Lochie Hughes is one of six INDY NXT by Firestone drivers fighting for 2025 Rookie of the Year honors.
The Australian had a fast start, finishing runner-up in his debut March 2 while chasing Andretti Global teammate and fellow rookie Dennis Hauger to the checkered flag in the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg.
Hughes aspires to being more than the top first-year driver this season. He has championship ambitions. To reach that goal, Hughes knows he must continue to develop because the drivers he’s challenging for a championship have more experience.
“I put the pressure on myself because I want to do well,” he said. “It’s my first year of INDY NXT. Hopefully it's my only year of INDY NXT because I'm moving up. I feel like I'm one of the few genuine rookies this year. So, no pressure. The drivers around me have a lot more experience. I'm just out there trying to do my best.
“Previously, you were in the junior teams, all the team bosses, and it's easy to start talking about that next step. But now it's sort of a bit like an unknown feeling because that next step is the INDYCAR SERIES. It’s exciting. You must perform. Expectations are to win the championship.”
Hauger, from Norway, won the 2021 FIA Formula 3 championship and is a five-time victor in Formula 2. He led all 44 laps from the pole in St. Petersburg.
Brazilian Caio Collet finished third in St. Petersburg, and the second-year HMD Motorsports driver who had nine top-five finishes, including his first career pole and victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, finished third in points and won Rookie of the Year last season.
ABEL Motorsports has four sophomore drivers who each flashed speed in St. Petersburg.
Hughes, who turns 23 on March 15, has raced since 2012 but didn’t move from Australia to the United States until 2022. He has thrived in those three years, winning the 2022 Formula 4 United States Championship and last year’s USF Pro 2000 title.
The inexperience compared to those drivers in INDY NXT by Firestone machinery is causing Hughes to race a little more conservatively than he prefers.
“Honestly, it's taken a little bit to get used to,” he said. “I've felt like I've been straight on the pace straight away, but the car is very different. So just extracting those last tenth or two is a lot harder, just to get comfortable with the car. Just trying to learn as quickly as possible.”
Luckily, he’s aware of what areas have been a concern and what he needs to do to extract that final bit of championship-level pace.
“The power, the top speed, the downforce, the weight, even the length of the car is just longer,” he said. “Just when it slides, it just feels a bit different. It's a big step. It's a handful as well to drive, so just trying to get the hang of it; it's a different tire.
“You have to play even with your eyes, look a lot further ahead when you're entering corners, because you're going a lot quicker. So, there's a lot of little adjustments that just aren't quite natural yet, just because it's just a lot quicker.”
Hughes noted in other racing series in which he competed there was a mechanic and engineer that the team shared among its drivers. With Andretti Global, he has an entire team for just his car.
The influx of personnel gives him confidence to bridge the knowledge and experience gap and can build comfort before the pivotal, oval-heavy stretch of the schedule.
Among the 14 races this season - four are on circle tracks – World Wide Technology Raceway (June 15), Iowa Speedway (July 12), Milwaukee Mile (Aug. 24) and Nashville Superspeedway (Aug. 31). Hughes has two career oval starts, both at the .686-mile Indianapolis Raceway Park short track.
“I haven't driven any of the ovals on the calendar,” he said. “Ovals are a very important part of this championship. And my future, if I want to be an INDYCAR driver, the biggest race in the world (Indianapolis 500) is an oval.
“So, I want to be really good on the ovals. They're going to take a little bit of getting used to, especially, there's a lot of experienced drivers in the field. We've all grown up racing road courses and street circuits, but now having a lot of oval races, a lot quicker than what I've done previously.”
“I think the championship will be won from those ovals.”