INDY NXT SERIES: INDY NXT BY FIRESTONE AT THE MILWAUKEE MILE

August 24, 2025

Salvador de Alba

Lochie Hughes

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're pleased to be joined by the first- and third-place finishing drivers in today's race. Salvador de Alba led all 90 laps today. His first career INDY NXT win in his 27th career start. Congratulations to Salvador.

Lochie Hughes joins us. His 8th podium of the season. Still third in points.

Salvador, congratulations. Long time coming. Not for lack of effort. What is it like to get a win here?

SALVADOR de ALBA: It's a hell of a job, especially this weekend we've been very happy with the car. Just tuning it for quallie, then for the race. We missed the quallie by a second lap, but we knew we had the car especially in the high line to try. Yeah, we cleared it. It was all about pace in the race, just trying to conserve those tires and push when you need it.

So yeah, clean air helped a lot. Last couple laps with the lap car, it was a little bit of a give-and-take. We knew Andretti cars were fast at this track. We are celebrating the 1-2-3. Congrats to Dennis for the championship and 1-2-3.

THE MODERATOR: Your thoughts on the restart?

SALVADOR de ALBA: Yeah (smiling). It was quite a moment when we had the snap on the car. But yeah, we cleared two, three cars at the acceleration point. Yeah, we just making those laps stick together and put the car in the end, bring it home. Now it's time to celebrate and take the monkey out of the back.

THE MODERATOR: Lochie Hughes joins us again. A bit snake bit over the last several weeks. Back on the podium. How does that feel?

LOCHIE HUGHES: It's great. It almost feels like a win after the last few rounds have been kind of a nightmare. But first of all congrats to Dennis. Great for him to win the championship. We were fighting for a while.

But no, yeah, happy to finally get a result after the last few weeks.

THE MODERATOR: You seem comfortable on ovals. Is that accurate?

LOCHIE HUGHES: Kind of. I feel like today in the race, we were real quick. It's just very hard to follow. We had a very good race car.

I do like these ovals. Very different type driving. Yeah, that's the great thing about this series: we get to do all sorts of racetracks.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Salvador, you won 11 times in the NASCAR Mexico Series. How does this feel crossing the finish line here?

SALVADOR de ALBA: Pretty different. We're looking for those wins for a while. It came at the right place, at the right time. Very special to have my first win in the same track that Michel did. He's here celebrating with me. It's a big thing to have it here especially.

Last year it was a podium here, so it's a good track for us. Yeah, it's time to celebrate and do it again next week.

Q. 20 years ago, Michel's win, does it feel poetic justice that your first win was the same track?

SALVADOR de ALBA: Yeah, I assume it has something special for us.

Q. Salvador, your biggest rival Dennis is on the same team. Can you keep some competition advantage for yourself or you just share every information?

SALVADOR de ALBA: No, we do share everything at the meeting (indiscernible). We share everything. As an athlete, race car driver, you kind of have something in the pocket every time. Dennis has had it. Now it was my turn.

Yeah, I was trying to do the outside since I came here this morning, make it stick. Happy it did.

Q. Obviously you want to reach INDYCAR next year maybe.

SALVADOR de ALBA: Well, at this moment the next thing I have in my head is next weekend. That's it. We have to keep searching and see what's going on next year.

Q. To reach your goal to go into INDYCAR, do you look for advice from former Mexican INDYCAR drivers, Adrian Fernandez?

SALVADOR de ALBA: We have a very good relationship, especially with Michel. Every kind of advice from every people helps. We've been trying to do that. Michel obviously is a very good INDYCAR driver, has very good relationship with everyone here. Hopefully that helps. It's been helping for the last couple years. We'll try to keep that going.

Q. In the last few weeks it's become clear Dennis was in the strongest position to take the title. Has your intrateam dynamic shifted?

SALVADOR de ALBA: It was a thing of time for Dennis to clinch the championship. It was very clear he was going to have it this weekend. Yeah, he did.

Obviously it was a talk about giving room for teammates. Especially trying to get the Andretti car in the top of the championship was something special. We all going to celebrate. We're all happy for Dennis and the Andretti team to have that championship home now.

LOCHIE HUGHES: Yeah, I think maybe not the last year, because everyone in the series, every man for themselves at the end of the day. Team does come first.

But yeah, we knew coming into this weekend there's going to be a good chance Dennis is going to clinch it. Donnie gave us a big talk this morning and told us, Don't hit each other, bring home a 1-2-3, get that championship.

No, it's good for the team. A lot goes into this series from every member at Andretti. Yeah, happy for the team.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on a podium finish. We'll see you at Nashville Superspeedway.