Dennis Hauger first arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Oct. 18, 2024, for the Chris Griffis Memorial Test on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course.

That same morning, he was announced as one of the Andretti Global INDY NXT by Firestone drivers for the 2025 season.

Less than a year later, Hauger returned Tuesday to IMS, not as a newcomer, but as the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone champion, honored at the annual Victory Lap celebration.

Did he envision this outcome when he turned his first laps less than a year ago?

“Obviously unbelievable,” Hauger said. “Was not in my mind yet at that point. Obviously, the goal became clearer and clearer throughout the season. We just kept working hard as a team, just going into every race weekend with the same mindset. It's been a great year. I'm really happy about it.”

Dennis Hauger

Hauger (photo, above) secured the championship Aug. 24 at the Milwaukee Mile, clinching the title in the penultimate race of the season with a runner-up finish. Even more impressively, he became the first rookie since Kyle Kirkwood in 2021 to win the INDY NXT title.

Driving the No. 28 Nammo Dallara for Andretti Global this season, the Norwegian amassed six wins in 14 races, 11 podium finishes, 13 top-fives and led 301 laps.

“As a rookie this year, I didn't really know what to expect,” Hauger said. “I had a great team, Andretti, behind me, pushing me, making me build up the confidence throughout the preseason.

“From the first round we've been on it. Winning a lot of races. We could have won more. The season's just been incredible. I'm super happy and proud to be a part of Andretti.”

Clinching the title one race early brought massive relief for the first-year driver, especially with the final two races this season on ovals, a discipline Hauger had never experienced before arriving in the U.S. Yet, he adapted quickly.

His closest rival, Caio Collet, entered his second INDY NXT season in 2025 after earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. With more oval experience, Collet remained a threat throughout the second half of the season, making Hauger’s title-sealing drive at Milwaukee even more rewarding.

“I wasn't sure how it was going to be going into this weekend, but I knew Andretti had been great in the past and they have good cars,” Hauger said. “It was just about staying calm and doing what we've been doing all year. In the end, a great way to end the championship.”

Hauger joined INDY NXT by Firestone following a decorated junior formula career. After a successful karting background, he debuted in open-wheel racing in 2018, finishing fourth in the British F4 Championship. The following year, he won the Italian F4 title and finished second in the ADAC F4 Championship.

In 2021, he captured the FIA Formula 3 Championship with four wins, nine podiums and three poles in 20 races. He spent the next three seasons in Formula 2, where he earned five wins, 13 podiums and two poles. Hauger also served as a Red Bull Junior Driver for six years and was named Red Bull reserve driver for the 2022 and 2023 Formula One seasons.

Despite that pedigree, Hauger chose to reset his career path in North America, a move some peers viewed as a step down. But he saw INDY NXT as an opportunity to learn new tracks in a less pressurized environment. That approach paid off immediately.

He opened the season with back-to-back poles and victories at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park, leading all 79 combined laps despite having never raced at either circuit. He won four of the first five races, setting the tone for a stellar season.

Over the final eight races, Hauger added two more wins and four second-place finishes to fend off Collet and deliver Andretti Global its seventh INDY NXT championship.

“I think we were in great shape in the beginning of the year,” Hauger said. “The first five races we were really on it. I think the Andretti crew, as well, did a really good job. We were a step ahead of everyone else, to be honest.

“I think the HMD guys, especially Collet, just found something in the second half of the season, and they were able to close up quite a bit. From then on, obviously we were fighting hard with Caio for a while. I think it's been a great year. I wouldn't call it dominant. I think it's been really small margins all the way. But I think overall we could call it a good season, for sure.”

Dennis Hauger

Hauger (photo, above) joins a decorated list of Andretti INDY NXT champions, including Raphael Matos (2008), JR Hildebrand (2009), Pato O’Ward (2018), Oliver Askew (2019), Kyle Kirkwood (2021) and Louis Foster (2024).

Andretti Global team manager Don Lambert compared Hauger to another of the team’s standout rookies, viewing him as a special talent who will succeed at the next step of his career.

Hauger also earned a career advancement package that includes a test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, an NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie test, participation in the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program, a spot in the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and one additional NTT INDYCAR SERIES event in 2026.

“It's hard to say what might be different,” Lambert said comparing him to past Andretti INDY NXT greats. “They all have the same drive. When Kyle first got in, he was just fast. And Dennis, I look back at Mid-Ohio is a pretty tough course, and Dennis was fastest the first time he went there in just 14 laps. You just kind of think he's special.

“From then on, every test, almost every race, he is first, second or third. As a team, if we could just keep him going and give him the tools, he's going to do what he did.”