Hauger stays perfect in Indy NXT with Barber victory from pole

Hauger Dominates at the Grand Prix of Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Rookie Dennis Hauger of Andretti Global continued his impressive run in the Indy NXT by Firestone series, securing victory at the Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday. Hauger, starting from the pole, led all 35 laps at Barber Motorsports Park, marking his second consecutive win of the season after his triumph at St. Petersburg in March.

Hauger’s performance has been commanding; he has now led all 79 laps of competition thus far, with a single exception during practice at St. Petersburg where he placed second.

“That was a good weekend, for sure,” Hauger said post-race. “It felt really good out there… I was just trying to keep it consistent.”

The Norwegian driver finished 11.0196 seconds ahead of 17-year-old Evagoras Papasavvas, who made an impressive debut, securing second place in the No. 24 HMD Motorsports entry. Lochie Hughes rounded out the rookie podium in third with the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship vehicle.

Veterans Myles Rowe and Josh Pierson also showed strong performances, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, with Pierson achieving his career-best result.

Hauger faced minimal challenges throughout the race, navigating two caution periods without issue. Early contender Caio Collet, who started second, was forced to drop positions due to a throttle issue during the second caution, which emerged following a collision involving Salvador de Alba and Bryce Aron.

The competition tightened up in the closing laps, with just 1.8332 seconds separating second-place Papasavvas from fifth-place Pierson.

The series heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for a doubleheader, with Race 1 of the Indianapolis Grand Prix set for Friday, May 9 at 7:00 PM ET and Race 2 following on Saturday, May 10 at 1:00 PM ET.