Three-Way Title Fight Reaches Middle Rounds at Mid-Ohio
The INDY NXT by Firestone season hits a pivotal point this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
After a dominant start to the year by Dennis Hauger and Andretti Global, the championship momentum has shifted, and the title fight is suddenly wide open.
SEE: Event Details
With four wins in the first five races, Norwegian rookie Hauger leads rookie teammate Lochie Hughes by 28 points and sophomore driver Caio Collet by 70.
Collet arrives in Ohio fresh off his first win of the season June 22 at Road America, ending Andretti's perfect 2025 start and injecting life into HMD Motorsports' campaign. Collet also knows his way around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile circuit. He won from pole here last year, snapping Andretti's decade-long dominance at Mid-Ohio as the team has triumphed in 10 of the last 11 races.
Hughes, meanwhile, has found his stride, with a pair of wins this season and back-to-back podium finishes boosting his stock heading into the weekend.
Last year's Mid-Ohio race saw the top three in the standings fill the podium. After a similar sweep two weeks ago at Road America, don't be surprised to see Collet, Hauger and Hughes lead the charge again in Sunday's 35-lap INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio airing at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Pierson Ascending
At just 19, Josh Pierson already has 30 INDY NXT by Firestone starts. But the rising American talent is still hunting for his first podium finish. That long-awaited milestone may come on Sunday at Mid-Ohio.
In his second full-time season, Pierson enters this weekend fifth in the championship standings, 123 points behind Hauger.
Despite that gap, consistency has been his calling card. He's finished ninth or better in all seven races this season, including two fourth-place finishes in his last three starts.
His latest podium near-miss came at Road America, where he ran third until Hughes slipped past on the final lap, denying Pierson his maiden trip into the top three.
Mid-Ohio might just be the track where things click. Pierson finished ninth here in both 2023 and 2024, but with growing experience and momentum, a top-three finish isn't out of reach.
Mid-Ohio Is Ideal Spot for Rowe's First Win
Myles Rowe heads to Mid-Ohio with momentum, history and a growing sense that his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory is around the corner.
Rowe secured his sixth top-five finish of the season at Road America and sits fourth in points, 101 back of Hauger. Quietly consistent all year, the ABEL Motorsports with Force Indy driver has shown the pace, racecraft and maturity of a front-runner. It's just a matter of putting it all together.
That could happen this weekend.
History suggests Mid-Ohio is a fertile ground for breakthrough wins. In each of the past three seasons, a driver claimed their maiden INDY NXT victory at Mid-Ohio.
Hunter McElrea did it for Andretti Global in 2022. Louis Foster broke through for the same team a year later. And then Collet accomplished the feat last season.
Rowe is a proven winner across the junior categories at Mid-Ohio, claiming victory in both USF Pro 2000 (2023) and USF2000 (2022), where he finished first, first and third in a dominant triple-header showing.
As a sophomore, Rowe returns to Mid-Ohio with more experience, confidence and perhaps the perfect conditions for a breakout. If Mid-Ohio continues its trend of crowning first-time winners, Rowe may be next in line.
Papasavvas Returns Home
Evagoras Papasavvas takes on his home race this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, driving the No. 24 entry for HMD Motorsports. This is the fifth and final confirmed race of the season for the Ohio resident, who transitions into his reserve driver role with the team for the remainder of 2025.
A spring test at Mid-Ohio for the team led to Papasavvas' maiden start May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park. He qualified third and finished second in his series debut.
He also finished 10th and 13th, respectively on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on May 9-10 and 12th at Road America.
Sleepers To Watch
While the spotlight has centered on title contenders like Hauger, Hughes and Collet, a pair of sophomore drivers, Jack William Miller and Bryce Aron, could steal headlines this weekend.
Miller, 21, has quietly put together his most consistent stretch in INDY NXT competition. Coming off a seventh-place finish at Road America, where he qualified fifth, the ABEL Motorsports driver sits eighth in points, boasting four top-10 finishes in the last six races. That's a big leap forward from 2024, when he only earned two top-10's all season.
This is Miller's first year under the ABEL Motorsports banner after Miller Vinatieri Motorsports merged with ABEL's operation over the offseason. The results speak for themselves. Miller's upward trajectory could continue at Mid-Ohio.
