Inside Hauger’s stunning IndyCar debut: “I always want more”
- Archie O’Reilly
- 1 hour ago
- 9 min read
Four-thousandths of a second. A margin nigh on invisible to the human eye.
That was all that stood between Dennis Hauger and a maiden IndyCar pole position. In his maiden IndyCar qualifying session, no less. And for a team renowned for nurturing young talent but simultaneously among the series’ lowest-funded and lowest-resourced outfits.
It was a staggering effort from the reigning Indy NXT champion on debut on the streets of St. Petersburg on Saturday, securing himself a third-place start for his first-ever IndyCar race.
And yet, the Norwegian did not seem out of place. Not beside four-time - and three-time defending - champion Álex Palou on Row 2, having ousted the Spaniard by one-tenth in the Fast Six shootout. Nor did he appear to feel out of place either. There was a quite natural sense of belonging; a driver not fazed by the big league.
Of course, Hauger was overjoyed at what was a first qualifying outing he admitted was probably beyond his wildest dreams. But he was not so caught up in delirium that he could not feel a hint of frustration at the margin by which he missed out on pole.
Still, after six painstaking months of anticipation, the weeks getting more and more agonising as they ticked by and that anticipation growing, it was quite the release.
“I’ve been preparing for so long for this weekend and haven’t been sleeping too well in the last few weeks, to be honest, because I’ve been just so keen to get going,” he said in a Tuesday media call. “It was a nice feeling for sure. Nothing that I was expecting.
“But once I got in the car and I had that feeling and I saw the lap time after the first run, I was like: ‘Okay, we can work with this; we can do something.’ It’s not always going to be like that, for sure, but it was nice to start the season off like that.”
There were signs that Hauger and his Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) team could be possible Fast 12 contenders from practice; late-notice teammate Romain Grosjean was 13th in Practice 1, which Hauger matched in Practice 2. For even just one of the pair to have made the top 12 and gone no further would have been an achievement in itself.
So it was quite the turn-up when Grosjean - on his return from a year-long hiatus - transferred from Group 1 in third and Hauger from Group 2 a comfortable fourth.
“We didn’t really know what we were expecting going into qualifying,” Hauger recalled. “Because we were looking okay in practice but didn’t really know what the soft tyres would do to the balance [and] the track temp went up a bit compared to the cold mornings.
“But when we went into the first run, I felt pretty good, got a decent lap time in straight away and I was like: ‘Okay, not bad, we’re in the top 12.’ That was my goal for the weekend, get in the top 12 in qualifying.”
Qualifying was only the second time Hauger had run on alternate tyres, after first using them in practice, but the car came alive on the softer compound. This instilled confidence in him to push a machine that, much like in Indy NXT and much the antithesis of his time in Formula 2, already feels natural to him.
Onto the Fast 12. Hauger fourth. Grosjean sixth. Dreamland for DCR.
For the first time since 2022, they had two cars in the final round of qualifying. Against the might of teams decidedly better-resourced. And teams much better prepared, too, given Grosjean was only unveiled to be returning to DCR mere weeks before the season.
To end Saturday with Grosjean securing a sixth-place start and Hauger third on debut was a remarkable day for a team that only two years ago had the uncertainty of nine drivers across the season and their cars adrift in 26th and 27th on entrant points. Now, they possess one of their strongest, most balanced and well-rounded lineups in some time.
Throughout qualifying, there was execution akin to the big-hitters. Including from DCR’s debuting driver.
“We improved a little bit on the small things,” Hauger divulged of the progression through qualifying. “I got a bit more confidence on the alternate tyres and we went a bit quicker, which got us into the top six. And we were super happy, super stoked about it.
“We managed to get third; only four hundredths from pole, which is bittersweet when you’re so close. But it was awesome to see the team happy and the work we’ve done pay off.”
To those who watched Hauger’s rampant NXT title-winning campaign last year, maybe this outcome was not so much a surprise. He was that good in 2025 that there was almost an air of normality to something so spectacular.
An entire novice to the North American open-wheel scene, he stormed to a dominant pole-win double on his St. Pete debut last year. Not that he is expected to repeat the feat of a title as a rookie in IndyCar, but it set the tone for a stellar season, going on to win the championship by 72 points, with six wins and only three finishes off the podium.
And none of it was a coincidence. The successes of St. Pete are by no means that either.
Hauger is a workhorse off the track - followers of his Instagram will be accustomed to seeing his gym footage multiple times daily, sometimes even accompanied by studying an IndyCar race while working out - and gains great success from that work.
“Having a hard work ethic mindset has been a key point for me, being more prepared than anyone else when I get on track, knowing just a little bit more,” he explained. “That’s something I value highly. I try to do that before every race weekend. I want to be the most prepared. I want to know that before I get on track, I’m a step ahead of everyone else.”
It is funny, in many ways, when you then see the composure Hauger exudes on a race weekend. The preparation is often gruelling, yet he struts about his work so seamlessly. And there was a familiar air of that across his maiden weekend in IndyCar. Almost a continuation of last year; no glaring rookie traits again.
