Latest news with #INDYNXTbyFirestone
Fox Sports
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Dennis Hauger Gets Early Jump for Road America Pole
INDYCAR Dennis Hauger wasted no time Saturday seizing the pole position for the Grand Prix of Road America, turning a quick lap early in the session that tempted the rest of the field but was never toppled. INDY NXT by Firestone championship leader Hauger earned the fifth pole of his rookie season with a best lap of 1 minute, 52.3301 seconds in the No. 28 Nammo car of Andretti Global. SEE: Qualifying Results Hauger, who has won four of the six races this season, turned his quickest lap with more than eight minutes remaining in the first of two qualifying groups. No driver in his group came within a half-second, and none of the 10 drivers in the second qualifying group could touch his time. Not bad for a driver who never has turned a lap at the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit before this weekend. 'I think we maximized the first run,' Hauger said. 'We knew it (best lap) was going to be on the first run. The second run was more of a small test session for tomorrow. We've been running a bit out of the window balance-wise. Got a bit surprised in practice one, but we've built up from there. Super happy that we managed to get pole.' The qualifying format for the INDYCAR development series features two groups, with the first group determining the odd-numbered starting spots on the starting grid and the second group filling the even-numbered spots. Caio Collet, who led both practice sessions leading into qualifying, was second at 1:52.5479 in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. 2024 series Rookie of the Year Collet led the second qualifying group, which was slowed by a red flag with around five minutes to go when Salvador de Alba made contact with the tire barrier in Turn 12 in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car of Andretti Global. Veteran Josh Pierson will start third, tying his career best set last year at this track, after his lap of 1:53.0195 in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports machine. Rookie Lochie Hughes will join Pierson in the second row of the starting grid after his lap of 1:52.9548 in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship entry of Andretti Global. Jack William Miller produced a top lap of 1:53.1576 in the No. 40 Abel/Miller/Vinatieri Motorsports car to earn a career-best starting spot of fifth. Teammate Myles Rowe will join Miller in Row 3 after his quickest lap of 1:53.2014 in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car. The 20-lap race starts at 11 a.m. ET Sunday (FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
Fox Sports
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Caio Collet Fends Off Dennis Hauger in Second Road America Practice
INDYCAR Caio Collet kept the upper hand on championship leader Dennis Hauger during the second practice for the Grand Prix of Road America on Saturday, eyeing his first pole and victory of the INDY NXT by Firestone season. 2024 series Rookie of the Year Collet was quickest at 1 minute, 52.3358 seconds in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car, nearly one second quicker than his session-leading time of 1:53.1345 from Friday. Collet is third in the standings, 78 points behind Hauger, with a best start and finish this season of second in the INDYCAR development series. SEE: Practice Results Hauger was second once again, this time at 1:52.3998 in the No. 28 Nammo car of Andretti Global. Myles Rowe jumped from sixth Friday to third in the 45-minute session today at 1:52.8789 in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy machine. Callum Hedge also charged up the leader board today on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit, climbing from seventh to fourth at 1:53.0088 in the No. 17 Abel Motorsports car. Salvador de Alba rounded out the top five at 1:53.3482 in the No. 27 Grupo Indi entry of Andretti Global. Lochie Hughes, second in the standings and just 19 points behind Hauger, ended up seventh at 1:53.3950 in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car of Andretti Global. Hughes was third Friday. Up next is qualifying at 1:30 p.m. ET today. The 20-lap race starts at 11 a.m. ET Sunday. Live coverage of both sessions will be provided by FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. recommended
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Lochie Hughes Aims To Shave Dennis Hauger's Lead at Road America
