Leading Andretti Duo Looks To Pull Away from Pack in Motor City
INDYCAR
Andretti Global rookie Lochie Hughes has delivered one of the most consistent starts to an INDY NXT by Firestone season in recent memory. The 2024 USF Pro 2000 champion is the only driver to finish on the podium in all four races this year, a feat that would usually earn him the top spot in the points standings.
But teammate Dennis Hauger has been even more dominant.
SEE: Event Details
Hauger, also a rookie, has won three of the season's first four events, drawing comparisons to NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Alex Palou for his clinical performances. Hauger's only blemish came in Race 1 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course doubleheader, where early contact with Callum Hedge sent him off track. Despite rejoining at the back of the 21-car field, Hauger salvaged an eighth-place finish. Hughes went on to win that race.
As the series heads into the Detroit Grand Prix, Hauger leads the standings by 15 points over Hughes. The rookie battle resumes at 10:30 a.m. ET Sunday, airing on FS1 and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Andretti Dominance Faces Rowe Threat in Detroit
Andretti Global has established a firm grip on INDY NXT by Firestone, winning 13 of the last 15 races dating back to Race 2 of the 2023 Indianapolis weekend. That run includes a win on the streets of Detroit last year by eventual series champion Louis Foster, and the team remains undefeated in 2025 – 4-for-4 through the opening stretch of the season.
But as the series heads back to Detroit, another emerging force could disrupt that momentum: Myles Rowe.
Driving for ABEL Motorsports, Rowe has quietly built a consistent start to the season. After opening the year with back-to-back fourth-place finishes at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park, Rowe surged with twin third-place results at the IMS road course earlier this month – his first career INDY NXT podiums.
Now third in the championship standings, 53 points behind Hauger, Rowe enters Detroit with pace and experience. He finished fourth here last season with HMD Motorsports.
Rowe looms as a serious contender, aiming to spoil the Andretti streak and insert himself into the title conversation.
Collet Battles to Keep Pace
Last year's INDY NXT Rookie of the Year, Caio Collet, arrived in 2025 with high hopes after a strong 2024 campaign that saw him finish third in points and claim a victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Returning to HMD Motorsports, the Brazilian driver set realistic championship goals.
However, this season has proved challenging. Collet sits fourth in the standings, 70 points adrift of Hauger, and trails teammate Rowe by 17 points for third place.
The adage 'it's getting late early' seems fitting as Andretti Global's rookies, Hauger and Hughes, pull away in the points battle.
Collet showed flashes of speed, finishing runner-up to Foster in Detroit last season and again securing second place in the first IMS road course race this May. He also stood on the podium with a third-place finish in St. Petersburg.
Yet a mechanical failure at Barber Motorsports Park, which relegated him to 19th, combined with a fifth-place finish in the IMS doubleheader finale have put him in a tough position. To keep championship hopes alive, Collet needs to transform podium appearances into victories—and do so consistently.
Who Will Rise as Weekend's Breakout Story?
While Andretti Global's rookies dominate the headlines, a clutch of drivers and teams are quietly building momentum and could emerge as the weekend's underdog story at Detroit.
Jordan Missig impressed with a career-best sixth-place finish in St. Petersburg, driving the No. 48 ABEL Motorsports entry. His teammate, Jack William Miller, showed grit with a climb to ninth in Race 1 at the IMS road course. Meanwhile, Chip Ganassi Racing's Niels Koolen earned a career-best sixth a day later, signaling growth across the board.
Evagoras Papasavvas turned heads with a stunning series debut, qualifying third and finishing second at Barber Motorsports Park for HMD Motorsports.
One name to watch closely this weekend is ABEL Motorsports' Callum Hedge. The 2023 fourth-place points finisher and Detroit podium veteran sits eighth in the standings with just a single top-five finish this year, a fourth-place effort in Race 1 at IMS. Could Sunday's race mark his maiden INDY NXT victory?
Pressure looms from HMD Motorsports teammates Josh Pierson and Liam Sceats. Pierson ranks sixth, riding a streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes, the best run he's had since 2023. That year, he put together five straight top-10s.
Sceats, just 19, has quickly found his footing. After an 18th-place INDY NXT debut at St. Petersburg, he's not finished worse than eighth since.
Adding to the intrigue, HMD Motorsports swept the inaugural Detroit weekend in 2023 with first career wins by Reece Gold and Nolan Siegel. History suggests the team could be primed for another strong showing this year.
