Hauger opens Indy NXT career in style with strong St. Pete pole

Dennis Hauger continued his strong first weekend in Indy NXT by Firestone, winning the pole for the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Saturday with a track-record lap for the IndyCar development series.

Hauger turned a top lap of 1m3.8801s in the No. 28 Rental Group car fielded by Andretti Global to earn the top spot in his series debut. The 45-lap race on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit starts at 10 a.m. ET Sunday, with live coverage on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the IndyCar Radio Network.

“The team did a great job getting a good car for qualifying,” Hauger said. “We did the job. I’ll take that. Overall, I think there was a bit more in there for me, but it’s the first race weekend. We’re getting up to speed. Happy overall.”

Hauger’s top lap in the first of two qualifying groups broke the Indy NXT track record of 1m04.5759s set by Nolan Siegel last year before he climbed to the NTT IndyCar Series with Arrow McLaren. Hauger also led practice Friday and was second in the pre-qualifying session Saturday morning.

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A climb to the NTT IndyCar Series also is Hauger’s goal. The Norwegian joins Indy NXT by Firestone this season after winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2021 and earning five wins and 13 podium finishes in FIA Formula 2 – the last official ladder step before Formula One – in the last three seasons.

2024 USF Pro 2000 champion Lochie Hughes locked out the front row for Andretti Global by qualifying second at 1m04.0209s for his series debut in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine.

Caio Collet, the top returning driver to the series this season, qualified third at 1m04.3851s in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. Fellow series veteran Myles Rowe will join Collet in the second row after qualifying fourth at 1m04.2053s in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports/Force Indy car.

Rookie Liam Sceats qualified fifth at 1m04.5451s in the No. 30 HMD Motorsports car. Jack William Miller will start sixth in the No. 40 Abel/Miller/Vinatieri Motorsports car after his best lap of 1m04.3300s.