The 2024 season might be in the books, but IndyCar doesn’t hibernate. October means testing season, and the first laps of the off-season story kick off next Wednesday at Mid-Ohio.
That’s where Dennis Hauger, fresh off his Indy NXT title, will strap into a Dale Coyne Racing machine for the very first time. The 21-year-old Norwegian has been on the radar since his junior days, and this debut is his chance to show he’s more than just another feeder series star. For Coyne, it’s the first look at whether their new recruit has the raw pace and racecraft to mix it with the heavy hitters.
Private tests like this are where reputations quietly get built. There’s no fanfare, no cameras, and no safety net. It’s just driver, car, and stopwatch — and that’s where teams learn who’s ready to step up. Mid-Ohio’s technical layout makes it a proper test of feel and precision, the kind of circuit that exposes both strengths and weak points fast.
For Hauger, it’s the first swing at proving he belongs at this level. A sharp performance here will do more than turn heads — it could shape how Dale Coyne approaches 2025. And if he lights it up straight out of the gate, expect a lot more people in the paddock to start paying very close attention.