Track Specs: 1.645-mile, nine-turn street circuit
Qualifying Record: Louis Foster, 1:05.1079, 90.957 mph, June 1, 2024
Push To Pass Parameters: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation.
recommended
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Caio Collet Breaks Through at Road America With First Win of Season
INDYCAR The wait finally is over for Caio Collet. Collet passed championship leader Dennis Hauger with less than five laps remaining and drove away to win the Grand Prix of Road America on Sunday, his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory this season. Collet's No. 76 HMD Motorsports car crossed the finish line 1.7093 seconds ahead of Hauger's No. 28 Nammo car fielded by Andretti Global. SEE: Race Results 2024 series Rookie of the Year Collet entered this event with three podium finishes in the first six races this season, including two runner-up finishes. His victory was the first this season for HMD Motorsports, as Hauger and fellow Andretti Global rookie teammate Lochie Hughes have combined to win every race. 'At the beginning of the season, we couldn't match them, to be honest,' Collet said. 'It was really frustrating. Every time we went on track, it was hard to be second or third. But we kept working hard, and we need to keep working because they are a great team with great drivers. We need to keep pushing.' Hughes rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car after passing Josh Pierson in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports machine on the last of 20 laps around the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit. Pierson ended up tying his career-best finish of fourth. Myles Rowe placed fifth in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car in the caution-free race. Hauger led from the pole on an unseasonably hot day with air temperatures in the high 80s. Collet stayed close from the second starting position, keeping the gap around five- or six-tenths of a second as the duo marched away from the rest of the 19-car field. Collet's patience expired on Lap 16. He drove alongside Hauger on the long front straightway and made an outside pass in Turn 1 stick. Collet then eased away from Hauger over the last four laps. 'I kept up the pace, kept up the pressure,' Collet said. 'Yesterday, I think I lost the pole to myself. Dennis did a phenomenal lap, but I think I left a bit in the tank and was very frustrated. Today I really wanted to give the win to the team.' Said Hauger: 'I think we've been on the back foot compared to Collet all weekend. We did everything right today, but they were just a bit stronger. I tried to do what I could, but it just wasn't meant to be. Still a decent weekend.' Hauger's lead over second-place Hughes grew from 19 to 28 points with his fifth podium finish of the season. Collet is third, 70 points behind Hauger. The next race is the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio on Sunday, July 6 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It's good track for Collet, who earned his sole previous INDY NXT victory there in July 2024. recommended
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
INDYCAR live updates, leaderboard: Highlights from Grand Prix at Road America
The 2025 INDYCAR season continues with the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on Sunday, and we've got you covered with all the must-see moments from start to finish on FOX. Live Coverage for this began on 12:30p ET recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
IndyCar Unveils the 2028 Race Car
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. IndyCar announced the new car for the 2028 season, which will be ready for testing in 2026. The American racing series revealed the new race car while at the Road America track ahead of the XPEL Grand Prix. Dallara is producing the new chassis for the car, continuing as the exclusive chassis for IndyCar as it has since 2008. The series officials plan on the new design improving the racing throughout all four track types and pushing the car's development further. "The time has come for a new NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis," INDYCAR President Douglas Boles said in a statement. "The DW12 served the series so well, as it provided a combination of phenomenal, wheel-to-wheel racing and critical enhancements to safety. "But recent significant updates to the car - from the aeroscreen to the hybrid power unit - have helped advance the need for a completely new car. "We are pleased by what our engineers and Dallara have collaboratively designed and believe it will appeal to the fans and paddock while also upholding our standards of safety and enhancing INDYCAR's on-track competition well into the future." The 2028 car features a projected weight of 85-100 pounds compared to the current model. The engine is going to become a 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 internal combustion engine, which should be more powerful. Scott McLaughlin, driver of the #3 Dex imaging Team Penske Chevrolet drives during the NTT INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 02, 2025 in St Petersburg, Florida. Scott McLaughlin, driver of the #3 Dex imaging Team Penske Chevrolet drives during the NTT INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 02, 2025 in St Petersburg, Florida. Photo by Miguel will create the power supply as it has since 2000. They designed the engine to be 25 pounds lighter and to use more electrical power. The new model is still not set, as the designers and engineers are still rounding out the rough edges of the design. IndyCar stated that further details and renderings of the design are yet to come. It is unclear when the timeline for its unveiling will. While the features and promise of the new car sound nice, there is still much to be learned from testing to see if it can deliver better racing than the current generation of cars. IndyCar's European competitor, Formula 1, introduced a new set of regulations in 2022, which promised better racing, but the cars are creating more dirty air than ever, making it harder for cars to follow others. If they manage to develop a meaningful improvement over the current car that races better across the different tracks, the series' unique tracks could shine more, setting it apart from any other motorsport in the world and continuing to compete with F1.
