Photo: Penske Entertainment / Joe Skibinski

Nikita Johnson used a first corner move to take a lead he would not give up in Indy Nxt’s season-opening race in St. Petersburg.

The 18-year-old claimed his and Cape Motorsports’ maiden victory in the championship, and it was a winning start for his team’s partnership with Ed Carpenter Racing.

There was drama pre-race as radio trouble meant Chip Ganassi Racing’s Niels Koolen did not leave the pits with the rest of the field. He was able to make it out in time to join the race start, when Andretti Global’s poleman Max Taylor led the field up to racing speeds.

He covered the inside line going into the opening corner, while fellow front row starter Johnson went to the outside and had taken the lead before even reaching the apex of turn one.

The field navigated the first braking zones without issue, and HMD Motorsports’ Tymek Kucharczyk overtook Andretti’s Seb Murray and Lochie Hughes for third. Later in the lap, HMD’s Jack Beeton spun then AJ Foyt Racing’s Alessandro de Tullio drove into the rear of Andretti’s Josh Pierson, which led to a caution period.

Racing resumed on lap four of a scheduled 45, and Abel Motorsports with Force Indy’s Myles Rowe had to hold off Pierson for sixth into turn one.

Two laps later there was another caution-triggering event as Ganassi’s Carson Etter broke his front wing then drove over the top of it and into the barriers exiting turn eight.

The next restart was on lap 10, and Taylor tried reclaiming the lead around the outside of turn one but there was not enough room for him to stay alongside into turn one. Murray fought Kucharczyk twice during the lap, but could not maintain his challenge.

Everyone was setting personal best laptimes, and Taylor was mostly able to match Johnson’s pace until the next caution period when Foyt’s Nicholas Monteiro crashing out exiting turn nine on lap 17.

Murray looked to Kucharczyk’s outside approaching turn one on the lap 21 restart, and Koolen got alongside team-mate James Roe Jr on the twisty stretch between turns two and three. They rubbed wheels, then crashed, and racing was neutralised once more.

Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Alexander Koreiba and Cape’s Matteo Nannini were deemed to have violated the rules of the restart and sent to the back for the next one on lap 26. This time it took two laps for Johnson to make a 0.9-second gap, with Kucharczyk a further 0.9s back, but Taylor reduced it to 0.7s as the race became a timed encounter that would mean a 42-lap distance.

Taylor set a new fastest lap on lap 33, getting within 0.45s of Johnson, but the leader responded and had a 0.86s margin after lap 35 as he lowered his own pace. The pair continued pushing, and Johnson took the fastest lap next time by. He was now 0.971s ahead, and while Taylor did respond by lowering his own pace, both did on lap 38 and Johnson broke a second clear with another fastest lap. The debuting Kucharczyk, engineered by Tim Neff, was now 4.43s behind.

Taylor reclaimed the fastest lap on the next tour, and saving up his push-to-pass for a late-race attack. But Johnson had used it sparingly too, so as both hit the button over the final two laps it meant Johnson was still able to win by 0.699s.

Kucharczyk fell a further second behind, with Murray close behind but never attacking, and Hughes finished fifth. A lot further back was Rowe, who had continued to hold off Pierson, and HMD’s Salvador de Alba finished eighth after passing Abel’s Max Garcia on lap 26 (having conceded a place to him in a forceful turn one move on lap 11) then overtaking Cusick Morgan Motorsports’ Juan Manuel Correa on lap 31.

Beeton recovered to 11th, and Bryce Aron was Ganassi’s top driver in 18th.

Race results (42 laps)

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Photo: Chris Owens

Andretti Global’s Max Taylor claimed pole almost unopposed for the opening race of the Indy Nxt season in St. Petersburg.

Having topped both practice sessions, Taylor was then quickest in the second qualifying group as the 24-car field was split into two.

His team-mate Lochie Hughes was the driver to beat through the first half of group one’s session, bringing the pace down to 1m06.1041s.

HMD Motorsports’ Enzo Fittipaldi was initially second, then team-mate Salvador de Alba took over the position but was 1.0958 seconds off the pace.

Josh Pierson reduced team-mate Hughes’ advantage to 0.7221s with five minutes to go, at which point Cape Motorsports by Ed Carpenter Racing’s Nikita Johnson was among a group of drivers without a flying lap. Once his first effort did come in, he bettered Pierson by 0.0233s to go straight into second.