INDYCAR Lochie Hughes earned his fifth top-three finish in six INDY NXT by Firestone races this season via his victory June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Andretti Global rookie Hughes halved his deficit from 38 to 19 points to rookie teammate Dennis Hauger, who finished fifth on the 1.25-mile oval. SEE: Event Details Hughes is surging at the right time, and all eyes are on him heading into Road America for Sunday's 20-lap race around the 4.014-mile, 14-turn road course located between Milwaukee and Green Bay in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Here are some storylines to watch for Sunday's race airing at 11 a.m. ET on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Hughes Keeping Hauger Honest Hughes and Hauger are rookies leading the way in 2025 in the INDYCAR development series. Hauger had a firm grasp on the championship standings via four wins in the opening five races. However, Hughes remains in striking distance thanks to a 2.25 average finish over the last four races, compared to 3.75 from Hauger. Road America could provide another thrilling battle between the duo. Hughes has four wins in five junior category starts at the track, all coming in succession. He won the second race of the 2023 USF 2000 Championship, then swept the USF Pro 2000 series tripleheader at Road America last season. Formula 2 veteran Hauger has never been to the track, but many mention the circuit is reminiscent of a European road course, which could help the 22-year-old contend for his fifth victory of 2025. Road America Winner Often Becomes INDYCAR SERIES Mainstay Road America has a reputation for spotlighting future INDYCAR SERIES stars. Based on recent history, winning at Road America doesn't guarantee a championship, but it does validate elite talent. The winners' list since 2018 includes names of current drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, including Colton Herta (2018 winner), Rinus VeeKay (2019), Kyle Kirkwood and David Malukas (2021), Christian Rasmussen (2022) and Nolan Siegel (2023). Can HMD Motorsports Halt Andretti Global Domination? Andretti Global is 6-for-6 in INDY NXT by Firestone races this season, with Hauger winning four times and Hughes twice. Dating to Race 2 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course weekend in 2024, the team has 15 wins in the last 17 series races. At Road America, the team finished 1-2 last year via Jamie Chadwick's maiden victory. She beat eventual champion and teammate Louis Foster. The level of control is impressive, but not impenetrable – especially at Road America, where HMD Motorsports has matched Andretti win-for-win over the last four races. Andretti Global has three wins in its last eight Road America starts compared to HMD scoring three in the last four. Does that open the door for second-year HMD Motorsports driver Caio Collet? The Brazilian earned his first oval pole last weekend at WWTR and led 58 of the first 61 laps before fading to third in the closing laps. He remains third in the standings but gained five points on Hauger, trailing by 79. Collet is heating up with four podiums this season, three coming in the last four races. He has a sixth-place average finish in 11 natural road course starts, which includes four top-two results. Collet finished fifth as a rookie at Road America last year. His teammate Josh Pierson is having a career year and could be a surprise contender this weekend. Pierson is sixth in points with four top-six finishes in the last five races. The 19-year-old Oregon native finished a career-best fourth June 1 on the streets of Detroit. Does Andretti remain perfect in 2025, or can a well-timed HMD victory break the streak? Rowe, De Alba Showing Strong Consistency The Hughes and Hauger show has grabbed most of the INDY NXT by Firestone headlines. But there's a cluster of talented drivers quietly stacking results and building momentum. If any of them catch fire over the next few rounds, the title race could become much hotter. In addition to Collet, Myles Rowe has arguably been the one of the most consistent drivers outside of Andretti Global with five top-four finishes in six starts this season for ABEL Motorsports, including three podiums in the last four. He gained seven points on Hauger at WWTR by finishing runner-up and is 88 points back in the standings. Rowe has enjoyed success at Road America on multiple rungs in the junior categories. Rowe finished runner-up in both USF2000 races at Road America in 2022, and second and fourth in USF Pro 2000 in 2023. Andretti Global driver Salvador de Alba isn't displaying flashy numbers like his rookie teammates, but he's delivering steady results with four top-five finishes in six races, including three in the last four. He finished 21st at Road America last year. Track Specs: 4.014-mile, 14-turn permanent road course (clockwise), in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Qualifying Record: Kyffin Simpson, 1:49.1028, 132.448 mph, June 17, 2023 Push to Pass Parameters: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation recommended
