Hauger On Pole at Road America as Hughes Lines Up Fourth
Dennis Hauger continued his INDY NXT rookie campaign by claiming pole position for the Grand Prix of Road America, storming to the top of the timesheets with a blistering early-session lap that no one could match.
The Norwegian set a time of 1:52.3301 in the #28 Andretti Global entry, securing his fifth pole of the season from just seven starts. His time, laid down early in Group 1 qualifying, stood unchallenged across both qualifying groups, reinforcing his status as the man to beat in Sunday’s 20-lap race at the iconic 4.014-mile Elkhart Lake circuit.
“I think we maximised the first run,” Hauger said. “We knew it was going to be on the first run. The second run was more of a small test session for tomorrow… Super happy that we managed to get pole.”
Fellow Andretti Global rookie Lochie Hughes will start alongside Josh Pierson on the second row after another strong qualifying performance. The Australian clocked a lap of 1:52.9548 to take fourth on the grid and remains in the thick of the title fight with Hauger.
Brazilian Caio Collet, quickest in both practice sessions, topped the second group with a 1:52.5479 but could only secure the outside front row thanks to the format that awards odd positions to Group 1 runners. A red flag late in that session, caused by Salvador de Alba’s crash in Turn 12, disrupted any chance of a final-lap improvement.
The second Andretti machine of de Alba will start further down the order, while Jack William Miller and Myles Rowe will line up on the third row, having delivered personal best qualifying efforts for Abel Motorsports.
Indy NXT Qualifying – Road America
| Position | Driver | Time | Gap to Pole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dennis Hauger | 01:52.3301 | |
| 2 | Caio Collet | 01:52.5479 | -0.2178 |
| 3 | Josh Pierson | 01:53.0195 | -0.6894 |
| 4 | Lochie Hughes | 01:52.9548 | -0.6247 |
| 5 | Jack William Miller | 01:53.1576 | -0.8275 |
| 6 | Myles Rowe | 01:53.2014 | -0.8713 |
| 7 | Callum Hedge | 01:53.2069 | -0.8768 |
| 8 | Salvador de Alba | 01:53.3250 | -0.9949 |
| 9 | Jordan Missig | 01:53.3334 | -1.0033 |
| 10 | Bryce Aron | 01:53.4344 | -1.1043 |
| 11 | Niels Koolen | 01:53.3342 | -1.0041 |
| 12 | Liam Sceats | 01:53.5385 | -1.2084 |
| 13 | Evagoras Papasavvas | 01:53.9034 | -1.5733 |
| 14 | Sebastian Murray | 01:53.5459 | -1.2158 |
| 15 | Nolan Allaer | 01:54.2308 | -1.9007 |
| 16 | Ricardo Escotto | 01:53.7418 | -1.4117 |
| 17 | James Roe | 01:54.4285 | -2.0984 |
| 18 | Tommy Smith | 01:54.0189 | -1.6888 |
| 19 | Hailie Deegan | 01:56.6612 | -4.3311 |
Image: Penske Entertainment/Joe Skibinski
