INDY NXT SERIES: INDY NXT BY FIRESTONE AT IOWA SPEEDWAY

July 12, 2025

Salvador de Alba

Dennis Hauger

Myles Rowe

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Myles Rowe will join us momentarily as he continues to celebrate in victory lane. Joined currently by the second- and third-place winning drivers.

Dennis, we'll start with you. A lot of people talking about the pass there in turn three. What did you see from your angle?

DENNIS HAUGER: I got passed (laughing).

THE MODERATOR: Good answer.

DENNIS HAUGER: No, I got a bit stuck there. I went to defend on the inside and got a bit stuck. He just got clean air up. He had better pace than us, to be honest. He was able to stay really close the whole race. Once we sort of dropped off a bit the second half of the race, he was just able to get runs.

So, yeah, still a good day. Some good points and a good step in the championship. But obviously wanted the win. Still, our second oval overall ever. We're building up to it and getting it step by step. So I'm happy with the progress.

THE MODERATOR: Oval racing is very new to you. How quickly are you picking things up with it?

DENNIS HAUGER: Yeah, definitely a very different style of racing, so it's still about just making progress every race. Feel like we're doing the job. We were close today, but still a good day.

Yeah, we have two more races this season ovals, and I think we can keep on building the momentum. I think we can have a go ahead end to the season on ovals.

THE MODERATOR: Salvador, for you, you love ovals, don't you?

SALVADOR de ALBA: Yeah, yeah, we love them.

THE MODERATOR: Third-place finish. Tell us about it.

SALVADOR de ALBA: Yeah, really happy. First podium of the year, so happy about it. Good memories being here last year in this same chair. Yeah, really happy about it.

Didn't have the quallie, so we knew the car was pretty good for the race, so we had to wait, be aggressive, and assertive. All the crew for the 27 INDYCAR did an amazing job. Yeah, it paid off.

There were some conversations on the radio, and my spotter, Dave, was talking me through. Yeah, it helped a lot. Yeah, everyone here is helping and putting the work together and finally a podium that give me a good breath and moving forward for the next race.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Myles Rowe, with his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory in what is his 23rd career start in the series. Myles, you also move up to fourth in the standings overall for the 2025 championship. Tell us about your first win. How pleased are you?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, it was naturally very good. You know, I'm very glad that we were able to do this because we had to do a few things to the car in the shop over a quick turnaround to get here in under a week.

Just glad I could reward the team with a win today and, yeah, get on a little bit more momentum to finish the season really well.

THE MODERATOR: Tell us about the pass.

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, I knew starting the race that being on new tires and the track naturally being pretty flat-out that it was going to come down to the last half of the race with tire wear and also messing around with traffic.

I was just being patient at first, just trying to take care of my tires. Then once we got through all the yellows and came back on traffic again, I knew that was going to be the time to get through.

I was able to get a bit of a run and just get onto the high line and just able to do, you know, what I needed to do to get the win.

Yeah, I'm very happy with that pass, just kind of the patience that I had beforehand to protect the tires and everything. Yeah, very happy I could do this.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Myles, first win in the INDY NXT series. You've said it all weekend. You've had pace here at Iowa from start to finish, even in the quick practice we had. How much confidence were you from starting fourth place to get where you are now for your first win?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, I knew I was going to be able to figure out a way around, as long as P2 got a decent start, which they did. That helped me kind of not have to worry about P3 with Kyle there.

Then it was just about kind of maintaining kind of that outside line for the first couple of laps. It was a bit hectic getting around with the defense that P2 had, but luckily there was no damage on the car after that, I was able to continue.

Yeah, it was simply that. But the confidence was always there. I knew we had a quick car, like you said, in the beginning, and it was just about making sure I just stayed patient and just executed in the right way.

