RACE REPORT: Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Race Notes
- Following yesterday’s record-breaking qualifying effort by Dennis Hauger, the Norwegian driver made his mark on the Streets of St. Petersburg this morning by capturing his first career INDY NXT by Firestone victory, and eighth total INDY NXT victory for Andretti Global in St. Pete.
- Hauger was not alone on the podium today as teammate and fellow INDY NXT rookie Lochie Hughes finished directly behind Hauger in today’s race. Sophomore driver Salvador de Alba rounded out the top five.
- Andretti INDY NXT’s double podium today in St. Pete extended the team’s podium streak to 21, dating back to the 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix. Hauger’s win extended Andretti INDY NXT’s win streak to three starting at the Milwaukee Mile last year.
- Today’s race saw several on-track incidents resulting in a total of four yellow flags with 11 caution laps.
Race Results
Lochie Hughes
No. 26 USF Championship Dallara
P2
| Started | P2 |
| Standings | P2 (41 points) |
- Reigning USF Pro 2000 Champion Lochie Hughes landed his INDY NXT career-first podium finish in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg today.
- Lochie Hughes maintained his front-row starting position for the duration of the race.
- Along with teammate Hauger’s win, today’s result brings Andretti INDY NXT’s total podium finishes on the streets of St. Petersburg to 20.
“I’m super happy with our finish today. Everything was new out there for me today, and it’s a lot easier to make mistakes because the car is a lot bigger [than USF Pro 2000 car]. I was just learning as I went. This was definitely the longest race that I’ve ever run, so I’m still getting used to it all. Hopefully we can see the podium again this season.”
Salvador de Alba
No. 27 Grupo Indi Dallara
P5
| Started | P7 |
| Standings | P5 (30 points) |
- Starting the race strong, Salvador de Alba took on his second Grand Prix of St. Petersburg by gaining a position up to sixth as the green flag waved.
- Running in sixth for the majority of the race, the Mexican driver moved into the top five following an on-track incident by the No. 40 car directly in front of him.
- Today’s result is de Alba’s sixth career INDY NXT top-five finish.
“We finished our first race of the season with a top five. I really enjoyed the race, just building speed and putting all the things together. It was a solid weekend for the team with three in the top five, so congrats to everyone, especially Dennis and Lochie. We’ll just refocus now as we head into the break to make sure we’re ready to go for Barber.”
Dennis Hauger
No. 28 Rental Group Dallara
P1
| Started | P1 |
| Standings | P1 (54 points) |
- Dennis Hauger dominated the race weekend, leading Practice 1, capturing the pole in yesterday’s qualifying and leading all laps of today’s race from green to checkered, ultimately taking the top step of the podium on the Streets of St. Petersburg.
- Hauger is the only Norwegian driver to ever win in INDY NXT and the first driver to win a race in their debut since Linus Lundqvist in 2021.
“This was a really good weekend all around. For my first proper INDY NXT race, we had nice rhythm and the car ran great. The No. 28 Rental Group crew did an amazing job optimizing on what we had. Great day for the Andretti team – this win was definitely a confidence booster.”
James Roe
No. 29 Topcon Dallara
P20
| Started | P14 |
| Standings | P20 (10 points) |
- Starting today’s race from the middle of the field, James Roe ran into misfortune early on as the Irish driver got caught in traffic while maneuvering through Turn 1 in the first lap, making contact with other cars.
- Due to the damages from the Lap 1 incident, Roe was forced to pit for repairs to his front and rear wings and front right tire, but quickly made his way back out into the race by Lap 3.
- Roe ran another 30 laps until he made contact with the wall in Turn 10, prematurely ending his weekend in St. Petersburg.
“Not the start we were looking for between getting collected at the start and the incident when some guys came across the track. We had to pit for wishbone and wing damage, but got back out two laps down. St. Pete has never been too kind to us, so we’ll just carry on from here.”
Seb Murray
No. 2 Dream Racing Dubai Dallara
P17
| Started | P13 |
| Standings | P17 (13 points) |
- Sebastian Murray made his INDY NXT debut this morning in St. Petersburg, starting directly ahead of teammate Roe and staying consistent in the middle of the pack through the race. The Scottish driver ran as high as P11.
- Unfortunately, after trying to push through front wing damage caused early in the race, Murray was forced to pit for repairs on Lap 20 in order to continue the race.
- Eleven laps later, Murray made contact with the Turn 9 wall, causing front right tire damage. After pitting for repairs once again, the Scot made it back out into the race to finish out the event near the back of the field.
“It was a really mixed race to be honest. We made up a couple of positions and showed some really strong pace, but unfortunately with the collision on the second lap, I lost half of my front wing. We decided to carry on because the car felt alright, but eventually it got caught under my front tire so I had no choice but to box. I came out in 18th or 19th and made my way back into the top 15, but unfortunately, being right on someone’s bumper, I clipped the Turn 9 wall causing me a lot of suspension damage so I had to come in and change it. Like I said, we showed a lot of really strong pace, so I’d like to say a big thank you to Andretti, Prosperity and One Sports Management. I couldn’t have done any of this without them. Hopefully next race we’ll be able to get some good points.”
Ricardo Escotto
No. 3 Frank’s RedHot Dallara
P10
| Started | P8 |
| Standings | P10 (20 points) |
- Making his Grand Prix of St. Petersburg debut in INDY NXT today, Ricardo Escotto kept a clean race, avoiding the Lap 1 Turn 1 incident to run the race in the middle of the field.
- Escotto ultimately rounded out the top 10 at the checkered, marking the first of his INDY NXT career.
“I just finished up here at St. Pete and I’m not happy with the result, but I’m at least happy that we finished the race. It’s the first time that I’ve crossed the finish line here in St. Pete, so happy about that. I was also happy with the pace of the car, but just a bit unlucky with the positioning on track. Overall a good weekend, but still looking for more.”
Don Lambert
Team Manager
“It was a great opening race here in St. Pete for the Andretti INDY NXT team. What a day. Dennis Hauger showed today that he’s just an exceptional driver, and Lochie did a great job too. I think the whole group did a really great job all weekend. We came here and executed, which is what we were meant to do. Now, we’ve got a little bit of off time before we head to the next race, so we’ll do a couple of tests before we head to Barber ready to go.”
