Hauger eager to put finishing touch on masterful Indy NXT season with first oval win

New Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger took a risk when he chose to reroute a career spent trying to reach Formula 1 to starting over in America in an unfamiliar series with unfamiliar tracks.

The Norwegian, a race-winning Formula 2 prospect, can look back with pride – and a little bit of relief – as he takes part in the final Indy NXT event of the season where the 22-year-old arrives as Nashville Speedway as its newest champion.

Hauger won the 2021 FIA Formula 3 title before graduating to F2 where five victories across three seasons spoke to his potential, but it has been the switch to Indy NXT with Andretti Global where the full measure of his skills have been on display. Six wins from 13 races, along with four second-place finishes, has made Hauger an imposing presence on NXT podiums, and with the crown captured last weekend in Milwaukee, he’s had time to take stock of how far his life and career have come since landing in the U.S.

“When I ended the season last year, we had to see what the best options were for me and what would be the best options to get the best outcome,” Hauger told RACER. “So we were looking at long-distance racing, or another year in Formula 2; we had options there, and Indy NXT. We were looking at IndyCar as well, but we didn’t have the budget to just jump in. And when you don't have that kind of a name in the U.S., it's not easy to find seats if you don't have the budget.

"We looked at how in Indy NXT, the last couple of championship winners got the opportunity to move up – that was something I was really surprised about. The ladder up to IndyCar, the prize money, the opportunity, it really gives you a chance over here, which was something I found really cool. So, I was really focused on Indy NXT would be something that would be cool for me, something new and fresh and a new step in my career.

“Obviously, there was a lot of new things that I had to put into my life – moving over here, new team, new paddock, new everything. But it felt pretty natural straight away. Obviously it's been an incredible year with Andretti as a rookie and learning a lot of new tracks, but it's been feeling really natural and the motivation has been higher than ever to work hard. So, yeah, it worked out in the end. I'm really happy, obviously, that we made that choice and we'll see where it goes from here. I’m just happy and motivated.”

Hauger has show plenty of speed on ovals too but hasn't quite cracked the win code yet. Paul Hurley/IMS

Hauger is also desperate to join the ranks of oval winners, and as IndyCar fans saw with Palou last weekend at Milwaukee, being free to go on the attack without having the championship to worry about was an almighty thing to behold as the Spaniard took pole by a wide margin and led almost the entire race.

With his Andretti Global squad ready to finish the season at Nashville and celebrate their second consecutive NXT title, look for Hauger to bring the same fast-and-free spirit to his driving on the 1.33-mile oval.

“I had a list before I got into this season, and one of the things was winning on an oval,” he said, having come close with seconds at Iowa and Milwaukee. “And I knew that looking at (Andretti’s 2024 NXT champion) Louis Foster's first year here was kind of a struggle on ovals, so that was the goal for me to do well and to have a good progression. The first oval race wasn't the easiest, and we just kept working from there, and obviously now it's going to be the last oval.

“You could say you have nothing to lose, but I still don't want to get more crash damage or anything like that to hurt the budget. So, the goal is to complete all laps as every weekend; but going into the weekend with less weight on my shoulders, I can just work with the team to try and win. Getting that first oval win is definitely on the list, so I'll be working hard to achieve that.”