brought out a lengthy red flag. The Andretti Cape pair of Sebastian Murray and Ricardo Escotto made contact, sending Murray’s car airborne before landing heavily near the pit straight barriers. When the race resumed under timed conditions, Hauger controlled the restart and gradually pulled away from Collet, who could not match his pace, with Hughes close behind in third. The front group remained stable through to the finish as Hauger took win number five of the year to extend his lead to 45 points. [57]
Iowa Speedway hosted round nine. Severe storms disrupted the schedule: qualifying was cancelled and points leader Hauger was awarded pole position. [58] Rowe made the best start from fourth to move past Collet and soon challenged Hughes, whose stern defence earned him a penalty. That left Hauger and Rowe to battle for the lead through several early caution periods. Once racing settled, Hauger held a narrow advantage until Rowe used traffic to sweep around the outside. He became the first black driver to win in Indy NXT, while de Alba overtook Collet late on for third place. With Hughes down in 16th after his penalty, Hauger once again grew his championship lead to 76 points. [59]
Next up was a double-header at Laguna Seca, where Collet claimed pole position for both races in a weather-delayed qualifying. [60] He made the most of his starting position in race one, leading the opening laps before a multi-car incident in the first corners eliminated Missig and de Alba and delayed several others, prompting an early caution. When racing resumed, Collet built a small gap over Hauger as Rowe pressured Pierson for third. Hauger later closed in again and ran nose-to-tail with the leader over the final laps, but Collet held firm to win by just two tenths of a second. Pierson claimed his first Indy NXT podium in third as Collet moved into second in the standings, 81 points behind Hauger. [61]
Closing rounds
Race two began with chaos once again, with Collet leading the field as a collision between CGR's Bryce Aron and the HMD pair of Liam Sceats and Tommy Smith brought out the first caution. On the restart, Hauger ran wide and lost second to Pierson, then came under pressure from Hughes. A second caution on lap 17 was followed by a multi-car tangle involving Missig, Correa, Allaer and his HMD teammate Hailie Deegan that neutralised the race again. Soon after, contact between Hughes and Hauger caused a final caution, ending Hauger’s race and dropping Hughes down the order. Collet handled each restart to lead Pierson and Hedge home, cutting Hauger's championship lead to 42 points. [62]
Collet secured his third consecutive pole position at Portland, denying Hauger with a last-lap effort. [63] At the start of the race, Hauger made a brilliant double pass on Collet and Rowe through the opening complex to take the lead. Behind them, Aron spun, triggering a chain reaction that sent several cars off-track and forced a caution, with Hughes in need of a new front wing. On the restart, Collet shadowed Hauger but was unable to challenge the Norwegian, who controlled the pace to the flag and won by just under a second. Rowe completed the podium as, with two rounds remaining, Hauger extended his standings lead to 54 points over Collet, with Hughes still mathematically in contention. [64]
Hauger ended Collet's pole position streak at the Milwaukee Mile with a two-lap average nearly a full mile per hour faster than the rest of the field. [65] De Alba started second, but passed Hauger straight away and steadily built a gap. Hughes soon took third from Hedge, forming an all-Andretti top three that remained static until a caution was triggered when Miller spun into the wall on lap 45. On the restart, Hauger closed up on de Alba but opted not to challenge his teammate, who went on to take his maiden Indy NXT victory. Hughes followed them home in third as Hauger’s second-place finish handed him an unassailabe 69-point lead over Collet to seal the championship with one race remaining. [66]
De Alba followed his maiden win with a maiden pole position for the final race in Nashville, ahead of Collet and Hauger. [67] At the start, de Alba held firm under early pressure from Collet, while Rowe began a charge through the pack, quickly moving into the top five. After overtaking Hughes and repelling a brief attack from Cape's Michael d’Orlando, Rowe swept past Hauger for third and then dispatched Collet to take second place. A collision between d’Orlando and Hedge triggered a caution at mid-distance, bringing Rowe onto de Alba’s rear wing. When racing resumed, Rowe tracked the leader closely before diving past with just over 20 laps to go and edging clear to win by 0.4376 seconds. [68]
Hauger entered the 2025 Indy NXT season as the overwhelming title favourite - and he delivered. Though still adapting to ovals, the Norwegian’s pace on road and street circuits was unmatched, and he proved a quick learner everywhere else. With six victories, five additional podiums, and only two finishes outside the top five, Hauger’s campaign was one of commanding consistency. Behind him, Collet emerged as his closest challenger, while Hughes and Rowe also became two-time winners but all three lacked Hauger’s relentless execution over the full season. Andretti Global won nine of the 14 races to take three of the top five entrant spots while delivering their second Drivers' Championship in a row.
Dennis Hauger 
