‘Norwegian Nightmare’ Off To Dream Start In INDYCAR
Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
By Dennis Krause
“Happy, surreal, and decent.”
That’s how rookie Dennis Hauger, driver of the No. 19 Ault Blockchain Honda for Dale Coyne Racing, described his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
“I started P3, finished P10, so I want more. I always want more. But yeah, I have to be realistic about it, as well. 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 you can improve.”
Nick-named the Norwegian Nightmare, the 22-year-old Oslo-native made the paddock take notice with what he accomplished with one of the series’ smallest teams.
“I think it was a good start for sure,” Hauger said. “Didn't really know what to expect going into the weekend. Testing is always testing. We had a few issues that we ran through in practice one, which was a bit frustrating, but we managed to kind of turn it around for practice two, a bit. We got 13th place and felt like we were on the right path.
“Then we got into qualifying out on the soft tires, and the car was working really well. The balance was nice. I could really find some confidence on the softer tires, which was only my second time on the alternate tires, as well, ever. It was a lot of new experiences this weekend, but to get the third place in qualifying was more than I could expect, to be honest, and just to get a top six for both [team] cars was also really, really good. It shows that we're both [teammate Romain Grosjean] up there, and when things are working right, we can do something well.
“I think that the race itself, for sure, could have done a few things better, and if a few things went with a better direction, we could have gotten a bit more up.
“I think those are things you have to expect on your first race weekend, so I will just take that as an experience and try to improve on it, and hopefully we can just build on that going into the rest of the season.
“A good start. I'm not complaining.”
Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
Maybe Hauger’s performance shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
A former member of the Red Bull Junior Team and the 2021 FIA Formula 3 champion, Hauger raced in Formula 2 from 2022 to 2024. Another season in F2 didn’t make sense to Hauger, so he looked to the U.S.
“Not really getting the opportunity to test an F1 car or anything, even after winning F3, yeah, there is only so many years you want to do in that series before you kind of just are stuck, so for me, there wasn't any point doing more.
“I felt like I struggled a bit with the car, as well,” Hauger admitted. “It didn't feel natural to me. It's a very specific way of driving that car compared to any of the other formula series, in my opinion.
“It didn't really make sense. I didn't really want to do it either. It was just about trying to make the decision of what's best for me, what's best for my career going forward, and I was looking at what I want to do, what would suit me maybe, and INDY NXT was feeling like a pretty clear choice at the time. Obviously you have to go there and you have to get the results done. That's the most important thing. But it felt really nice. It felt like just a refreshed start. I really enjoyed it, so I'm really happy about the choice I made.”
Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment
Hauger competed in the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone with Andretti Global, scoring 6 wins, 8 pole positions and 11 podium finishes in winning the championship, all while learning new tracks and a new car.
That learning process continues with the step up to the INDYCAR SERIES from INDY NXT.
“I think it's always been important to adapt,” Hauger explained. “As you get up in this series, you get less and less track time, really, so it's super important to adapt quickly, and that's been something I've always been working really hard to achieve, and in Formula 2, with the driving style there, I was struggling to adapt to it. It didn't really suit me, and that made it a bit difficult to feel really natural in the car.
“Once I got over in INDY NXT it felt really natural, and I was just able to extract the most out of it every time I got on track. It's been feeling pretty similar in INDYCAR. It's definitely a heavier car like F2 compared to INDY NXT. The INDYCAR is heavier than the Formula 2 car. It's got more horsepower, probably in a similar window on aero, but the top speed is just a different beast, especially when you get on the ovals.
“You've got the hybrid system in the back, as well, and you've got so much more stuff you can do in the car that can really change the balance, change the way you drive through the race. So it's just such a different game when you get in INDYCAR. For me, a lot more stuff to adapt to.
“But it's been feeling really natural, to be honest, and I think the team has got me up to speed pretty quickly, and that's made the difference coming into this series. It's only the first race, but I think having a start like that is always nice.
Next up for Hauger is Saturday’s Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway. The one-mile desert oval will be another new experience for Hauger.
“Going to Phoenix now, it's a completely different car, completely different setup. We'll see how we look. I don't think we looked too bad in the test, to be honest. Race pace looked pretty decent, and I think when we put everything together, I think we can do something decent in qualifying.
“I don't know if we'll be in the top three again, but hopefully we can be up there in the top 12. That's the goal again,” said Hauger, hoping to keep his dream start alive. “I mean, we'll see. It's hard to predict in this series where you're going to end up, but you've just got to do the best you can and take it as it is.”
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.