Still, there was a sense of fulfilment from gaining immediate reward for an off-season of relentless preparation. And one emotion overrode the rest after qualifying.
“Probably a bit of relief, to be honest, because you’ve been preparing for so long for this moment. Your whole life, basically. Just so many weekends preparing, watching videos, data and just running your mind through it all the time.
“And to finally just get on track and do it and get the job done is a relief. And it’s so nice for the team, getting both cars in the top six. That was just a lot of weight off our shoulders. Other than that, just joy, super happy and a good way to start your IndyCar career.”
So to Sunday. Where the fruits of Saturday’s labours could really be made to count.
Hauger was certainly not in need of any more motivation than that pent up across the off-season. But he was to receive it anyway when NFL quarterback Jameis Winston, honorary starter for the race, playfully hijacked Jack Harvey’s FOX pre-race gridwalk, approaching Hauger and giving advice that turned into a fully-fledged, hyped-up pep talk.
Hauger looked a little bemused at the time, though still wearing his typical grin, but genuinely received the geeing-up well. It was certainly a part of his first race day he will not forget.
“Preach,” Hauger reacted. “I mean, I didn’t really know too much of what was going on. I knew who he was, that he was an NFL player, but that was my first time in that kind of motivational speech. But it got us going. He got us pumped up for it. It was pretty cool. It was a new experience, that’s for sure.”
Realistically, it was always going to be a tall order for Hauger to maintain his position on the podium. Indeed, a little too tentative on his first race start, he lost two positions on the opening lap. But to his credit, he regrouped with his typical sense of calm.
He remained in the top five for the entire first stint of the race, stretching his used alternate tyres 37 laps, matching experienced campaigners around him on the harder primary tyres. He lost out a little after the opening pit cycle, dropping down to eighth, and again to fall to 10th following the second round of pit stops. But never did he drop out of the top 10.
There was ultimately a hint of disappointment to have come home 10th. But last year’s Rookie of the Year, Louis Foster, did not once finish inside the top 10 in his debut season.
“I started P3, finished P10 so I want more. I always want more,” Hauger insisted in a clear indication of his mentality. “But I have to be realistic about it. Being P10 on my debut weekend with so many new things around is not an easy task. So I have to be proud of what I’ve been able to achieve and look forward to what can improve.”
After just the first race of the season, Hauger is already clear on some areas where he lost out and can work on heading into the remaining 17 races. And you best believe he will work and study tirelessly to eliminate any weaknesses. Pronto.
“Just being confident on the in and out laps is a key point. That’s what made Palou so quick this race. He really maximised that stuff. Also just the first lap, not being too cautious, being more confident on that stuff with the cold tyres, cold brakes and still just push through a bit more is something I learned from that.
“Other than that, I think the pace itself was pretty good. We were looking pretty good. Fuel was not too bad; I was getting better on hitting the fuel numbers as well throughout the race. So it was just about taking that experience with me. These small things that can make the big differences is important and crucial at some stages of the race.
“Definitely a few things I could have done different and better but, overall, I would say it was a good start to my IndyCar career. There’s obviously positive things to take from it and a lot of things we can take with us moving forward. And that’s awesome.”
Inevitably, after such a statement first weekend, Hauger’s name is now vaulted further into people’s consciousness. With that, the weight of expectation off the back of a start so strong may grow. But Hauger, who already is not dwelling too much on his rookie tag, cares little beyond ensuring he continues to get the most out of the car every weekend.
He is laser-focused on the task at hand. What outsiders think matters little.
“I don’t think about it too much,” he suggested of external pressure. “For sure, it’s a confidence boost for me and the team to start off like that. But there’s going to be good weekends and there’s going to be bad weekends.
“For sure, the goal is to keep the consistency going. Where we finished, we don’t want to be worse than that. We want to keep going, keep improving. But we’ll see. We get to Phoenix now; completely different track. We’ll see how we get on and we’ll just try to maximise the results we can get at the time. That’s all we can do and that’s what we’ll try to achieve.”
Phoenix Raceway this weekend marks a first oval race for Hauger in IndyCar. With the discipline unfamiliar to him, he went winless across the four oval races in Indy NXT last year but finished on the podium in each of the final three oval rounds, taking two poles on-track.
He was as high as 17th on the speed charts in the recent Phoenix test as he grappled with getting up to speed in the heavier, more powerful, higher-downforce Indy car. There is quiet confidence but an acknowledgement that ovals will be a learning process this year.
“I got up to speed pretty quickly,” he reflected of the test. “Race pace looked pretty decent. I feel pretty comfortable going into it for qualifying especially. I don’t know if we’ll be in the top three again but hopefully we can be up there in the top 12.
“It’s about learning as well this weekend. It’s a new type of racing again as a rookie and it’s just about gaining experience. And hopefully we can do something good again for the team.”
Rookie years will always come with lows to accompany any highs, but it is so often the latter that reigns given the inevitability of the former. And the high point at which Hauger has begun only continues to reinforce that IndyCar has a special talent on its hands.
