Hauger aiming for more despite being "pretty happy" with IndyCar rookie season
- Dan Jones
- 4 hours ago
- 6 min read
It is certainly a busy week for Dale Coyne Racing rookie Dennis Hauger. His preparations for his next IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio have been ongoing for a few weeks, but at least for 90 minutes, his eyes are firmly locked to Norway's progress in the FIFA World Cup.
"Go Norway!" he chuckles whilst simultaneously speaking in an IndyCar press conference as he addresses questions about his future, preparations for Mid-Ohio and the intruiging Rookie of the Year battle.
You can't blame him for being somewhat distracted, being his native country's first appearance in the tournament since he was born. To his relief, they got the job done against the Ivory Coast to progress to the Round of 16.
That leaves them four games away from hoisting some silverware whilst Hauger heads into the second half of 2026 with his own silverware in sight as he chases the Rookie of the Year crown. It is not quite the grand prize that he ultimately dreams of competing for, but is still one ever-so-valuable given the last eight races of the year remain his only opportunity to claim that title.
"You're only going to be a rookie once, so I want to get that for sure," Hauger re-affirms.
"I mean, if I was fighting for the overall championship, I would think about it, right? So why wouldn't I think about the rookie championship, as well? It only makes sense. If I can't win the championship, I might as well try and win the rookie one."
After 10 races, Hauger is in the best spot in the house. He lies 30 points clear of fellow Indy NXT graduate Caio Collet and 41 clear of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Mick Schumacher, but Hauger still believes that "30 points is not a lot, so it can turn around quickly".
Hauger generally had the upper hand in the opening rounds against his fellow rookies, holding the best finish between himself, Collet and Schumacher in four of the first six races. Although it isn't necessarily the case on the results sheet, Hauger has every right to believe that it isn't secured yet, given that Collet and AJ Foyt Racing have been in contention for a top five finish at both Gateway and Road America.
As the show hits Mid-Ohio this weekend, the intensity of such battle only ramps up, especially given that Hauger and Collet have both found Victory Lane at the circuit in Indy NXT. The significance of Mid-Ohio holds more than just that for Hauger, being the first place that he tested an IndyCar.
His Mid-Ohio form proved non-exclusive to Indy NXT either as he further proved his capability at the circuit last week by finishing third in a 14 car test - a day Hauger reflects on the "best day he's had in the car all year."
That's a fairly big statement considering some of the performances Hauger has put on show so far this year, highlighted by a third-place qualifying effort on his debut on the Streets of St. Petersburg and a strong run to eighth-place on the Indianapolis road course.
By all accounts, it has been a good start to the year for Hauger - especially given the fact that no Indy NXT champion has got multiple top 10 finishes in their first 10 IndyCar races since Rinus VeeKay in 2020 prior to Hauger's form this year. It's a start to the season he's been pleased with too.
"I've been pretty happy. I feel like I've maximised the car and the results 90% of the year so far, which I think is really good as a rookie. I think the only time I've really made a mistake was at the 500 when I got that penalty for speeding in pit lane. That one beats me up quite a bit, I think."
"I think one of the biggest things for us as a team has been minimizing mistakes. We've had some small stuff here and there, starting the weekend off with some stuff that should be in place that is not, and I think that's kind of where we have potential to build because you're always going to be a bit on the back foot by then.
"Otherwise I feel like when we have those clean weekends, we get results, and I think we've showed that several times. For me right now it's just going to be about keeping that going. We had a really clean test in Mid-Ohio, and I think we showed some good results there, as well. The goal will be to start off where we left there in the race weekend and hopefully not have any issues as we go."
It is a good track to have at an important time of the year for Hauger, with drivers and teams alike starting to map out their plans for 2027. Hauger is one of many who's plans are unconfirmed for 2027, with a departure from Dale Coyne Racing becoming increasingly likely.
Following his dominant Indy NXT campaign, Hauger had been tipped by many as a future prospect for Andretti Global, especially given the struggles that Marcus Ericsson has endured in recent seasons. Those suggestions were only amplified after Andretti and Coyne entered a technical partnership to facilitate Hauger's move to the team, much like Andretti did with Kyle Kirkwood when he entered the sport with AJ Foyt Racing in 2022.
Andretti are yet to still confirm their plans for the No.28 car next season, which will ultimately be the crucial domino into where Hauger lands in 2027.
"Honestly, I don't know yet," says Hauger of his plans for 2027. "Still pretty open, it seems, across the field of the grid. For me, I just have to see the opportunities I can get."
"I know when I have a good car, I'm capable of winning races and being up on the top. I think we showed that when we had a good car in St. Pete. I qualified third for my first race, and I've only gotten better, to be honest, as a driver from here."
"For me, we have to look at what opportunities I get, whether that's with Dale Coyne another year, whether if it's with Andretti or if it's somewhere else. But I think everyone kind of will slot in more for the next couple of weeks, and we'll know more by then."
In the right-here, right-now, there is still work to do for Hauger. Although a respectable start to 2026, he certainly has further ambitions, all of which start at Mid-Ohio this weekend.
"I'm pretty happy with how we've been building [performances] up so far, but I definitely want more than that. I don't want to fight midfield. I want to be up there fighting for podiums and fighting for top fives and wins. We have a group that's been changing throughout the year, and hopefully now we have a bit more of a consistent group that we can build from.
"I think Mid-Ohio will be a perfect way to try and build some momentum, build some good results for the team, and our first priority, I think, is trying to have a clean week and as a team, as well. We always seem to have some bumps along the way throughout the weekend, so that's priority number one as a team, and for me to just maximize what we get out of it, as well, is important.
"Yeah, there's results I want to get, and I want to chase top 10s regularly, and I feel like we can do that. Obviously if we can get some even better results, that would be awesome. Yeah, I definitely want more."
In many ways, it is comparable to his footballing countryman, who have progressively been building up their reputation in recent seasons with the emergence of several superstar players, much like how Hauger is emerging himself in IndyCar with the potential for some big-money moves.
But, there's one more way that he wants to imitate his football compatriots in the remainder of 2026.
"That's my only goal this year, get on the podium so I can row back to Norway and celebrate with that [the Norwegian Row]. That would be so fun."
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