INDY NXT teams are hard at work securing their rosters for the 2025 season, welcoming a host of fresh talent to the grid for the upcoming year.
Each year, teams in the IndyCar development series welcome a diverse array of young talent, each with unique racing backgrounds, and this year is no exception. Here are some of the new faces in INDY NXT.
Dennis Hauger
Many F1 fans may recognize Hauger as a former Red Bull Racing Reserve Driver but now he’s making his way to North American open-wheel racing, joining the INDY NXT grid with Andretti.
His journey in open-wheel racing began in 2018 when he took part in various Formula 4 Championships. His impressive performances secured him a spot as a Red Bull Junior Driver and paved the way for his advancement through the FIA Formula Series.
In his second full season in F3, he clinched the championship title in 2021. He then progressed to F2 in 2022, achieving five victories and 11 podium finishes over the past three seasons.
After six years, the Norwegian talent was appointed as a Red Bull Reserve Driver for the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship season. However, his journey with the team ended as Hauger and Red Bull mutually agreed to part ways before the 2024 season, leaving him open to new opportunities.
Like this one with Andretti.
With experience and success in highly competitive development series, stepping onto the INDY NXT grid is not only great for the team but also a fantastic progression for him and his future career.
Lochie Hughes
In an announcement last month, Andretti Global signed Hughes to drive the No. 26 Andretti Dallara in 2025.
This Aussie native has had the most successful part of his career across the pond in the U.S. After getting his start in his hometown, he moved to North America in 2022, participating in the F4 United States Championship where he won the championship with six victories, four podium finishes, and seven pole positions. In 2023, he raced in the USF2000 Championship, winning the Rookie of the Year award with four race wins, eight podiums, and two pole positions.
Hughes had an impressive 2024 season achieving four pole positions, five wins, and six additional podiums, which led him to being named Champion USF Pro 2000 Championship in his rookie season.
“It’s a dream to be a part of this historic team, and one that I’ve wanted to race for since moving to the U.S. This year was great for me winning the USF Pro 2000 Championship and for Andretti winning the INDY NXT championship, so, I hope that I can help be a part of adding another championship title to Andretti’s record.”
If his results since making the move are anything telling, he is bound to find success and hopefully, one day follow in the footsteps of new Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver, Louis Foster, who won the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone championship in the team’s No. 26 car.
Tommy Smith
Smith’s career so far has taken him around the world and now he can add the U.S. to the list as he joins HMD Motorsports to drive the team’s No. 16 entry for the 2025 INDY NXT season.
The 22-year-old has come a long way since starting his racing career in 2017 when he competed in the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship and the Australian Formula 4 Championship.
From there, Smith progressed through the Asian F3 Championship, the Formula Regional European Championship, and the GB3 Championship. He then found his way to FIA Formula 3 where he spent two seasons securing a best finish of fourth in 2024 at Silverstone, England.
The 2025 season will for sure be a learning curve as he adjusts to racing in North America but his experience in different series may make the transition easier.
Hailie Deegan
The Deegan signing by HMD Motorsports is very different then the rest of the new faces in INDY NXT as it will be her first time competing in any open-wheel racing.
She is adding the development series to her already impressive resume which includes participation in multiple championships such as the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS), NASCAR K&N Pro Series, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Truck Series, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
She won’t be going in blind as she has already done some testing and preparing with Nathan Toney, former HMD Motorsports engineer and owner of Toney Driver Development, for the upcoming season.
MiguelMa Garcia
Garcia is the latest rookie signing as is set to make his debut with Juncos Hollinger Racing, and like Deegan, he has limited open-wheel racing experience.
Most of his career includes competing in the Paraguay National Rally Championship in 2021. In 2022, he raced in the TC2000 and Super TC2000 touring car championships in Argentina, where he achieved one pole position and four podiums in his first season.
Then in 2023 Italian GT Championship with the Lamborghini-supported team Imperiale Racing, earning two podium finishes in his first year of GT3 racing.
Testing
The most of the 2025 new faces in INDY NXT, aside from Garcia, got to go behind the wheel at The Chris Griffis Memorial Test, a two-day test event for teams to test new drivers as well as for the organization to test new cars for the following season.
Hauger and Hughes were particularly impressive finishing second and third in the combined results.
The 2025 INDY NXT season starts Sunday, March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
