Dennis Hauger widened his INDY NXT by Firestone championship advantage to 76 points over Andretti Global teammate Lochie Hughes following a runner-up finish the last time out at Iowa Speedway on July 12.

Hughes, who started second on the short oval, fell to 16th place after receiving a blocking penalty for impeding eventual race winner Myles Rowe on Lap 3. The rookie served a drive-through penalty on Lap 12 and lost a lap in the process.

Caio Collet, the race winner at Road America on June 22, sits third in the standings, 84 points behind Hauger. Rowe trails by 127, while Salvador de Alba rounds out the top five, 156 points back, entering a crucial doubleheader this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Each race will span 35 laps. Saturday’s event airs at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS2, while Sunday’s race begins at 1 p.m. ET on FS1. Both will also stream via the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Hauger Double Opportunity to Pad Lead

Reigning series champion Louis Foster swept last year’s doubleheader at Laguna Seca, joining Spencer Pigot (2015), Rinus VeeKay (2019), and Kyle Kirkwood (2021) as the only drivers to win both races in a weekend at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course.

Could Hauger be next? The Norwegian has been dominant on natural road courses this season, earning wins at Barber Motorsports Park, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, plus a runner-up at Road America.

Since Laguna Seca returned in 2019, the eventual champion has won at least one race during the weekend in three of five seasons. With just four races remaining after this weekend, including Portland International Raceway (Aug. 10), The Milwaukee Mile (Aug. 24) and Nashville Superspeedway (Aug. 31), Hauger has a golden opportunity to put the title nearly out of reach.

Hughes Needs Rebound

Despite his setback at Iowa, Hughes has been consistently strong on road courses this year, with podiums at Barber, IMS, Road America and Mid-Ohio.

Still, his first finish outside the top five in nine rookie starts left him more than a full race’s worth of points behind. With 54 points available per race, 108 are on the line this weekend, plenty of room to rebound.

Andretti Global has won seven of the last eight INDY NXT races at Laguna Seca, making Hughes a strong candidate to return to form.

Collet Aiming For Victory

Collet finished second to Foster in both Laguna Seca races last year. Can he claim the top step this time?

Driving for HMD Motorsports, Collet has six podiums in nine races this season and enters with seven consecutive top-five finishes. He is very much in the hunt.

Double Top-10 Finish For Chip Ganassi Racing at Iowa

CGR teammates Niels Koolen (fifth) and Bryce Aron (ninth) both finished inside the top 10 at Iowa, the team’s second double top-10 of the season, the first coming in Detroit.

While Chip Ganassi Racing boasts 23 championships and over 260 wins across major series, including six Indy 500s, the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, and 24 Hours of Le Mans, an INDY NXT victory remains elusive.

Could Laguna Seca deliver that missing piece?

CGR has five NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories on the track, including three straight.

A Launchpad to INDYCAR

Since 1989, INDY NXT by Firestone has staged 27 races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with 21 different drivers winning. Twenty of the 21 winners went on to compete in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

With victory lane reserved for the drivers en route to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, who will emerge victorious in both races this weekend?

Track Specs: 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course.

Qualifying Record: Christian Rasmussen, 1:11.7225 (112.333 mph), Sept. 9, 2023.

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