RACE REPORT: INDY NXT by Firestone at The Milwaukee Mile
Race Notes
- Andretti INDY NXT delivered a historic race performance this morning at The Milwaukee Mile, clinching the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone Championship for Dennis Hauger with one race to go, securing the win with Salvador de Alba and sweeping the race podium with de Alba, Hauger and Lochie Hughes.
- Today’s Championship win is Andretti INDY NXT’s second consecutive, and seventh overall, Championship title.
- De Alba’s victory today is the Andretti INDY NXT team’s 98th win overall, and makes him only the fifth INDY NXT driver to capture a win this season, three of which have been from the Andretti INDY NXT stable.
- Today’s 90-lap race saw only one Full Course Yellow at just beyond the halfway point on Lap 47, lasting six laps.
- The INDY NXT field will close out the 2025 season next weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, with the green flag waving at 11:30 AM ET.
Race Results
Lochie Hughes
No. 26 McGinley Clinic /
USF Championship Dallara
P3
| Started | P4 |
| Standings | P3 (436 points) |
- Taking the green from the second row, Lochie Hughes made his racing debut today at The Milwaukee Mile.
- As the green flag waved, Hughes immediately started making moves on track and was able to break into the top three on the first lap of the race.
- The Australian maintained this position throughout all 90 laps of the race, including on the only restart, and was able to round out the all-Andretti podium as the checkered flag fell, taking home his eighth INDY NXT career podium.
“It was a great day for the No. 26 and the entire Andretti team. I’m happy to be back on the podium after the run we’ve had. It feels good to build some momentum again, and I’m excited to chase more strong oval results in Nashville.”
Salvador de Alba
No. 27 Grupo Indi Dallara
P1
| Started | P2 |
| Standings | P5 (374 points) |
- After an impressive qualifying performance yesterday, Salvador de Alba made his second start on The Milwaukee Mile from his career-best INDY NXT starting position in the front row alongside teammate Dennis Hauger.
- In a strategic move around his polesitter teammate, de Alba took the lead from Hauger on Lap 2. The Mexican driver was able to hold onto the lead despite the mid-race caution for the remaining 88 laps to take his first career INDY NXT victory.
- Joining teammate Hughes as the only other Andretti INDY NXT driver to win on an oval this season, it was only a matter of time before de Alba captured his first oval victory, with all three of the Mexican driver’s third-place career-best INDY NXT finishes happening on ovals (Iowa Speedway – 2024, 2025 and The Milwaukee Mile – 2024).
“We knew yesterday that we had the car, so I went a little wider than Dennis, and it worked out. The car was on rails all race long, and it brought us to Victory Lane. I’m so happy with the 1-2-3 for the team and for Dennis clinching the Championship today. It’s just a huge day for everyone at Andretti. This has been years in the making, a lot of preparation, and it feels incredible to finally be here. Having my dad, my girlfriend and everyone watching at home makes it even more special. I’ve had podiums before, but never a win on an oval until now. To finally put it together and celebrate in Victory Lane is very exciting. We’ve got one more to go this season, but today we’re celebrating.”
Dennis Hauger
No. 28 Nammo Dallara
P2
| Started | P1 |
| Standings | P1 (564 points) |
- Dennis Hauger made his race debut at The Milwaukee Mile this morning after a record-breaking qualifying session put him on the pole.
- Despite a strong start for the Norwegian driver at the opening green flag, Hauger unfortunately lost the lead within the first lap of the race to teammate de Alba.
- Hauger kept a clean race for the remainder of the 90-lap race and was able to maintain his second-place starting position until the checkered flag, allowing him to clinch the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone Championship title with one race to go and secure his 10th INDY NXT career podium.
- Hauger is now the first rookie INDY NXT Champion since Andretti INDYCAR teammate Kyle Kirkwood, who won the title in his debut season in 2021. The last four rookie INDY NXT drivers to win the Championship title were all Andretti INDY NXT drivers (Hauger – 2025, Kirkwood – 2021, Askew – 2019 and O’Ward – 2018).
