Photo credit: Matt Fraver | Penske Entertainment

When a young Dennis Hauger took up karting in his home country of Norway, his choice to don the number 24 had an unlikely connection.

The motorsports he was exposed to growing up had included many that took place in the United States, including the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR races. His number choice was inspired by a driver he grew up watching – Jeff Gordon.

Today, across the street from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Gordon won five Brickyard 400s, Hauger had a full-circle moment as he addressed reporters ahead of the beginning of his racing career in America.

“I’ve always loved the racing here,” Hauger, who is driving in Indy NXT for Andretti in 2025, said. “And I love the sort of mindset that goes on here compared to Europe.”

Hauger spent the last three seasons competing in FIA Formula 2, where he won five races and had a best finish of eighth in the standings in 2023.

Now, he will travel to a country that he has had his eye on as a potential landing spot for years. The former Red Bull junior driver expressed excitement about the upcoming season, smiling ear-to-ear as he detailed his enjoyment driving the Indy NXT car.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Hauger said. “I don’t know how to put it in any word other than pure – it’s pure racing and that’s something that’s really cool.”

Hauger hasn’t just had fun – he’s been consistently fast. He came out in his first test at Indianapolis in October and ran only a tenth off of Myles Rowe’s first place time, putting the Norwegian second overall.

Since then, he has hung inside the top 10 at both Barber and Sebring showcasing his prowess on road courses. He’s also expected to be a top driver in the series on street circuits immediately, where he has won in Formula 2 in three locations: Jeddah, Baku and Monaco.

While Hauger has already proven his speed on other types of circuits, he faces an entirely new challenge on ovals.

No series that Dennis Hauger has raced in has competed on ovals. However, the 21-year-old said he has already gotten to work over the past month to try to learn the unique qualities of each of them.

“Everything is new,” Hauger said. “I watched a lot of videos and data over the offseason with my engineer and really tried to understand the cars and how they work around the race weekend.”

Additionally, Hauger is preparing for the differences moving from Formula 2’s Pirelli tires to Indy NXT’s Firestone tires. 

Hauger described in depth how the sensitivity of the Pirelli tires meant that often during races he had to nurse them to ensure longevity. He doesn’t expect that to be a factor in 2025.

“In F2 you’re at 60-70% throughout the race, so your tires are staying alive,” Hauger said. “Well here, you’re at 90-95% all the way through, which is really cool. It becomes more old school and fun racing.”

Hauger joins a long list of drivers who have made the transition from Formula 2 to America in recent years. However many others, including new Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard and Prema’s Robert Shwartzman and Callum Ilott, have jumped straight to IndyCar.

Hauger took a slightly different route, going to Indy NXT first. 

“We don’t have the opportunity to put in budgets like that, for example, to go (straight) to IndyCar, which some other drivers from Europe have been able to do,” Hauger said. “For me to go down this path and prove myself, it’s a good opportunity.”

With just over a month until the season opener, Hauger will continue preparing with a test at Laguna Seca before heading to Florida for his first race on the Streets of St. Petersburg on March 2.

As for his rookie-season goals, he’s aiming high.

“My aim is to win the championship,” Hauger said. “There’s a high level (of competition) and there’s still a lot of new tracks and factors for me, but I think the genuine pace we’ve had in testing and the work we’ve done with the team has been great. I’m feeling comfortable with the car and getting up to speed every time we go out.”

His confidence is clear, and soon, he’ll have the chance to prove it on track.

To watch Hauger’s Indy NXT debut, tune in to FOX Sports 1 on March 2 at 10 a.m. eastern time.