Lochie Hughes Aims To Shave Dennis Hauger's Lead at Road America
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
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