“A big thanks to everyone at Andretti. I’m super proud to be part of this team and to deliver the Championship for them. It’s been an incredible year, and we’ve still got one more to go in Nashville, so we’ll keep pushing. From the beginning, we knew if we could average top-three or top-four finishes, we’d be in the fight for a championship. That’s been the focus every weekend, and of course, winning brings the most points. Andretti has given me a great car all year, and we’ve been on top of things from start to finish. With new tracks and a new car to learn as a rookie, it’s been a challenge, but also a really rewarding season.”
James Roe
No. 29 Topcon Dallara
P9
| Started | P10 |
| Standings | P12 (215 points) |
- Making his second career start at The Milwaukee Mile this morning, James Roe took on the 90-lap race from the fifth row as the green flag waved, moving up to ninth place immediately.
- As the race continued, Roe alternated between eighth and ninth place until he used the only restart to his advantage on Lap 53, returning to the P8 spot, where he remained for the majority of the race.
- On the final lap, Roe was shuffled down one spot to ninth, where he took the checkered, marking his 24th INDY NXT career top-10 finish.
“It was a tricky race today. I made up a few spots at the start, but then fell back and had to hang on for a while. We were managing tire deg and a few other things, but it’s good to bring it home and get some points. Now we’ll shift focus to Nashville and see what we’ve got there. Congrats to Dennis on clinching the Championship for the team today.”
Seb Murray
No. 2 Dream Racing Dubai Dallara
P16
| Started | P17 |
| Standings | P13 (211 points) |
- Following a tough qualifying session yesterday that put Seb Murray at the back of the grid for the start of today’s race, the Scot set out to move his way up the field during his racing debut at The Milwaukee Mile this morning.
- Within the opening laps of the race, Murray moved up one position from where he started, but unfortunately, he struggled to maintain pace with the rest of the field and fell to the back of the field by Lap 23.
- As Murray became a lapped car less than halfway through the race, the team called in the No. 2 Dallara, retiring from the race prematurely on Lap 64.
“It was a really disappointing weekend here in Milwaukee. We came in with high hopes, but we just didn’t deliver. The race was strange and difficult. I had a good start and made up a few spots, but after that, it felt like I had no grip, and we were way off the pace compared to the rest of the field. We’re not sure why yet, but the team and I will dig into it this week and hopefully come back stronger in Nashville.”
Michael d’Orlando
No. 3 Rising Star Racing/Priority Dallara
P8
| Started | P8 |
| Standings | P23 (50 points) |
- Michael d’Orlando made his race debut at The Milwaukee Mile this morning from his INDY NXT career-best oval starting position of eighth.
- The American got off to a strong start, moving up to sixth place within the first lap of the race; however, he was passed shortly after on Lap 8 by the No. 76 car, moving him down to seventh.
- During the restart on Lap 53, d’Orlando was not able to maintain position and fell to ninth place. Although he remained aggressive until the end of the race, where he made a pass on the final lap to move into eighth place, taking home his seventh INDY NXT career top-10 finish.
“It’s good to be back on an oval. There was definitely a lot going on out there. I found myself in the middle of the pack with plenty of racing. It was a good experience and even fun at times, but I wish we could have been a little further up. The No. 3 car was amazing all weekend. Andretti gave me a great car, and with a little more time at this track, I think we could have done even better. This was only my third time on this oval, so overall I’d call the weekend a success. Now we’ll shift our focus to Nashville.”
Don Lambert
Team Manager
“It was an incredible day for the whole team. To finish 1-2-3 shows the fight we’ve had all year. Congratulations to Salvador and Lochie. To have Dennis clinch the INDY NXT Championship today in addition to Rookie of the Year makes it even more special. It’s been a remarkable season and I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