Abel Motorsports’ Max Garcia slotted into fourth at the same time, and several others set personal bests while Fittipaldi brought his damaged car back to the pits. He had got loose exiting turn three, tried to save his car but hit a wall that damaged the rear-left of his car.

Hughes lowered the pace to 1m05.9871s a minute later, leading Garcia by 0.4944s, Pierson by 0.5133s and de Alba by 0.6152s. When Johnson next crossed the line, he went from fifth to first as he went 0.0865s quicker than Hughes.

Pierson later also beat Hughes, by 0.0113s, and de Alba improved to 1m06.1391s in fourth. Johnson went even faster next time by, setting a 1m05.5418s, but Hughes responded with a 1m05.4352s. AJ Foyt Racing’s Alessandro de Tullio rose to fifth, posting a 1m06.2881s.

Johnson reclaimed provisional pole by 0.2204s with one-and-a-half minutes remaining, and Pierson improved to 1m05.8319s but remained in third. Hughes similarly found more pace but lapped 0.0957s shy of Johnson’s benchmark in the final minute, and de Tullio was 0.5283s behind in third. Pierson then reclaimed that position, getting within 0.3827s of Johnson.

While Johnson said it took a few laps for the track to rubber in, but remained pretty loose, Hughes say it did not rubber in at all and was very different to pracrtice when he lost running after being pushed into the barriers.

It did not take long for Johnson to lose pole once group two was on track. Taylor’s first flying lap was a 1m06.6478s, and on his next laps improved to 1m05.4337s then 1m04.9993s. His team-mate Seb Murray was closest at first, 0.0676s behind before the gap grew to 0.3807s and later 0.4746s.

Third place traded hands, with Juan Manuel Correa, Myles Rowe and Tymek Kucharczyk all occupying the position in the session’s first half and remaining within a second of the pole pace.

Cape’s Matteo Nannini was next to sit third, but only very briefly as Correa, Kucharczyk and Rowe all then held the position over the next 74s. In his attempt to reclaim the spot, Nannini had a huge crash that began as he exited turn two and led to debris going everywhere. That triggered a seven-minute stoppage and meant his fastest lap was deleted.

Qualifying did restart, and Correa improved at the very end to be fifth in the group. Kucharczyk was third, putting him on row three as each group fills a side of the race’s grid, which the debutant considered “a bit dissapointing”.

Qualifying results

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Photo: Penske Entertainment / Chris Jones

Max Taylor led an Andretti Global lockout of the top three places in the first Indy Nxt practice session of 2026 in St. Petersburg.

The track was immediately busy when the 45-minute session began, and the first benchmark was a 1m09.9265s from Taylor.

His team-mates Lochie Hughes and Seb Murray then lowered the pace in the 1m08s, and once everyone was on track five minutes in the name on top was Abel Motorsports’ Max Garcia. He had set a 1m07.891s, edging Andretti’s Josh Pierson by 0.0329s and Abel with Force Indy’s Myles Rowe by 0.0631s.

HMD’s Salvador de Alba bettered Garcia by 0.0542s a minute later, then Chip Ganassi Racing’s Niels Koolen edged ahead by 0.1277s.

Andretti was soon back on top, with Murray posting a 1m07.0788s to lead Hughes by 0.187s. Taylor was first to lap sub-1m07s, and his 1m06.4078s effort earned him first place by 0.3722s over Rowe. There was a 0.659s gap to HMD’s Tymek Kucharczyk once he climbed to third, but he was towards the bottom of the top 10 before the 10-minute mark.

Hughes lowered the pace to 1m06.1421s, leading Taylor by 0.2391s and HMD’s Enzo Fittipaldi by 0.4345s. Murray improved in fifth, as all but Rowe in the top half of the field improved and Garcia sat in the pits. When Taylor next crossed the line, he put in an impressive 1m05.8011s and Murray went third fastest but was 0.7513s behind.

More drivers pitted, and Rowe was demoted to sixth despite setting a personal best as de Albra bettered him in fifth.

Cape Motorsports by Ed Carpenter Racing’s Nikita Johnson took third place before red flags waved 15 minutes in. Approaching turn 10, HMD’s Jack Beeton had brushed the outside wall with his rear-right wheel and it sent him spinning into the corner. He broke his rear wing, rear-right wheel and suspension with a rearward impact, and the clear-up required a four-minute stoppage.

