Dale Coyne Racing has filled its vacant IndyCar seat with the IndyNXT champion, and it has entered into a technical alliance.
The team announced Tuesday that 22-year-old Norwegian driver Dennis Hauger will claim one of its two seats for the 2026 IndyCar season. Hauger won six races last season with 11 podiums, seven poles, 13 top-10 finishes and led 301 laps across 14 races.
“I’m excited to be joining Dale Coyne Racing for my rookie IndyCar season,” Hauger said in a release. “The progress the team has shown this year is really impressive, and it’s an honor to take my place on the grid with them in 2026. I want to thank Dale Coyne and everyone at the team for putting their trust in me. It’ll also be nice to see some familiar faces through the team’s technical partnership with Andretti Global. They’ve been a big part of my success since making the switch, so having their involvement in another rookie season for me will be great. I’m looking forward to contributing and starting this next chapter together.”
Coyne lists another vacant seat on its website. Rinus VeeKay announced Sept. 2 that he would not return to Coyne in pursuit of other options. He finished 14th in points in the No. 18 Honda and the six-year veteran has not yet announced a new home after spending his first five seasons with Ed Carpenter Racing.
The other seat Coyne filled last season belonged to rookie Jacob Abel. A team spokesperson in a response to IndyStar confirmed the second driver’s seat is unconfirmed for 2026.
The Louisville native made 16 starts, notably missing the Indianapolis 500 after being the only full-time IndyCar driver to get bumped, and he was beat out by VeeKay. He only mustered 123 points with no top-10s.
Hauger, meanwhile, joins the mix at an exciting time for Coyne. The team announced a technical alliance with Andretti Global, which allows them to share data similarly to how Team Penske and AJ Foyt Racing did last season. Hauger raced for Andretti in IndyNXT.
He will get his first drive in the cockpit during offseason testing at Mid-Ohio ahead of the 2026 season opener at St. Pete the weekend of Feb. 27 to March 1.
“This is a great opportunity for us here at DCR to bring on a talented driver and gain a strong technical partner in Andretti Global,” DCR owner Dale Coyne said. “Thanks to Dan (Towriss) and his belief in our sport and his dedication to elevating Dennis to the top of the ladder.”
Prior to the season finale in Nashville, Coyne promised “a big step up” at an event that announced a multi-year partnership with Ault Blockchain to be featured on the No. 18 and 51 Hondas. Though Ault and Ed Carpenter Racing engaged in a seven-figure lawsuit that is pending litigation, this deal seemingly allowed Coyne to select drivers based on merit, thus leading to his belief they will be more competitive.
During that event, Coyne also announced the team’s headquarters outside of Chicago will undergo an expansion that will double its shop space to more than 25,000 feet.
He also said he expects both seats to be filled by Halloween.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy NXT champion joining Dale Coyne Racing, which announced technical partnership with Andretti
Reporting by Aaron Ferguson and Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
