MOTORSPORT AMERICA PHOTOS FROM THE 2025 INDY NXT GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA
MOTORSPORT AMERICA EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS OF THE 2025 INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
IndyCar Staff Report – Rookie Dennis Hauger remained flawless in this young INDY NXT by Firestone season, winning the Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.
Andretti Global driver Hauger, from Norway, led all 35 laps from the pole in a repeat performance of his season-opening win from the No. 1 qualifying position March 2 at St. Petersburg, Florida. So far, Hauger has led all 79 laps of competition this season and every session except for one practice at St. Petersburg – he was second – in the INDYCAR development series.
“That was a good weekend, for sure,” Hauger said. “It felt really good out there. I was trying to take care of the rear tires, especially in the beginning. After that, I was just trying to keep it consistent. The pace was really there. Andretti gave me a good car all weekend. I’m super happy for all of us.”
Hauger drove his No. 28 Rental Group car to a 11.0196-second victory over 17-year-old Evagoras Papasavvas, who made an impressive first career start in the No. 24 HMD Motorsports car. Lochie Hughes completed the podium filled with rookie drivers, placing third in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine.
Veteran Myles Rowe finished fourth – tying his career best in the series – in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car, while veteran Josh Pierson finished a career-best fifth in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports machine.
Two caution periods were the only speed bumps for Formula 2 veteran Hauger on Sunday on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural terrain road course. He was never challenged and pulled away from the field on restarts on Lap 4 and Lap 13.
Veteran Caio Collet, who started second, kept Hauger honest in the early going. Collet stayed within about a second of the leader until he dropped down the order when his No. 76 HMD Motorsports car developed a throttle problem during the second caution period, triggered on Lap 11 when the No. 29 Grupo Indi car of Salvador de Alba and the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing machine of Bryce Aron collided in Turn 5.
Papasavvas then inherited second place. He never threatened Hauger but held off Hughes, Rowe and Pierson over the closing laps to cap a strong series debut. The gap between second-place Papasavvas and fifth-place Pierson at the finish was just 1.8332 seconds.
Photos by Motorsport America Photographers
ANDRETTI GLOBAL DRIVER DENNIS HAUGER FROM NORWAY LEADS THE FIELD THROUGH THE S-TURNS FROM THE POLE POSITION FOR THE START OF THE INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK IN BIRMINGHAM!INDY NXT DRIVERS THROUGH CHARLOTTE’S WEB AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK IN BIRMINGHAM! – SKIP WILLIAMS PHOTOCALLUM HEDGE SPINS OUT AT TURN 8 ON THE FIRST LAP OF THE INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX!CALLUM HEDGE SPINS ACROSS THE GRASS AT TURN 8 ON THE FIRST LAP OF THE INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX!CALLUM HEDGE INTO THE ROCKS AT TURN 8 ON THE FIRST LAP OF THE INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX!
VETERAN DRIVER CAIO COLLET STARTED P2 BUT A THROTTLE PROBLEM FORCED HIM FROM THE RACE EARLY!