Taylor made a small gain of 0.0192s a few minutes after the restart, then improved further to 1m05.4236s as Hughes got within 0.4595s of his new benchmark.

Pierson set a personal best for fifth, then got faster again next time by and rose to third but was 0.8297s slower than Taylor. Garcia, who had headed back on track, jumped to fourth ahead of the improving Rowe with under 20 minutes to go, then Johnson reclaimed third with a 1m05.8925s and Fittipaldi posted a 1m06.1666s to sit fourth.

Taylor still had pace to find, and set a 1m05.2229s before pitting. Fittpaldi became his closest rival not long after that lap was set, but was 0.4788s off his pace, and there were personal bests from Cape’s Matteo Nannini, Murray and Rowe in fifth, sixth and seventh.

The track became far quieter, and Rowe utilised clear to break the 1m06s barrier three times. He rose to fifth, third and then second, lapping 0.3616s shy of Taylor.

Others were also able to string together successive personal bests, and sub-1m06s laps put Cusick Morgan Motorsports’s Juan Manuel Correa and Nannini into the top five and Abel’s Colin Kaminsky into seventh.

Red flags waved again with seven-and-a-half minutes to go as Hughes nosed into the barriers by turn eight. With assistance he returned to the pits sans front wing, and four minutes remained when green flags returned.

Lots of drivers headed out, but some then pitted and forwent the opportunity to improve. Kucharczyk and Koolen went sixth and seventh fastest with a minute remaining, and Murray then took seventh just before the chequered flag. After it flew, Taylor set an unbeatable 1m05.0852s. Pierson jumped from 13th to second, 0.4506s off and 0.001s ahead of Murray.

Free practice results

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Photo: Penske Entertainment / Chris Jones

Indy Nxt will have a 24-car grid for this weekend’s season-opening round on the streets of St. Petersburg, as Juncos Hollinger Racing has signed Alexander Koreiba.

The late addition to the field is making a big change in career direction by heading to Indy Nxt, having previously raced prototype sportscars.

Koreiba does have single-seater experience, but only through races in the entry-level Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series back in 2018 and then a United States Formula 4 cameo three years. Since then, he has been busy in LMP3 machinery.

In 2022 he was runner-up in the IMSA Prototype Challenge, he made his IMSA debut in 2023, and two years ago he won Historic Sportscar Racing’s IMSA-affiliated Prototype Challenge in the pro-am class.

“This is a dream come true, and to do it with an organisation of this calibre makes it even more meaningful,” the 28-year-old American said of his Indy Nxt move.

Team co-owner Ricardo Juncos said Koreiba “brings a championship mindset and a relentless work ethic that aligns with our goals as an organisation”.

A few days ago the driver and team got to work with each other on-track in a two-day test that took place on the Miami track that Formula 1 races on. A shortened layout was used, and Koreiba’s team-mate Ricardo Escotto set the pace with his very last lap of the test.

Koreiba was fourth fastest, and Andretti Global’s Lochie Hughes in eighth place commented that the new gearbox being used this season has required him to adjust his driving style. He is the highest placed returnee, having come third in the 2025 standings as a rookie.

The post Alexander Koreiba joins Juncos to complete Indy Nxt’s 2026 grid appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: James Black

Indy Nxt race-winner Matteo Nannini will make a comeback to the championship this year with Cape Motorsports powered by Ed Carpenter Racing.

When Nannini was last on the grid in 2023, aged 19, he only contested the first half of the season with Juncos Hollinger Racing and his sole top-10 finish was victory with fastest lap from pole position on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course. He came 19th in the standings.

Now 22 and owning his own team, Nannini has committed to contesting the full 2026 season with Cape as it begins its alliance with IndyCar team ECR. He recently tested with Cape at Sebring.

“I’m very happy to be back in Indy Nxt with Cape by ECR,” said Nannini. “I’m grateful to the team for this great opportunity and for the trust they’ve shown in me. Our first test together was very positive; we worked well as a group and built a strong foundation from the start. I’m looking forward to the season ahead and to enjoying every moment on track.”

During his single-seater career, Nannini won the UAE4 title, came 15th in the Formula Regional European Championship, 14th in the FIA Formula 3 Championship and raced part-time in Formula 2 where he scored one point.

