Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo
Three Andretti Global drivers ended up in the top five of the speed charts.
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, May 10, 2025) – Dennis Hauger earned his third
victory in four INDY NXT by Firestone races this season, passing
Andretti Global teammate Lochie Hughes early and powering to victory in
the second race of the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader Saturday on
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Hauger drove his No. 28 Rental Group car to a 4.7739-second victory over
the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine of pole sitter
Hughes, who earned his first career victory in the INDYCAR development
series Friday evening in Race 1. Myles Rowe finished a career-best third
for the second consecutive race in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy entry.
“It’s been a great start to the season,” Hauger said. “Yesterday
wasn’t great, but we were able to come back and get a win today.
Super-happy about that, and in a place like this, it’s awesome.”
Salvador de Alba climbed one spot from his Friday finish to place fourth
in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car as the third Andretti Global entry to
finish in the top four today on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit. Caio
Collet rounded out the top five in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car.
Norwegian driver Hauger became the first driver to win three of the
first four INDY NXT by Firestone races of the season since current NTT
INDYCAR SERIES star Pato O’Ward achieved the feat in 2018.
Hauger’s path to victory was created when he survived the first turn
of the 35-lap race without contact, unlike Race 1. He was bumped off
track in Turn 1 on the first lap Friday, falling to last in the 21-car
field before recovering to finish eighth.
Hughes once again led into Turn 1 today, this time with fellow rookie
teammate Hauger in pursuit. Hughes built a gap of 1.7 seconds by Lap 3
when the only caution period of the race was triggered when Jack William
Miller in the No. 40 Abel/Miller/Vinatieri Motorsports car and Nolan
Allaer in the No. 11 HMD Motorsports machine made side-by-side contact
in Turn 1, forcing both cars to a stop in the grass.
On the restart at the end of Lap 5, Hughes and Hauger raced side by side
toward Turn 1, with Hauger on the left and Hughes on the right at the
start of Lap 6. Hauger edged ahead approaching Turn 2, with his left
wheels on the dirt adjacent to the asphalt, and completed the pass for
the lead in that corner.
Hauger never trailed thereafter, but Hughes stayed close for a while.
Hauger’s lead stayed around one second until about 10 laps to go, when
he started to pull away. He padded his gap to 2.6718 seconds by Lap 29
and continued to drive away until the checkered flag.
“Yesterday was tough,” Hauger said. “I think we really didn’t
have the balance, either, going through the field. But today we really
nailed it. It was a warm day, and you had to judge it nicely with the
rear tires.
“We managed well, and we had really good pace today. That’s a good
way to bounce back.”
Hauger took a 15-point lead over Hughes in the series standings after
four of 14 races this season. The next race is the INDY NXT by Firestone
Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, June 1 on the streets of downtown Detroit
(10:30 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).