INDY NXT Field Set for Full-Tilt Finale on Nashville Oval

There may not be a championship on the line in this year’s INDY NXT by Firestone race at Nashville Superspeedway, but the 18 drivers competing in Sunday’s season finale certainly aren't going through the motions.

Dennis Hauger clinched the 2025 championship last weekend at the Milwaukee Mile with a runner-up finish behind Andretti Global teammate Salvador de Alba, who earned his first career victory. All Hauger needed to secure the title was to finish ahead of Caio Collet, who came home seventh, snapping a 10-race streak of top-five finishes.

SEE: Event Details

Here are some key storylines entering the 65-lap race, airing at 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network:

Hauger Eyes First Oval Victory

As series champion, Hauger has secured an NTT INDYCAR SERIES career enhancement package that includes a test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, an INDYCAR SERIES rookie test, participation in the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program, and a seat in the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and one additional INDYCAR SERIES event next year.

But before cashing in, Hauger has one final goal in INDY NXT: win on an oval.

The Norwegian had never competed on oval tracks before joining INDY NXT this season.

He’s gone 2-for-2 on street circuits with wins at St. Petersburg and Detroit and added four more victories on natural road courses at Barber Motorsports Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Portland International Raceway.

Ovals, however, remain elusive.

Hauger has been dominant in qualifying, earning pole positions at all three oval events: World Wide Technology Raceway, Iowa Speedway and the Milwaukee Mile. But he’s yet to convert the top starting spot into a win, finishing fifth, second and second, respectively. He led 61 of 75 laps at Iowa and three at WWTR but failed to lead in Milwaukee.

The next logical step? Break through for that first oval win.

“I was hoping that would come in Milwaukee, but we still got one more round to go,” Hauger said. “We knew the big picture in Milwaukee. The priority was the championship. Salvador (de Alba) didn't have much to lose.”

Can Hughes Finish on High Note?

Lochie Hughes (photo, above, front) began 2025 red hot with seven podium finishes in the first eight races, including victories at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and on the WWTR oval.

Then came a rough patch: finishes of 16th, sixth, 15th and 10th entering Milwaukee.

But Hughes rebounded with a third-place finish last weekend, earning his eighth podium of the season. Now, the 2024 USF Pro 2000 champion looks to close strong with a third win.

“That (finish) almost feels like a win after the last few rounds have been kind of a nightmare,” Hughes said.

Back to Back for de Alba?

Fresh off his maiden INDY NXT victory, Salvador de Alba (photo, above) enters Nashville with momentum and a chance to close the season with consecutive wins.

De Alba, who finished fifth here last year, brings an extensive oval background from the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series, where he earned 11 wins in 72 starts and won the 2021 championship.

After moving to USF Pro 2000, he collected three wins across two seasons – two of them on ovals.

Last year with Andretti Cape INDY NXT, he secured five top-five finishes, including four on ovals. This year, he’s developed into a more complete driver with eight top-fives, including five on road and street circuits. But ovals remain his strength.

In seven career oval starts in INDY NXT, de Alba hasn’t finished worse than fifth.

“We've been looking for those wins for a while,” de Alba said. “It came at the right place, at the right time. Very special to have my first win at the same track that (fellow Mexican) Michel (Jourdain Jr.) did. It’s time to do it again next week.”

De Alba is fifth in the championship standings.

Could Hedge Be Next First-Time Winner?

Callum Hedge (photo, above) may be poised to become the next first-time winner in INDY NXT, and Nashville could be the spot. So far this season, five different drivers have taken wins, four of them earning their first career victories.

Hedge is riding a strong wave of consistency, with finishes of seventh, sixth, sixth, sixth, fifth, third, fourth and fourth, respectively, since WWTR on June 15.

In his second INDY NXT season and first with Abel Motorsports after moving over from HMD Motorsports, Hedge is aiming to close 2025 with a breakthrough win.

He finished fourth in the championship last year with one podium and five top-five finishes. This year, he has one podium and four top-fives and enters Nashville seventh in points, 28 behind de Alba for fifth.

Watch This

Two drivers worth keeping an eye on are Niels Koolen and Jordan Missig.

Koolen has turned his season around after a rocky start driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. He crashed and finished 21st at St. Petersburg, then added two more results of 13th or worse. But since then, he’s posted six top-10 finishes in the last 10 races, including three top-six efforts in his last five starts. He’s eighth in points.

Missig (photo, above), meanwhile, started the season strong for Abel Motorsports with a sixth-place finish and then fell into a midseason slump. After a string of finishes outside the top 10, including a low of 19th, he found his rhythm again with a seventh-place result at Mid-Ohio. Since then, he’s logged four top-10s in the last six races and enters Nashville 10th in points.

Track Specs: 1.33-mile concrete oval

Qualifying Record (One Lap): Thiago Medeiros, 25.6508 seconds, 182.386 mph, July 16, 2004

Qualifying Record (Two Laps): James Davison, 51.8844 seconds, 180.401 mph, July 12, 2008. This was the only year qualifying was cumulative time of two laps. From 2002-07, the starting lineup was determined by best lap among a two-lap attempt.

Presented by Tennessee Sounds Perfect