He will be team-mate in Indy Nxt to rookie Nikita Johnson, who did two rounds last year but primarily raced in Formula Regional Oceania, GB3 and then the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

Enve Motorsports, the team co-founded by Matteo Nannini, is competing full-time this year in USF2000 which is two steps below Indy Nxt on the Road to Indy. It is Nannini’s long-term target to get Enve onto the Indy Nxt grid and even more ambitiously top-tier single-seaters by acquiring a charter that would enable it to race in IndyCar.

Juncos is one of IndyCar’s full-time entrants, and that led to it withdrawing from Indy Nxt last year to focus its efforts on its more resource-heavy programme. It should be back on the Indy Nxt grid in 2026, having signed Ricardo Escotto. However it will be without its founder and co-owner Ricardo Juncos’s father Ricardo Arturo Juncos, who recently passed away.

The post Matteo Nannini makes Indy Nxt comeback with Cape by ECR appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Penske Entertainment / Matt Fraver

Indy Nxt teams tested at Sebring on January 20/21, and the big story to emerge from the test were the decisions from IndyCar’s new independent officiating system.

Abel Motorsports was penalised along with its cars driven by Max Garcia, Jordan Missig, Colin Kaminsky and Myles Rowe.

The team was found to have been “in violation of an additional testing limitation” and rig use:

During off-season preparation for the 2026 Indy Nxt season, IndyCar Officiating determined Abel Motorsports tested gearboxes on a rig, which is used to gather and supply data. Rig testing of any race equipment, whether separately or in any combination, is prohibited in the Indy Nxt rulebook.

 

According to the rulebook, the violation is considered a non-race procedure Penalty (9.2.3.), which includes the issuance of a monetary fine (6.10.1. and 9.2.3.2.) and issuance of a probation (9.2.3.3.).

 

Abel Motorsports has been fined $25,000 and must supply all data to IndyCar, which will then be distributed to all other teams in the interest of fairness and competitive balance. Abel Motorsports, including all four entrants, also have been placed on probation through the conclusion of the race at World Wide Technology Raceway, scheduled for Sunday, June 7 2026.

 

Members may contest the imposition of the penalties detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the Indy Nxt rulebook.

The June race at the Gateway oval is round six and race eight of the season, and almost the halfway point of the campaign.

Although data from rig testing is of use, anything which benefitted Abel’s pace is at Sebring is of limited relevance since the bumpy airfield track is not raced on by Indy Nxt.

HMD Motorsports’ Enzo Fittipaldi was the fastest driver in the test, with a gap of less than 0.1 seconds to Andretti Global’s Max Taylor in second place.

Alessandro de Tullio (AJ Foyt Racing), Garcia, Juan Manuel Correa (Cusick Morgan Motorsports) and Rowe completed the top six, with 24 drivers on track.

Andretti’s Lochie Hughes, who came third in the championship last year, was only 14th on the end-of-test timesheet.

The drivers who tested but currently do not have Indy Nxt race seats for 2026 were Matteo Nannini and Jack William Miller.

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Photo: Penske Entertainment / Travis Hinkle

Salvador de Alba will remain in Indy Nxt for a third season this year, ending his association with Andretti to join HMD Motorsports’ line-up.

The 26-year-old Mexican contested his rookie campaign with the joint Andretti Cape operation, then he moved into Andretti Global’s main line-up for 2025.

Although he came fifth in the standings in each of the last two seasons, de Alba’s sophomore campaign featured 87 more points as he followed up consistent top-five results in the first half of the year with a podium, a maiden victory at the Milwaukee Mile and then pole position for the final race at Nashville Superspeedway which he finished second in.

“The past two seasons in Indy Nxt have been a tremendous learning experience, and I’m excited to begin a new chapter with HMD Motorsports,” said de Alba.

“I gained strong momentum toward the end of last season, and I’m eager to carry that into 2026. The team has already shown incredible dedication to my success, and I’m grateful for all the support that’s helped me get here. Together, we’ll keep pushing towards IndyCar.”

Prior to Indy Nxt, de Alba was a NASCAR Mexico champion and then did two seasons in USF Pro 2000 to adapt to open-wheel cars. He won two oval races there, and in 2025 was the fastest driver in all of junior single-seaters around ovals.

“Salvador is an outstanding addition to our lineup and exactly what we were looking for heading into 2026,” HMD’s team president Mike Maurini said. “He brings valuable experience, a strong work ethic and a clear determination to succeed. We’re excited to support his continued development and help him reach the next level.”

There are now four drivers in HMD’s 2026 line-up, with de Alba the only non-rookie.