Aron, 21, also has found new life since joining Chip Ganassi Racing after the St. Petersburg season opener, where he raced for HMD Motorsports. After a slow start with CGR with three straight 15th-place finishes, Aron began to settle in by picking up two top-10 finishes in the last three races, highlighted by a season-best ninth at Road America.
Last year, Aron competed for Andretti Global and had eight top-10 finishes. He's starting to look like a driver who could crack the top five with the right progression.
Track Specs: 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course
Qualifying Record: Caio Collet, 1:10.2879 (115.650 mph), July 6, 2024
Push To Pass Parameters: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation
recommended
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Fourth of July: Top 9 American Golf Performances on Independence Day
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Fourth of July is one of the most celebrated days in America. However, even on such a significant day, professional golf does not stop. It's fair to say that the main tours don't always include this date on their respective calendars, but even so, fans can often enjoy their hamburgers and hot dogs paired with top-level golf. As expected, American players have posted numerous notable performances to celebrate Independence Day. Let's take a look at some of them. Top 9 American Golf Performances on Fourth of July Throughout the history of the major professional tours in America, namely the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour, several tournaments have had periods coinciding with Independence Day. Among them, there is even a major championship. An American flag flies over the range during morning foursome matches of the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club on September 30, 2016 in Chaska, Minnesota. An American flag flies over the range during morning foursome matches of the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club on September 30, 2016 in Chaska, is our top 11 American performances coinciding with the Fourth of July. We're using a reverse chronological order, going from most recent to oldest: 1. 2024 John Deere Classic (PGA Tour) Hayden Springer carded two eagles and eight birdies with no bogeys during the first round of the event to tie the TPC Deere Run course record at 12-under 59. The record had been set by fellow American Paul Goydos in 2010. 2. 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic (PGA Tour) Bryson Dechambeau carded six birdies and one bogey (5-under 67) during the third round of the event. He went on to win the event for his sixth PGA Tour title. 3. 2013 The Greenbrier Classic (PGA Tour) Johnson Wagner went really low on the score during the first round of the event, thanks to an eagle and six birdies with no bogeys for an 8-under 62. This performance earned the now popular Golf Channel commentator a tie for second. Back in the winner's circle. 🏆 @B_DeChambeau has won the @RocketClassic. It's his sixth TOUR victory and fourth straight season with a win. — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 5, 2020 4. 2004 US Women's Open (Major) Meg Mallon shot a final-round 65 at the Orchards to clinch her fourth and final major championship. She had a fantastic career with 18 LPGA Tour wins. 5. 2003 US Women's Open (Major) Hilary Lunke carded a second-round 69 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club to temporarily tie for second place. She went on to win the event by defeating fellow countrymen Angela Stanford and Kelly Robbins in a playoff. This was Lunke's only LPGA Tour victory. 6. 2002 US Women's Open (Major) LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster shot a first-round 67 at Prairie Dunes Country Club to temporarily tie for first place. Inkster ended up winning wire-to-wire with a score of 4-under, two strokes ahead of Annika Sorenstam. During her legendary career, Juli Inkster won 31 LPGA Tour tournaments, including seven major championships. The 2002 US Women's Open was her last major title. 7. 1970 US Women's Open (Major) Fellow LPGA Hall of Famer Donna Caponi shot a third-round 71 en route to winning the title at Muskogee Country Club. This was the second of the four major titles of her career, which included 20 other wins on the LPGA Tour. It was also her second consecutive US Women's Open, as she had won the 1969 edition in spectacular fashion. 24 Days Away: Donna Caponi matched the best comeback in #USWomensOpen history when she won the 🏆 by 1 over Peggy Wilson at Scenic Hills Country Club in 1969. Caponi had to wait out a 15-minute weather delay on the 72nd hole before clinching her win with a birdie. #USWOMemories — U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) November 16, 2020 8. 1968 US Women's Open (Major) Susie Maxwell Berning shot a first round 69 on her way to win the first of her three US Women's Open titles. She has a fourth major (1965 Western Open) and another seven LPGA Tour titles to her name. 9. 1965 US Women's Open (Major) Carol Mann, the third LPGA Tour Hall of Famer on this list, shot a final-round 72 on her way to winning at the Atlantic City Country Club. This was the second and final major championship of her illustrious career, which included 38 LPGA Tour victories. More Golf: NBC's Eamon Lynch delivers wake-up call to Rickie Fowler over 'good golf'
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Roger Penske has new leadership in IndyCar team after latest cheating scandal at Indy 500
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Team Penske has new leadership structure atop its IndyCar and sports car programs in the wake of its latest cheating scandal that engulfed the organization at the Indianapolis 500. Jonathan Diuguid has been promoted to president of Penske Racing, and Travis Law has been named competition director for Penske Racing. Diuguid and Law have a combined 38 years of experience at Team Penske. Diuguid and Law will oversee the Team Penske teams competing in IndyCar as well as Porsche Penske Motorsport, which races in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship series.