Q. From Jacob Abel and the INDYCAR series to just your family in general, a lot of people showed love to you after this race. How much does it mean to you to have so many people that were here to witness your greatness pretty much?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, it's thrilling. Yeah, I have such a good support system. I wouldn't ask for it any other way from my family to my friends and to the team. Then even in the series it just has no end, which is something that I'm just super grateful for and that I use as energy every time I'm at the track. When I feel like I win, I feel like a lot of other people win, which is something great to be a part of.

Q. Salvador, you start from sixth and went to third. Do you think if you were able to get some qualifying in, you were strong here last year from 10th to third, do you think you had something for these two sitting next to you?

SALVADOR de ALBA: It's easy to say, right? We had a mega car as soon as we roll out the trailer, right? As I said, thankful with the team. We show speed. Restart, the first restart, didn't win us as we wanted to. We lost some momentum there with the contact with a lap car. Yeah, that wasn't as planned.

Yeah, we had a great car, so I could come back and fight for third place, again, with Kyle. Yeah, just trying to work different lines and move through the field.

I knew we had a good car, so we had to be patient. Yeah, we're here, happy with the podium. Obviously we wanted more, right? But we didn't have the quallie. This is what we ended up. Very happy overall.

Q. Myles, you're here to win for yourself mostly, but when you take a big picture viewpoint of what today's victory really means with the equality and change program and how it was really announced about this time five years ago when you were really the centerpiece driver of that program, how do you describe the significance of this?

MYLES ROWE: Naturally, with Force Indy being a big part of the Abel Motorsports program and a big part of me as a driver in my development through the ladder system, with the goal of being in the Indy 500, as a teen it's huge to finally get this win in the INDY NXT Series, the series right before INDYCAR.

We definitely want more. I definitely want more myself. But you know, yeah, definitely to capitalize on this and then, you know, obviously see that there's more hope to come. It's huge for the program.

Q. Also, without the financial assistance from Roger Penske, Penske Entertainment and INDYCAR, five years is a pretty long time to really stick with a program, but they were able to do it, and how valuable was that? Or else you may not be able to have a chance to showcase your skills.

MYLES ROWE: Yes, super valuable for me, for the program, everyone coming through it, like some of the mechanics, engineers. It's just helped us all grow. And they have treated us very well, the different things we've gone.

Has been huge towards our development, towards what we've kind of done to affect the community in a positive way. And I think, yeah, naturally Roger's commitment to the program has shown, you know, huge rewards for the whole industry.

Q. You mentioned the ultimate goal of getting to the 500 here at some point. What do you envision next year might be like for you? Do you think there's going to be an opportunity to either get up in INDYCAR, whether it's full-time, part-time, 500 only? What do you know, or what are you shooting for, hoping for at this point?

MYLES ROWE: I just know that I'm going to go to Laguna and try to win that race. That's all I know right now, and that's all I care about right now.

Q. Dennis, sitting in a good spot in the championship just kind of past the halfway point in the season. Have you started to get any sense of what next year might look like for you from a racing standpoint? I'm guessing no shortage of INDYCAR teams that are looking forward to have you. Where can you say things are among piecing out your future right now?

DENNIS HAUGER: Yeah, same like Myles, to be honest. Next race is Laguna. Try to win there.

But, yeah, we still got a lot of races left. Still long way to go in the championship. A lot of points on the table. But obviously, working towards the goal, which is INDYCAR. But still focus is on INDY NXT and doing the job there. Then we'll see where we end up. Nothing specific yet.

Q. On a semi-serious note, will you remember this win for no other reason that you had to ride out a tornado to get it?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, the first time I had a tornado drill within racing in general. That was quite fun. But yeah, it will definitely be memorable for multiple reasons like that.

Q. On a much more serious note, from a local perspective, Iowa Speedway has always been a proving ground, as we kind of discussed on Thursday, for drivers like Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, others in INDYCAR. Now that you have got your first win, how do you think this could help your career?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, for sure, I've always thought my confidence has been pretty stable, but no doubt, this isn't going to hurt it. Yeah, I'm obviously just looking for more. Racing drivers, we're never satisfied. I just want more of this, so that's what I'll be doing and chasing.