The post Salvador de Alba switches to HMD for his third Indy Nxt season appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Paul Hurley / IndyCar

HMD Motorsports has announced that reigning Euroformula champion Tymek Kucharczyk will relate his career to join its Indy Nxt line-up this season.

The 19-year-old Pole has four years of single-seater experience at lower levels, starting off in Spanish Formula 4 where he won once en route to third in the 2022 standings.

He spent the next two years in GB3, coming third as a sophomore with four race victories, then in 2025 won six times en route to the Euroformula title and in his first weekend racing Formula 3 cars finished 13th in the Macau Grand Prix.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join HMD Motorsports,” said Kucharczyk. “Making the move to the American racing scene feels like the right next step, and the test I did with the team was really positive. I feel confident in what we can achieve together.

“Thank you to my main sponsor, Mubi.pl, and my supporting partners, Orlen Motorsport Academy and Iteo, as well as to HMD for their trust and support. I am committed to giving everything I have this year.”

He is the team’s third confirmed signing for the 2026 campaign, following fellow rookie Jack Beeton and Enzo Fittipaldi. HMD has one other yet to be announced driver.

“Tymek has shown tremendous potential throughout his career,” said the team’s president Mike Maurini.

“We are excited to help guide his development in the United States and see what we can accomplish together. The 2026 season will undoubtedly feature a strong line-up throughout the series, and we believe Tymek will be a valuable addition to it as he fights for race wins, podium results, rookie of the year honours and, ultimately, the Indy Nxt championship.”

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Photo: Chris Jones

Juncos Hollinger Racing will be back on Indy Nxt’s grid this year, and has reunited with its former driver Ricardo Escotto.

The Indianapolis-based Argentine-American team last raced in the championship in 2024, as it paused its Indy Nxt operations in February 2025 to focus on its two-car IndyCar squad. At that point it had already signed a driver for the season ahead, Paraguayan rookie MiguelMa Garcia, and they did not find a seat elsewhere.

Escotto meanwhile comes from Mexico and already knows Juncos well. Through 2023 and ’24 his main focus was the rung below, USF Pro 2000, and he claimed one and win and two other podiums. During his sophomore campaign he also made a Euroformula cameo, and stepped up to Indy Nxt with Juncos for four events.

The 21-year-old’s best qualifying result was 12th, and his best finishes were two 13th places. He remained on the grid for 2025 by joining Andretti Cape, an alliance between Andretti Global and Cape Motorsports, and came 19th in the standings after missing the last third of the season. He started the campaign by qualifying eighth, and his best race result was ninth.

“I’m super excited to be back with Juncos Hollinger Racing for the 2026 Indy Nxt season,” said Escotto. “I have a great relationship with everyone in the team and full trust that they will make this season one to remember.

“Indy Nxt offers the most competitive and direct pathway to the top level, and I’m proud to represent both JHR and Mexico on this stage. I feel more prepared and motivated than ever, and ready to make the most of this opportunity as I continue building toward my ultimate goal of racing full-time in IndyCar. I can’t wait to get started at the first test in Sebring.”

There will be a major change for IndyCar and Indy Nxt this year, as an independent officiating system is introduced through a new not-for-profit organisation called IndyCar Officiating.

It is being governed by a three-person board, which will select a managing director of officiating who will set the business’s annual budget. This figure will act with no oversight from IndyCar or parent company Penske Entertainment, and will be responsible for hiring race control and technical personnel and therefore enforcing IndyCar and Indy Nxt’s rulebooks.

“We have remained committed to independent officiating for 2026, and we are pleased to announce this next step,” said IndyCar’s president J. Douglas Boles.

“The IndyCar team owners and the FIA have selected a world-class board with high character, incredible knowledge and an intense passion for motorsports and IndyCar racing.”

While IndyCar is not an FIA-organised championship, the co-operation between motorsport’s global governing body and Penske Entertainment going forward is with the aiming of utilising the FIA’s expansive knowledge base.

“The FIA’s independent expertise in delivering consistent officiating oversight across our world championships, combined with IndyCar’s innovation and competitive spirit, will support the continued growth of the series,” commented FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem.

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Photo: Matt Fraver

Dennis Hauger is headed to IndyCar in 2026 after instant adaptation to the challenges of Indy Nxt this year

While rookie champions aren’t uncommon in IndyCar’s primary feeder series, they usually arrive in Indy Nxt with circuit knowledge and oval racing experience from the steps below on the road to Indy.

