Photo credit: Chris Jones | Penske Entertainment

The last time an Indy NXT rookie had an average finish as strong through their first four races as Lochie Hughes has in 2025 for Andretti, you’d have to go back to the year he was born.

Hughes may not be crowding the spotlight in the wake of Dennis Hauger’s nearly unprecedented dominance, but the Australian has quietly put together one of the best rookie starts in recent series history.

His average finish through four races sits at 2.0—the lowest of any rookie since AJ Foyt IV in 2002. That puts him ahead of names like Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta, and Kyle Kirkwood in terms of early-career consistency.

Hughes earned his first series win this past weekend on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, starting from pole and dominating from start to finish. It continued a streak of never finishing off the podium in Indy NXT since moving up on scholarship after winning the 2024 USF Pro 2000 championship.

“By the looks of it, it looked like a pretty easy race, but it wasn’t that for sure,” Hughes said. “It was tough around here, with different conditions throughout the day, with practice and qualifying, and just trying to manage the tires throughout the race.”

In the final laps, that tire management nearly unraveled. Exiting the final corner with push-to-pass spent, Hughes lost the rear end and scraped the wall. Fortunately, the angle of impact allowed him to finish the race without major damage.

The win also extended a run of strong form dating back to late 2024. In the second half of last season, only Rinus VeeKay, Sting Ray Robb, and Kyle Kirkwood have logged more USF Pro 2000 wins in a post-2014 season stretch than Hughes.

It was also a sentimental weekend. Hughes’ family traveled from Australia to watch him race—one of the few times they’ve been able to attend since he moved to the U.S. in 2022.

“My mom doesn’t even watch the races so I was surprised she was even down there,” Hughes said. “It’s cool to have everyone here.”

The last time his family saw him compete in person was at Portland in 2023, where he clinched the USF Pro 2000 title.

Replicating that championship feat, though, will be far tougher. Hughes currently trails teammate Dennis Hauger by 15 points—and Hauger is not just any rookie. The FIA Formula 3 champion and F2 race winner at Monaco is reportedly attracting multiple IndyCar offers for 2026, per the FOX Sports broadcast.

Hughes halted Hauger’s perfect season at Indy, capitalizing after his teammate was sent to the rear following contact in Turn 1.

“It’s great to get the win finally,” Hughes said. “Obviously Dennis has been dominating lately, so to go to a track I know a bit more—a place where I drove the (Indy NXT) car for the first time—and have a good result? It’s pretty cool.”

The next stretch of the season will test Hughes further. He’ll face the streets of Detroit, make his first oval start in Indy NXT at World Wide Technology Raceway, and then return to a familiar stronghold: Road America.

There, his record is nearly spotless. Across five career USF Pro Championships starts, Hughes has won four—an 80% win rate at one of the most competitive road courses in North America.

He also enters the oval phase of the calendar with a quietly promising record. In his two USF Pro Championships oval starts, both at IRP, he finished P6 and P3—never outside the top ten, with no signs of discomfort.

If Hughes can continue playing to his strengths while gaining ground on ovals, his rookie season may go down as one of the most complete in Indy NXT history—championship or not.