Starting from pole Car 28 Dennis Hauger won the INDY NXT by Firestone GP of Alabama for his 2nd win in a row. This is his 2nd win & 2nd Top 3 of 2025. 2nd Place Car 24 Papasavvas Evagoras, started from 3rd place posted his 1st Top 3 of 2025. 3rd Place Car 26 Lochie Hughes, started from 4th place posted his 2nd Top 3 of 2025.
4th Place Car 99 Myles Rowe, started from 5th place followed by 5th place Car 14 Josh Pierson, started from 7th place. 6th Place Car 30 Liam Sceats, Liam, started from 9th place followed by 7th place Car 18 Max Taylor, Max, started from 17th place. 8th Place Car 40 Jack William Miller, started from 20th place followed by 9th place Car 3 Ricardo Escotto, started from 15th place. Lastly in the Top 10 was Car 29 James Roe, in 10th place, started from 8th place.
The race had 2 Cautions for 5 laps: 1st Caution on lap 1 for Off Course: Car 17 in Turn 8. 2nd 11 for Debris: Turn 5.
The race had no Lead Changes: Car 28 Dennis Hauger 1-35 Laps.
Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR
INDY NXT Statement:
Hauger Stays Perfect with Barber Victory from Pole
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sunday, May 4, 2025) – Rookie Dennis Hauger remained flawless in this young INDY NXT by Firestone season, winning the Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.
Andretti Global driver Hauger, from Norway, led all 35 laps from the pole in a repeat performance of his season-opening win from the No. 1 qualifying position March 2 at St. Petersburg, Florida. So far, Hauger has led all 79 laps of competition this season and every session except for one practice at St. Petersburg – he was second – in the INDYCAR development series.
“That was a good weekend, for sure,” Hauger said. “It felt really good out there. I was trying to take care of the rear tires, especially in the beginning. After that, I was just trying to keep it consistent.
“The pace was really there. Andretti gave me a good car all weekend. I’m super happy for all of us.”
Hauger drove his No. 28 Rental Group car to a 11.0196-second victory over 17-year-old Evagoras Papasavvas, who made an impressive first career start in the No. 24 HMD Motorsports car. Lochie Hughes completed the podium filled with rookie drivers, placing third in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine.
Veteran Myles Rowe finished fourth – tying his career best in the series – in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car, while veteran Josh Pierson finished a career-best fifth in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports machine.
Two caution periods were the only speed bumps for Formula 2 veteran Hauger on Sunday on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural terrain road course. He was never challenged and pulled away from the field on restarts on Lap 4 and Lap 13.
Veteran Caio Collet, who started second, kept Hauger honest in the early going. Collet stayed within about a second of the leader until he dropped down the order when his No. 76 HMD Motorsports car developed a throttle problem during the second caution period, triggered on Lap 11 when the No. 29 Grupo Indi car of Salvador de Alba and the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing machine of Bryce Aron collided in Turn 5.
Papasavvas then inherited second place. He never threatened Hauger but held off Hughes, Rowe and Pierson over the closing laps to cap a strong series debut. The gap between second-place Papasavvas and fifth-place Pierson at the finish was just 1.8332 seconds.
The series has shifted into high gear with this event, as a doubleheader will take place this weekend on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Race 1 of the Indianapolis Grand Prix is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Friday, May 9, with Race 2 at 1 p.m. ET Saturday, May 10. FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network will provide live coverage of both 35-lap races.
INDY NXT by Firestone GP of Alabama
Position Starting Position Car Driver Laps Status
1. 1. Car 28 Hauger, Dennis 35 Running
2. 3. Car 24 Papasavvas, Evagoras 35 Running
3. 4. Car 26 Hughes, Lochie 35 Running
4. 5. Car 99 Rowe, Myles 35 Running
5. 7. Car 14 Pierson, Josh 35 Running
6. 9. Car 30 Sceats, Liam 35 Running
7. 17. Car 18 Taylor, Max 35 Running
8. 20. Car 40 Miller, Jack William 35 Running
9. 15. Car 3 Escotto, Ricardo 35 Running
10. 8. Car 29 Roe, James 35 Running
11. 13. Car 27 de Alba, Salvador 35 Running
12. 16. Car 48 Missig, Jordan 35 Running
13. 11. Car 10 Koolen, Niels 35 Running
14. 12. Car 16 Smith, Tommy 35 Running
15. 6. Car 9 Aron, Bryce 35 Running
16. 10. Car 2 Murray, Sebastian 35 Running
17. 19. Car 38 Deegan, Hailie 34 Running
18. 18. Car 17 Hedge, Callum 34 Running
19. 2. Car 76 Collet, Caio 27 Mechanical
20. 14. Car 11 Allaer, Nolan 7 Mechanical
Race Stats:
Time of Race: 00:46:38.8782 Avg Speed: 103.541
Fastest Lap: 113.671 mph ( 72.8419 sec) on lap 33 by 28 – Dennis Hauger
Lead Changes: 0
Caution Laps: 5
INDY NXT Next Event: Friday, May 9 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Race 1 FS1 7 p.m.
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Photos & Graphics Courtesy of INDYCAR
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Photos & Graphics Courtesy of INDYCAR