The last exceptions prior to 2025 were Jean-Karl Vernay and Josef Newgarden, who stepped up from the Formula 3 Euro Series and the Formula 1-supporting GP3 (now known as the FIA F3 Championship) respectively in 2010 and ’11.

Dennis Hauger was not making a step up when he arrived in Indy Nxt this year, since he had three Formula 2 seasons under his belt, but there was still a lot to learn. Yet F2, rather than Indy Nxt, experience may have been what rivals rued lacking.

“For sure coming over from F2, just having the experience with tyre degradation, that sort of stuff especially, has helped me,” said Hauger after winning the first two races of 2025 on the streets of St. Petersburg and at Barber Motorsports Park.

“But I’m still coming over here [and] it’s a new car, it’s a new tyre compound, new tracks. It’s all new. So definitely I think it helped me get up to speed quickly, but at the end of the day it’s also new for me. So I have to prepare as much as I can for the weekends and do the job to make sure I’m there. But really happy, it feels natural with the Indy Nxt car and it just clicks well so far, so I’m really happy we’re able to maximise that.”

Hauger said his Barber victory was “definitely a confidence boost and a good way to step into an intense season ahead”. Qualifying had taken place on a drying track so the conditions were changing constantly, and Hauger topped his group by 0.5964 seconds. In the race he was dominant, quickly opening up gaps after two pace car interruptions and winning by 11s.

As if to rub in his pace advantage in clean air, Hauger set the fastest lap by 0.4673s with two laps to go. While he lapped in the 1m12s, only three other drivers went sub-1m14s and his lead grew by 0.9437s on that lap alone. Hauger also got his mistakes out of the way long before the race.

Rolling race pace average

Pos.	Driver	Pace	Pos.	Driver	Pace
1	Hauger	100.116%	13	Missig	101.257%
2	Collet	100.353%	14	Taylor	101.331%
3	Rowe	100.445%	15	Koolen	101.390%
4	Hughes	100.555%	16	Murray	101.527%
5	d’Orlando	100.672%	17	Aron	101.533%
6	de Alba	100.676%	18	Smith	101.601%
7	Pierson	100.749%	19	Roe	101.658%
8	Hedge	100.759%	20	Escotto	101.659%
9	Sceats	100.956%	21	Allaer	101.719%
10	Johnson	101.005%	22	Miller	101.865%
11	Papasavvas	101.017%	23	Hamilton	102.519%
12	Correa	101.100%	24	Deegan	103.414%

Iowa’s track record was also smashed, but during the in-season test there, so Indy Nxt chose to reduce engine power for its race event. Andretti’s Salvador de Alba set the practice pace by 0.01s, with Hauger 0.05s back in third, then rain led to qualifying being cancelled and Hauger being handed another pole due to being points leader. He proved to be the fastest driver anyway, since his fastest lap in the race beat de Alba’s practice benchmark.

He did not win however, since Abel Motorsports with Force Indy’s Myles Rowe passed him less than five minutes from the end to claim a landmark victory. Rowe also had the best race pace, marginally quicker than Hauger’s.

The season ended with two oval races, and Hauger was crowned in the first at the Milwaukee Mile. He topped practice by just 0.0265s, then set the pace in qualifying by a huge margin and with a different approach to his main rival for pole.

De Alba was the driver to beat, and Hauger was over 1mph slower than him on his first lap but over 4mph faster on his second to take pole by 0.9mph (0.2839s). The fastest lap of the weekend was de Alba’s first one in qualifying, and he was also quickest on race pace as he overtook Hauger on the opening lap and went on to take his maiden win. He had finished third at Iowa, repeating his 2024 podium, and Milwaukee proved to be his strongest track for the second year in a row.

Like Hughes’ win at Gateway, it was confidence with using the high line that set up de Alba for success, and he arrived at Milwaukee with a car where “just tuning” was needed to be quickest. Across the season’s four ovals, Andretti’s trio were the fastest drivers and de Alba actually was on average closer to the absolute pace over a lap than Hauger was. Which wasn’t surprising, given he had experience of them.

Hauger was stronger than anyone else in 2025 for race pace on ovals, despite no wins, courtesy of consistently being competitive. Rowe was the top scorer on ovals with 170 points, followed by de Alba on 164 and Hauger on 151. Hughes and Collet trailed on 130 and 128. On all other circuits, Hauger scored 448 points, with Collet and Hughes on 339 and 336. HMD’s Josh Pierson, who came sixth in the standings with only one weekend where he was on the podium, was next best on 290.

