Dennis Hauger wins Indy NXT in Milwaukee

For a first attempt, it's a masterstroke! Norwegian Dennis Hauger (Andretti) won the Indy NXT championship title, one week before the finals in Nashville.

Former resident of the championship of F2, Hauger had taken the gamble in the off-season of flying to the United States, with the desire to progress to a seat in IndyCar, like many other former members of the antechamber of the Formula 1 have succeeded before him. While Marcus Armstrong and Christian Lundgaard went straight to the premier class, Dennis Hauger chose to go through the equivalent of F2 for the American championship, the Indy NXT.

As a result, after six wins and seven pole positions in thirteen races, Hauger took the championship title with one race remaining, next Sunday at the Nashville SuperSpeedway in Tennessee. Second behind his teammate Salvador de Alba, who won his first Indy NXT victory, the Norwegian was more than content with this new podium finish.

“It was an incredible season as a rookie with Andretti”, Hauger said. "I'm very proud to be part of this team and to be part of this season that has allowed us to win the title. There have been ups and downs, but mostly highs. This is a great victory for me."

When we interviewed him last June, Dennis Hauger made no secret of the fact that he was all-in on a single season in Indy NXT: "My team's plan was to do just one season. This is my only chance to get into IndyCar. If it doesn't work out, we'll have to look at other options. We have the budget for just one year here." Now the title holder, he has a guaranteed seat to try to qualify for the 500 Indy 2026, but he obviously wants to be able to land a full-time seat, like the last two champions in the category, Christian Rasmussen and Louis Foster.

Entering Indy NXT with Andretti, the Norwegian may find the door closed to the IndyCar team, as Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood already have contracts, and Marcus Ericsson is expected to extend. The future of the newly crowned champion will likely become clearer in the fall.

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