Q. Myles, is it significant to you or significant to the series that you're the first black driver to win a series race?

MYLES ROWE: Yes, it's huge, for sure. It means a lot to me, and like I said, I just want more, honestly. It's great that this is the first, but you know, I'm really looking for multiple and multiple wins, then to carry that onto INDYCAR, you know. I don't like to get stuck too much in the past, and at this point my head has already gone to Laguna.

Q. I'm going to ask you to talk about the past for a minute because you have this road from winning the championship in 2023 to today. Changed teams over that time. Just what has it been like since the end of '22 and '23 to get to this point for you today?

MYLES ROWE: Obviously the switch of teams was a big help. Yeah, I think the whole package that we have has really given me the assistance to fight up front a lot more consistently. I'm very happy with that decision we made.

Yeah, I think just that and just obviously confidence just rising and everything has played a part. Support system has only been getting better. I'm really glad we could do that with Abel Motorsports. I love that team so much. They mean so much to me in my heart, just like Pabst Racing was. Just thrilled to be doing that.

Q. A couple more Myles. When we spoke on Friday, you talked about the key to winning on a short oval was the traffic, and that was exactly right. Just kind of talk about working the traffic there on that last pass on Hauger.

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, in practice we were doing a good bit of high line running. That was actually working. The question was, was it going to work in the race, naturally that being a new day.

It was pretty tough doing that, at least when Dennis had clean air. But I knew once we kind of slowed down at minimum speeds, that it might be a little more feasible.

So once we got through with all the yellows sort of a thing, I was kind of figuring out the momentum that was changing with the Andretti car in front. I forgot what was the actual -- I think it was Miller that we passed. Just his momentum and how he was running, I knew if Dennis got on a certain line, that I would be able to capitalize on that. So that kind of just unfolded in front of me and just kind of took what I could out of it. Luckily, it worked out.

Q. A whole bunch of people were there to congratulate you after the race. One that I noted was Dale Coyne, an INDYCAR team owner. How important was that? What was that conversation like?

MYLES ROWE: Yeah, no, it was great. I I'm glad he made the time to come out and see me. It means a lot that INDYCAR is watching us as a whole because, you know, that's the next and for most of us the final step to being pros in this motorsports industry.

To see him out there, you know, supporting means a lot, and I just love that they're looking at us, and it's not just talk, but it's actually serious, and they really care about what's happening in the ladder below because it's so hard sometimes, depending on what situation you're in. It's really good to see the team owners out there and supporting us.

Q. NXG was setting up in the parking lot of IMS to do go-kart racing this weekend. What's your message to all those kids now that you continue to move up the ladder, and they're watching you as probably somebody they're looking up to, you give advice to them? Just take me back a couple of years ago when you were doing those type of things in the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now you're winning your first NXT race, and your message to the kids that are definitely looking up to you?

MYLES ROWE: There was a question earlier about being the first black driver to win an INDY NXT. I'm super proud to be able to represent and be winning now and be up front. I think it's super crucial to be able to see somebody that looks like you doing well, someone to look up to, especially when you are younger and things are a lot bigger and seem a lot more unfeasible possibly. Especially motorsports-related when you might not have the money or the possibility of even getting anywhere close.

So to all the kids out there and specifically NXG related as well, I was one of those kids before sort of a thing. It took a lot. Obviously a lot of things had to fall into the right place. But you know, with that passion and desire, here I am and continuing.

I'm just glad I can be a face to show that because I was one of those kids who believed anything was possible, and it's good to know that those possibilities are unfolding.

Yeah, I just hope that other kids will continue to believe that as that will shape our world in the future to come.

Q. Let us know who you get text messages from congratulating you as well, if you don't mind.

MYLES ROWE: I don't even know where my phone is, man (laughing).

THE MODERATOR: Myles, I know a lot of hard work has gone into this. A lot of hard work is yet to come, but this is a milestone for sure. Congratulations.