Indianapolis Star
3 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Team Penske names new leadership atop IndyCar, sportscar teams after Indy 500 cheating scandal
LEXINGTON, Ohio — Team Penske has promoted a pair of veteran team members to roles atop both its IndyCar and sportscar programs in the wake of the Roger Penske firing the three most senior members atop his IndyCar program in the wake of Team Penske's second high-profile team-wide tech inspection violation in 13 months. Jonathan Diuguid, who most recently served as the managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport and who joined Team Penske in 2005, has been named the president of Penske Racing Inc., overseeing Team Penske's programs in IndyCar, IMSA and WEC. Travis Law, who joined Team Penske in 2007 and most recently served as the competition director of Porsche Penske Motorsport, has been named the competition director of Penske Racing Inc. similarly overseeing Penske's IndyCar and sportscar programs moving forward. "The opportunity to lead the Team Penske efforts across the IndyCar series, IMSA and WEC is a tremendous responsibility, and the feeling of being trusted to lead these teams is a great honor," Diuguid said. "After two decades of working for Roger Penske, I truly know and understand what the Penske name means to the world of motorsports. "The best way I know to show my appreciation to him for his trust is to ensure our success continues well into the future." As the managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport, Diuguid spearheaded a program that snagged consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona (2024-25), a victory in the 2025 12 Hours of Sebring, a 2024 IMSA GTP class championship and the 2024 WEC Hypercar driver's title. Diuguid first worked on Penske's Porsche RS Spyder program, followed by seven seasons as a race engineer in IndyCar before shifting into his most recent role atop the team's sportscar programs. Last year, he also served as a stand-in Indianapolis 500 strategist for race-winner Josef Newgarden, in place of Tim Cindric, the ex-Team Penske president and Newgarden strategist who was serving a suspension after the team's push-to-pass illegalities. 'We let people down': Roger Penske on Indianapolis 500, IndyCar rules violations Law joined Team Penske in 2007 as an IndyCar tire specialist before becoming a championship-winning chief mechanic and then achieving similar success in Penske's sportscar program. "Success is what is expected at Team Penske," Law said. "Roger Penske is someone that leads by example. When we get to the racetrack, we know we have the support of someone who has achieved at the highest levels. I am ready to get to work." Concurrently with its leadership announcements, Team Penske also announced the team leaders on all three IndyCar entries for the remainder of the year Friday afternoon, with Luke Mason (Newgarden's No. 2 car) and David Faustino (Will Power's No. 12 car) serving as both the race strategist and race engineers on their respective cars. For Scott McLaughlin's No. 3 car, Ben Bretzman has been named the entry's race strategist for the remainder of the year, and Malcolm Finch will serve as the car's race engineer. More: IndyCar president Doug Boles on Team Penske's violations during Indy 500 qualifying Less than a week before the 109th Indy 500, Penske fired Cindric, his longtime righthand man who for years had served as the president of the entire Team Penske empire and who at the start of this year had scaled back, solely holding onto the role of president of the Penske IndyCar team, as well as longtime Team Penske IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and longtime Team Penske IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer. Minutes before the start of Fast 12 qualifying for the Indy 500, the cars of Newgarden and Power were found by IndyCar's tech inspection team to have illegally modified attenuators that upon further review had gone undetected for well over a year. Initially, both cars were thrown out of qualifying and slated to start 11th and 12th for the race, but the following day, IndyCar president Doug Boles decided to move both cars to the back of the grid to start 32nd and 33rd, along with the suspension of Cindric and Ruzewski a handful of other monetary and points penalties. Two days later, Team Penske announced the leaders atop all three of its cars had been let go.
