RACE REPORT: Grand Prix of Alabama
Race Notes
- After leading every session of the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama race weekend, the No. 28 Rental Group driver, Dennis Hauger, ended race day on a high note for the Andretti INDY NXT team with a victory from the pole.
- Hauger’s win puts the Andretti INDY NXT team on a four-race winning streak, dating back to the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone Milwaukee 100. In addition, the team has won 11 of the last 13 INDY NXT races.
- Joining Hauger on the podium today was No. 26 McGinley Clinic / USF Championship driver, Lochie Hughes, who finished in third today. Rounding out the top 10 for Andretti was Ricardo Escotto (P9) and James Roe (P10).
- Today’s Grand Prix of Alabama saw two Full Course Yellows, which lasted for a total of five laps of the race.
Race Results
Lochie Hughes
No. 26 McGinley Clinic /
USF Championship Dallara
P3
| Started | P4 |
| Standings | P2 (76 points) |
- Following a solid qualifying effort yesterday that set him up to start today’s race in the second row on the grid, Lochie Hughes ran a clean, consistent race that saw him stay firmly near the front of the field for the duration of the race.
- After the second-place driver (No. 76) dropped from the race prematurely on Lap 12, Hughes moved up a spot to P3, where he fought to hold off the field behind him for the rest of the race. The Aussie driver crossed the field in third, earning his second career INDY NXT podium in as many races.
“This track is notorious for being hard to pass with very high downforce. Whenever you have a track like that with fast corners, it’s so hard to follow people. I had a few opportunities where I got close and could’ve maybe had a ballsy move, but at this point in the season there’s no point in gaining a few extra points for second best or third. We’ll take the points, and after two races, I’m still just learning how these bigger cars race. I’ve never experienced that much aero wash before, so I could’ve maybe pushed a bit harder in some places, but I just didn’t know if it would understeer off the track or something. We just played it a little bit cautious with it being early days, but we’re excited to get this next part of the season going.”
Salvador de Alba
No. 27 Grupo Indi Dallara
P11
| Started | P13 |
| Standings | P5 (49 points) |
- Making his second INDY NXT career start at the Grand Prix of Alabama, Salvador de Alba made aggressive moves early on in the race, where he jumped into the top 10 shortly after the green flag waved.
- Unfortunately, on Lap 11, the No. 9 made slight contact with de Alba, bringing both drivers to a stop in the middle of the track and causing a Full Course Yellow for two laps.
- Luckily, de Alba did not suffer significant damage and was able to continue the race, but was shuffled back in the field due to the incident. The Mexican driver was able to fight his way up a couple more spots to take the checkered just outside of the top 10.
“It wasn’t the race we wanted for the No. 27 Grupo Indi. It was a good start for us, but then we just had some bad luck on a move in Turn 5. We managed to come back to 13th or 14th, but it is what it is. We’ll just focus forward on the next weekend at Indy.”
Dennis Hauger
No. 28 Rental Group Dallara
P1
| Started | P1 |
| Standings | P1 (108 points) |
- Leading the field to green this morning, Dennis Hauger set out for his first INDY NXT road course victory. Not only did Hauger score his second consecutive INDY NXT career win, but he dominated the entire race weekend, leading all four on-track sessions, leading every single lap of the race, posting the fastest lap of the race and crossing the finish line nearly 11 seconds ahead of second place.
- Today’s victory makes the Norwegian the first driver since Ed Jones in 2015 to win the first two back-to-back races of an INDY NXT season as a rookie in the Series.
“It was a good weekend. This was the first time we got some track time after INDYCAR in dry conditions, so it felt really good. I was trying to take care of the rear tires, especially in the beginning, and then after that I was just trying to keep it consistent. Andretti gave me a really good car, the pace was just there all weekend. I’m super happy for all of us on the No. 28 and the whole team.”
James Roe
No. 29 Topcon Dallara
P10
| Started | P8 |
| Standings | P15 (30 points) |
- Starting today’s race in the top 10, James Roe was set up well to run a solid race, but unfortunately, the Irish driver was set back within the first lap of the event.
- After the green flag waved, Roe immediately ran into traffic caused by the No. 17 going off track, shuffling Roe back to P11.
- The remainder of the race was a battle up the field for Roe, where he finally ended the day with his third top-10 finish at Barber Motorsports Park.
“At least we got some points there today. I would’ve liked to have been a bit better, but we got pushed a bit wide at the start and fell back quite a bit. Then we had to avoid some contact and lost a few spots, so there were just a few unfortunate circumstances for us. Nonetheless, we brought it home and got some points on the board. Now we’ll just have to go forward from there.”
Seb Murray
No. 2 Dream Racing Dubai Dallara
P16
| Started | P10 |
| Standings | P17 (27 points) |
- Making his INDY NXT debut at Barber Motorsports Park, Seb Murray started today’s race in the fifth row on the grid. Murray was moving his way up through the top 10 early in the race until he ran into issues with the rear of the car, forcing him off the track.
- Falling to the back of the field, Murray was forced to fight his way through the remaining 26 laps where the Scot took the checkered in P16.
“Our race was really good up until we were involved in an incident. I think we were sitting in P8, and it was going to be good. We felt like we were going to collect some solid points, but we’re not really sure what happened. There was a snap in the rear going into Turn 8, and then that was kind of our race over with our tires being destroyed after that. At that point, the main goal was just to get it over the line and finish the race. It’s unfortunate, but I think there are a lot of positives to take from the weekend. The team has done a great job, so thank you to everyone at Andretti Cape. We’ll move on to Indy next week, and hopefully we can get some proper points.”
Ricardo Escotto
No. 3 RedHot Dallara
P9
| Started | P15 |
| Standings | P8 (42 points) |
- Ricardo Escotto had a solid INDY NXT debut at Barber Motorsports Park today, earning himself the second top-10 finish of his INDY NXT career.
- Escotto ran an aggressive race from the beginning, jumping up to the top 10 by Lap 12. The Mexican driver would run in the top 10 for the remainder of the race, crossing the finish line in ninth – the highest finish of his INDY NXT career.
“We just finished the race here at Barber. It was a tough race as always. Qualifying is super important here at this track, so starting from the back was a bit hard. We’re just happy that we were able to stay out of trouble and bring the car home clean. We made up two positions and finished in the top 10, so we’re looking forward to improving our qualifying for Indianapolis.”
Don Lambert
Team Manager
“It was another good race weekend for the Andretti INDY NXT team. It’s hard to say anything bad about how Dennis is performing right now – he’s just done an incredible job this weekend. Lochie had a great day as well. It feels good to be up in the points this early, but we have to keep working to keep it moving in this direction. Everyone on the entire team is just working together really well – each of the guys are helping each other out. Now we’re off to the Indy GP for a double points weekend to see what we can do there.”
