Dennis Hauger was announced Sept. 23 as one of the two drivers competing for Dale Coyne Racing for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The other seat remains open.

As a result, Hauger got his first taste of INDYCAR SERIES machinery Wednesday, Oct. 1, when he tested one of the team’s Honda-powered entries at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Hauger was joined on the 2.258-mile rural Ohio road course by Caio Collet (A.J. Foyt Enterprises), Niels Koolen (Chip Ganassi Racing), Kakunoshin Ohta (Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian) and Felipe Nasr (Team Penske) as part of an evaluation test day.

“Pretty cool,” Hauger said. “It’s an amazing experience being in an INDYCAR SERIES car for the first time. Really cool to be with Dale Coyne and get started with the work. Overall, a lot of positives to take and a lot of potential. Happy about that and looking forward to the next one.”

Hauger, 22, from Norway, earned his place in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES by winning the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone championship in his rookie season with Andretti Global. He claimed six wins, five additional podiums, 13 top-10 finishes and seven pole positions across 14 races. He clinched the title at the penultimate round at the Milwaukee Mile.

One of those victories came July 6 at Mid-Ohio, a race he dominated from pole and led flag-to-flag.

Dennis Hauger

Comparing his Mid-Ohio race win in INDY NXT to his first day in INDYCAR SERIES machinery, Hauger (above photo, right) noted the differences in performance and handling despite neither offering power steering.

Wrestling a 450-horsepower INDY NXT machine that weighs roughly 1,410-1,430 pounds (excluding fuel and driver) is a challenge. But handling an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car, which tips the scales at around 1,700 pounds on road and street courses, brings new demands -- especially with the added 150 horsepower from the hybrid system, on top of the car's 650-700 baseline horsepower depending on turbo boost levels.

“Downforce and how much speed you can carry into the corner,” Hauger said of the differences. “How much I can push with the downforce changes. More power is always fun with the hybrid system, and there are a few other things you have to look out for in the car. Overall, it’s pretty nice.”

Hauger entered the INDYCAR development series this year following a decorated junior formula career. After a successful run in karting, he moved to open-wheel racing in 2018, finishing fourth in the British F4 Championship. In 2019, he won the Italian F4 title and was runner-up in the ADAC F4 Championship.

In 2021, Hauger claimed the FIA Formula 3 Championship with four wins, nine podiums and three poles across 20 races. He spent the next three seasons in Formula 2, collecting five wins, 13 podiums and two poles. During that time, he was part of the Red Bull Junior Team for six years and served as a Red Bull reserve driver for the 2022 and 2023 Formula One seasons.

Despite his Formula One ties, Hauger made a conscious decision to pivot to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES development series in North America, an unconventional move that some saw as a step back. But for him, it was a strategic reset.

“I think it was really important for me to be in INDY NXT this past year in preparation for INDYCAR,” he said. “Just learning the tracks, the style of the teams over here, the environments, the people and how they work. Mainly the tracks – the ovals -- quite a lot of new things I learned that can translate into the INDYCAR SERIES.”

Hauger sees clear opportunities for growth after his first test and expects to have a nice transition into his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES season as he has a few more testing opportunities ahead.

“A lot of positives to take from the test,” he said. “We showed really good pace. The main thing for me is getting the maximum out of the new tires. Still just exploring, learning and figuring a few things out every session. Looking forward to the next one and building from that.

“Going to be pretty cool as a rookie next year. We’ve got a few test days this offseason to get prepared and sorted for that. It’s going to be fun, and hopefully we can make some good steps as a team to get up there and fight for some trophies. We’ll take it day by day.”