Fox Sports
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Lochie Hughes Comes Alive Late To Win at WWTR
INDYCAR In a blistering race with no yellow flags, Lochie Hughes tossed caution in the breeze when it mattered most and ended up in victory lane. Hughes used a late charge to win the INDY NXT by Firestone race Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, his second win in his rookie season in the INDYCAR development series. Hughes, from Australia, drove his No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car to a 4.3521-second victory over Myles Rowe, who earned a career-best second place in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy machine. SEE: Race Results 'I was starting fifth, and I was pretty angry with yesterday (after qualifying),' Hughes said. 'So, I honestly didn't really care. I just thought I'd send it and try something with the setup and send it and see what happens.' Caio Collet finished third in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car after leading 58 of the first 61 laps in the 75-lap race, the first oval event this season. Salvador de Alba finished fourth in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car fielded by Andretti Global, just .0676 of a second behind Collet and the final podium position. Pole sitter and championship leader Dennis Hauger rounded out the top five in the No. 28 Nammo machine, the third Andretti Global car to finish in the top five. Hauger's lead over Hughes in the standings slimmed to 19 points after he carried a 38-point lead into this race weekend. Hughes made a stunning charge toward the front after deciding to try to use his higher-downforce setup to find speed on the higher line on the 1.25-mile oval. The risky ploy, as pieces of worn tire rubber can accumulate in the upper groove and reduce grip, began to pay off when Hughes passed the No. 14 HMD Motorsports car of Josh Pierson to climb from sixth to fifth on Lap 46. The boldest, most decisive moves by Hughes came in a four-lap span from Laps 59-62, when he blazed a trail on the high line to jump from fourth to first. Hughes was in second at the start of Lap 62 when he approached the leading car of Collet, who was running behind the No. 3 Frank's Red Hot car of Ricardo Escotto, who was on the tail end of the lead lap. Hughes swept past both cars on the outside of Turn 2 and powered away, never trailing thereafter. 'It was mega,' Hughes said of his car. 'I still can't really believe it, to be honest. I was so, so disappointed after yesterday. I thought we had thrown away a good result. We did it somehow. 'I just thought I'd try the high line one lap, and it worked. I was like, 'Oh, found something,' and then just kept running it and ended up with a win. It's awesome. I'm so happy.' Said Collet, who used a low-downforce setup for speed: 'I thought I had it with 50 to go, but once I caught traffic, I really lost the tires, and it was really hard to hang on. And they just came flying by.' Hughes averaged 157.199 mph in the caution-free race, the first without a yellow flag this season and the first oval race without a caution in the series since this event in 2022. There also were 165 on-track passes in this feverish race, an INDY NXT record at WWTR. The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is Sunday, June 22, the Grand Prix at Road America (11 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
Fox Sports
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
INDYCAR Announces INDY NXT by Firestone Penalties at WWTR
INDYCAR INDYCAR has announced penalties for the No. 29 Andretti Global entry and driver James Roe ahead of this weekend's event at World Wide Technology Raceway. Per standard late-race procedures, as a lapped car in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Detroit, the No. 29 was ordered and twice failed to take the final lap restart at the rear of the field alongside other lapped cars. Additionally, during the final lap of the race, the No. 29 was penalized for blocking the No. 40 – a lead-lap car. The following penalties from the INDY NXT by Firestone rulebook were left 'pending' and scheduled to be applied and served at the next event: Rule 3.1.7. Failing to follow the direction of INDYCAR. Rule 3.2. Blocking – Any Driver who moves in reaction, altering their line based on the actions of pursuing Competitors, may be penalized. Roe has been placed on probation for his next three INDY NXT races. At the event at World Wide Technology Raceway, the No. 29 will not be permitted to qualify and will start Sunday's race at the rear of the field using tires scuffed from Saturday's practice. Members may contest the imposition of the penalties detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the INDY NXT by Firestone rulebook.