Rolling race pace (Ovals)

Pos.	Driver	Pace	Pos.	Driver	Pace
1	Hauger	100.168%	12	Aron	101.492%
2	Collet	100.249%	13	Murray	101.532%
3	Rowe	100.251%	14	Correa	101.535%
4	de Alba	100.314%	15	Taylor	101.678%
5	d’Orlando	100.590%	16	Allaer	101.709%
6	Hedge	100.663%	17	Smith	102.308%
7	Hughes	100.743%	18	Escotto	102.364%
8	Pierson	100.783%	19	Hamilton	102.519%
9	Koolen	101.087%	20	Deegan	102.557%
10	Missig	101.245%	21	Miller	103.344%
11	Roe	101.292%	Driver did less than three oval rounds

The pressure was off for the finale at Nashville Superspeedway, the only superspeedway on the calendar, so Hauger went in “just trying to enjoy the weekend, learn as much as I could” about the high-speed layout. He was fifth in practice (0.0778s off top spot), qualified third as de Alba broke his pole position duck, and finished his sole Indy Nxt season with a third place.

“I think I’m good at adapting, but more than anything [it’s] just the preparation work we’ve done,” Hauger said about rapidly getting onto the pace at almost every circuit.

“The week before and the days before, working hard to be as prepared as possible has been a bigger part of it. I think that’s what made us be a step ahead on some tracks, especially.”

As for adapting to ovals specifically, he added: “In the pre-season watching ovals and just seeing how it looks, you never know really what to expect before you get on track. And I remember the first time I went out in Nashville, in the first test day it was just like ‘woah, this feels like I feel a superhero driving in a circle’.

“It can be the coolest thing and the craziest thing and most scary thing as well. So it’s been a really cool part of the year, and to go to so many different types of tracks has been a really cool part of this championship for me. Great learning curve in something completely new.”

There were two low points for Hauger during the season. The first followed his Barber win, during the IMS double-header. He qualified second for race one, had contact into the opening corner but stopped it from being a race-ending clash by taking to the escape road. It sent him down to 19th, and he recovered to eighth.

He had also missed out on pole for race two the next day, but after passing team-mate Lochie Hughes he controlled the race from the front. That was down to correctly predicting the track’s evolution between races, in his first double-header event.

Photo: Penske Entertainment

“Yesterday was a tough day. We didn’t have the best pace out there to be honest, but I think we sorted some things out for today and were able to fix the mistakes we did and get on with it,” Hauger said after victory.

He called it a “good bounceback” showing that mindset-wise “we’re not going to be put down so easily” by a bad day, which began on “the balance side” but ultimately only cost him one place in qualifying. And then gave him knowledge of being in the pack.

The next low point was at Laguna Seca, which followed Iowa on the schedule and was before Portland where his sixth win was claimed. Hauger topped free practice one, but in FP2 only did one lap before going off at turn six and into the barriers. It ended his day, but he bounced back in qualifying to be under 0.071s off poleman Collet on race one and two’s grids.

Collet held off Hauger by 0.2s to win race one, then won again in race two as Hauger was eliminated in a multi-car crash.

Overall, Hauger found his Indy Nxt switch “felt really fresh”, making him “super motivated and positive and energised the whole year” regardless of the results. After becoming champion, he reflected on how valuable his F2 experience proved.

“With F2 to Indy Nxt, you can say whatever you want, but those two cars are completely different. The weight is over 100kg or 200kg different. The horsepower is a bit different, and the driving style is completely different. I did feel really confident though in the Indy Nxt car straight away, which was nice, because it felt like a natural driving style for me.”

As for the two generations of F2 machinery he raced? “[It] didn’t feel as natural for me. It’s been going pretty natural for me and with these tyres, it’s been pretty cool. You can push them hard throughout the race with the Firestone tyres [compared to F2’s Pirellis]. There’s just been so many different factors in this series, which makes [it] really interesting and fun.”

Hauger secured his IndyCar promotion with Dale Coyne Racing, which is entering a technical alliance with Andretti. His step up has been in part funded by the $850,000 prize for winning the Indy Nxt title. That will be spent on a rookie oval test, the Indianapolis 500 open test and rookie orientation programme, his entry into the Indy 500 and one other race in 2026.

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