HAILEE DEEGAN, THE NASCAR TRUCKS & XFINITY VETERAN DRIVER, QUALIFIED P10 IN HER GROUP ON FRIDAY AT BARBER!BRYCE ARON AND SEBASTIAN MURRAY FIGHT FOR POSITION AS THEY DIVE INTO THE S-TURNS AT BARBER!INDY NXT DRIVER NIELS KOOLEN, ON THE STRETCH BETWEEN TURNS 4 & 5 ON THE ALABAMA ROAD COURSE!INDY NXT CARS ROUNDING TURN 17 ON TO THE FRONT STRAIGHTAWAY!MAX TAYLOR SPINS IN THE BARBER S-TURNS! – GREG MCWILLIAMS PHOTOMAX TAYLOR’S SUSAN G. KOMAN RACE CAR NEEDS ASSISTANCE IN THE BARBER S-TURNS! – GREG MCWILLIAMS PHOTOABEL MOTORSPORTS VETERAN DRIVER JORDAN MISSIG LEADS THE PACK UNDER THE BARBER MUSEUM PEDESTRIAN VIEWING BRIDGE!CALLUM HEDGE WAS ABLE TO RECOVER FROM HIS EARLIER SPIN AND FINISHED THE RACE ONE LAP BACK!HMD MOTORSPORTS DRIVER NOLAN ALLAER DEVELOPED MECHANICAL PROBLEMS AND HAD TO EXIT THE FIELD EARLY IN THE RACE!HMD MOTORSPORTS DRIVER TOMMY SMITH SPINS IN THE S-TURNS AS INDY NXT DRIVERS AVOID COLLISION!HMD MOTORSPORTS DRIVER TOMMY SMITH RECOVERS FROM HIS SPIN IN THE S-TURNS AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK!ANDRETTI GLOBAL’S DENNIS HAUGER OF OSLO, NORWAY STARTED THE RACE FROM THE POLE POSITION AND LED ALL 35 LAPS ENROUTE TO VICTORY LANE IN THE 2025 INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX!EVAGORAS PAPASAVVAS OF LOVELAND, OHIO FINISHED P2 WITH AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 103.135 MPH!ANDRETTI GLOBAL’S LOCHIE STARTED THE RACE P4 AND GAINED A POSITION TO FILL THE FINAL SPOT ON THE WINNER’S PODIUM FOR THE INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX!MYLES ROWE OF POWDER SPRINGS, GEORGIA FINISHED P4 IN THE ALABAMA GRAND PRIX! IN 2021, MYLES BECAME THE FIRST BLACK DRIVER TO WIN AN INDYCAR SANCTIONED RACE! IN 2022 ROWE EARNED A SEASON-HIGH FIVE VICTORIES, THREE POLES, TEN PODIUM FINISHES AND 13 TOP FIVE FINISHES!JOSH PIERSON OF PORTLAND, OREGON FINISHED P5 IN THE INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX FOR HMD MOTORSPORTS!ANDRETTI GLOBAL DRIVER LEADS THE FIELD TOWARDS TURN 8 AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK!LIAM SCEATS SEEN HERE DRIVING THE No. 30 TO A P6 FINISH, IS HOLDING OFF No. 18 MAX TAYLOR WHO CLAIMED THE P7 SPOT IN THE INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX!JACK WILLIAM MILLER ON HIS WAY TO CLAIM A P8 FINISH IN THE ALABAMA GRAND PRIX!ANDRETTI GLOBAL’S No. 27 SALVADOR DE ALBA LEADS No. 10 NIELS KOOLEN THROUGH TURN 9 AT BARBER!
THE No. 2 CAR OF SEBASTIAN MURRAY SLIDES THROUGH THE S-TURNS AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK IN THE INDY NXT GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA!
THE No. 2 CAR OF SEBASTIAN MURRAY SLIDES THROUGH THE S-TURNS AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK IN THE INDY NXT GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA!THE No. 2 CAR OF SEBASTIAN MURRAY SLIDES THROUGH THE S-TURNS AT BARBER BUT HE RECOVERS AND THE GREEN FLAG CONTINUES TO FLY!THE INDY NXT FIELD CLIMBS THE HILL TOWARDS TURNS 10 & 11!TOMMY SMITH ON THE BACKSTRETCH AT BARBER IN FRONT OF THE HOMETOWN FANS! – SKIP WILLIAMS PHOTODENNIS HAUGER AND EVAGORAS PAPASAVVAS ON THEIR WAY TO A 1-2 FINISH AT THE 2025 INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK IN BIRMINGHAM! – PHOTO BY SKIP WILLIAMSANDRETTI GLOBAL DRIVER DENNIS HAUGER LED ALL 35 LAPS OF THE INDY NXT ALABAMA GRAND PRIX! HAUGER, WHO HAD A 11.0196 MARGIN OF VICTORY, IS SEEN HERE AS HE TAKES HIS VICTORY LAP AS THE CHECKERED FLAG CONTINUES TO FLY IN THE DISTANCE!
