Top 3 Indy NXT debutants at St. Petersburg feat. Dennis Hauger

The first race of the Indy NXT 2025 season saw quite a few debutants getting their taste of the series. Andretti Global's Dennis Hauger was also one of them, and he really shone like a bright star.

The developmental series sanctioned by IndyCar has been around since 2002. This is the competition from where top young drivers are spotted to make the jump to the big leagues like IndyCar.

In line with this, several drivers made their debut in the 2025 Indy NXT season at the recent St. Petersburg race. There were eight debutants in the season-opener viz. Sophia Floersch, Dennis Hauger, Lochie Hughes, Tommy Smith, Hailie Deegan, Sebastian Murray, Nikita Johnson and Liam Sceats.

These were the top three performers at the Indy NXT St. Petersburg race:

#3 Dennis Hauger

The first name is that of the 21-year-old Andretti Global driver Dennis Hauger. He had a sensational debut at the 2025 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg as he secured pole position for the race and also secured the victory in the 44-lap event.

Hauger ran the No. 28 Rental Group car that was fielded by Andretti Global. In the 44-lap race, he maintained an average speed of 83.915 mph and came away with a strong haul of points (54). Following the culmination of the event, he came up with a post via his Instagram account that was captioned:

"What a weekend. Pole position & win. Loving the streets of @gpstpete. Big thanks to @andrettiindy and the #28 crew, And all my sponsors! Good way to start the season. Back to work, long season ahead!"

#2 Lochie Hughes

Next up is Australian racing driver Lochie Hughes, who is the teammate of Dennis Hauger at Andretti Global. Just like the former, the 22-year-old also managed a strong debut at the St. Petersburg race.

Hughes ended his exploits with a commendable second-place finish. He also took to Instagram to share his delight at the outing in St. Petersburg:

"P2 on debut! Good weekend, lots learnt and ready for a big season! Cheers @andrettiindy @mcginleyclinic."

Lochie Hughes was the USF Pro 2000 Championship winner in 2024.

#1 Nikita Johnson

The final driver who made a good impression in his debut Indy NXT race at St. Petersburg was HMD Motorsports' Nikita Johnson. The 16-year-old was competing in his home race.

While the above two drivers managed a podium finish, Johnson, on his part, secured a P11 finish. This is commendable given that he is relatively younger in comparison to Andretti Global's Dennis Hauger and Lochie Hughes. He raced with the No. 18 HMD car at the St. Petersburg event.