Last time at Road America, Caio Collet clinched victory as he attempted to hunt down Dennis Hauger in the Indy NXT Championship. Would he be able to do the same again as the series headed to Mid-Ohio? Not if Dennis Hauger had something to say about it.
Hauger Back on Top
Once again, it was Dennis Hauger who claimed Pole Position ahead of Sunday’s race. His resurgent form in 2025 is proving to be incredibly difficult for any of the other drivers to consistently beat. His pole at Mid-Ohio was his fifth of the season and once again demonstrates how on top of his game he is.
On Sunday, Hauger never really let the pressure from Collet and Hughes behind get to him. He took his fifth win of the season and extended his lead in the Championship once again. While it’s not impossible for a big upset for the Norwegian as we near the end of the season, victory is looking more and more assured.
Championship Contenders
Behind Hauger once more were the familiar faces of Caio Collet and Lochie Hughes. They finished in second and third respectively. Both qualified in their finishing positions too and were locked in a battle of wills all race long to see if either of the other two Championship contenders might make a mistake. Mid-Ohio did not present Collet or Hughes with such a moment though.
Hughes is now forty seven points away from Hauger overall in the Championship. Collet meanwhile is eighty three back from the Championship leader and is soon at risk of being in a league of his own.
Best of the Rest
In Mid-Ohio, Salvador de Alba and Josh Pierson were the two drivers to round out the top five. De Alba equalled his rest result of the year with P4 while Pierson continued his streak of finishing every race so far this year inside the top ten. Only a single point separates the American and the Mexican in the Championship now. Their consistency, clean racing and ability to stay out of trouble has served them well so far in 2025.
The Good, The Bad and The Messy
There was a particularly nasty moment in the race though and that was of course, the crash between Sebastian Murray and Ricardo Escotto. Racing hard, the two came together at speed with only a small touch. But it was enough to send both drivers off track, smashing further into each other and the barriers. Murray’s car even rolled through the air numerous times before it finally landed back on track in a number of pieces. Both were thankfully unharmed. The teammates won’t be wanting to repeat that anytime soon.
Niels Koolen, Myles Rowe and Jack William Miller had bad days at the office in Mid-Ohio. Finishing in P14, P10 and P11 respectively were unfortunate returns to form for Koolen and Miller with Rowe having an uncharacteristically bad race. It was his worst result of the year.
On the flip side of that, after a round away, Juan Manuel Correa returned and had a solid result after finishing in P8. Callum Hedge had a good day too in P6 while Jordan Missig got his best result since the season opener by finishing in P7.
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Feature Image: IndyCar Media Centre
Indy NXT returns July 12th at Iowa.
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