IndyCar Wrap-Up: Dale Coyne Racing's 2026 Season

A little over a week has passed since the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season concluded from Laguna Seca, and we can now review the season that occurred through a team-by-team look. Though arguably not the worst team in 2026, we start with Dale Coyne Racing mostly because another team has news coming and we should wait until it is official before reviewing later this week. That aside, Dale Coyne Racing had a new lineup compared to the previous season, though it included a familiar face. There were high expectations after the results in 2025, but this season saw a falloff and a less competitive outfit, though still a few positive outings. 

Romain Grosjean

After a year off the IndyCar grid and spending 2025 as a reserve driver for Prema's lone IndyCar season, Grosjean returned to full-time competition in a return with Dale Coyne Racing. Five years after making a stellar IndyCar debut with Coyne, Grosjean was hoping to recapture some of that magic. The combination didn't come close to their first foray together.

What objectively was his best race?

Grosjean wound up on the podium at Markham mostly through strategy. Grosjean ran two longer stints, which were aided due to cautions that allowed him to go that long. He ended with stints at 36 laps and 38 laps, and the final pit stop was simultaneous with Kyle Kirkwood hitting the barrier. Grosjean led much of the final stint, but he had to save fuel and could not defend from Marcus Ericsson, who only had to run 22 laps on his final stint. Despite saving fuel, Grosjean took second.

What subjectively was his best race?

Markham is hard to argue against, but the Indianapolis 500 deserves attention because Grosjean went off-strategy like eventual race winner Felix Rosenqvist only for Grosjean to receive a penalty for passing under caution. Grosjean recovered and was able to get back into the top ten and remain there. Even with the late caution and late restart, Grosjean took ninth, his best finish in the Indianapolis 500.

What objectively was his worst race?

It is technically Phoenix because Grosjean had a clutch failure on the grid and never turned a lap. He was classified in 25th. If we are looking only at races where Grosjean took the green flag, he was 24th in the second Milwaukee race, which was the race that started on Sunday afternoon, after a pair of spins. Grosjean had a promising start in that race and was making ground before he spun the first time exiting turn two, and it cost him being on the lead lap.

What subjectively was his worst race?

There were plenty of races where Grosjean and Dale Coyne Racing were not a factor and we didn't really notice they were out there. The entire Milwaukee weekend is disappointing because he started ninth in the race that started on Saturday and then was trapped a lap down because of a pit stop before the rain delay and he never could recover. In the first race, it looked like Grosjean was going to drive in to the top ten and then one spin ended the promising start.

Barber was another disappointing weekend because Grosjean qualified sixth, it was the second time in four races he made the Fast Six, and Grosjean went backward on every stint and finished 15th. 

Romain Grosjean's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 19th (259 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 4
Laps Led: 32
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 4 
Average Start: 16.444
Average Finish: 16.611

Dennis Hauger

With aid from Andretti Global, Hauger moved up to IndyCar after winning the Indy Lights championship. A partnership put the Norwegian driver into Coyne's second seat, and after the team's results in 2025, it appears to be a good spot for Hauger to grow especially with Andretti technical support. The season started strong in St. Petersburg, but that proved to be one of this team's highest points of the season. What should have been a fairly comfortable season as the top rookie proved to be much closer than expected.

What objectively was his best race?

In the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Hauger started 24th but he finished eighth thanks to other teams having their own issues, but Hauger made a few passes and looked racy. He made the most of the race car he had, which probably was starting further down the order than it should have been, but he turned that into a respectable result.

What subjectively was his best race?

Is it wrong to say St. Petersburg? Though Hauger started third and went backward the entire race, he spent basically every lap in the top ten. He had a good opening stint. It was a tenth-place finish on debut. 

What objectively was his worst race?

Like Grosjean, Hauger had a mechanical issue on the grid prevent him from starting a race. A fuel leak kept Hauger from turning a lap at Gateway, and he was classified in 25th. However, he had a 25th-place result on track as Hauger was spun into the barrier on the opening lap of the season finale from Laguna Seca. Sting Ray Robb ran over Hauger, and it closed Hauger's 2026 season prematurely.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It isn't one race, but it is a collection of races where Hauger started well and did not race well. He started in the top ten of four consecutive races, two of which were top five starts and he scored zero top ten finishes from it.

Ninth to 13th at Portland. 

Fifth to 15th at Markham.

Eighth to 15th at Washington, D.C.

Fourth to 21st in the Milwaukee race that started on Saturday afternoon.

At Portland, he spent much of that race on the edge of the top ten and couldn't quite get in there before the finish. He ran out of fuel on the final lap in Markham and he started that lap in 11th. He went backward in Washington, D.C., and like Grosjean he was trapped a lap down in the first Milwaukee race after making a pit stop before the rain came. He obviously had some comfort with the car to show that much speed, but it never translated in races. 

To give one specific race, Hauger was in the same pack as Felix Rosenqvist, Patricio O'Ward and Marcus Armstrong in the Indianapolis 500, and Hauger was running as high as third before these drivers made their final pit stop on the alternate strategy. Hauger sped in pit lane for his final stop and it cost him a possible top ten finish and it definitely cost him Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year as he ended up 19th, one lap down and  a position behind top finishing rookie Mick Schumacher. The Indianapolis 500 was nearly very special for Hauger. It was probably one of his best races of the season that is missed entirely due to one mistake

Dennis Hauger's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 22nd (228 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 5
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 4
Average Start: 17.111
Average Finish: 17.555

An Early Look Ahead

We haven't a clue how Dale Coyne Racing will look next season, and that is often the case for this team in the aftermath of a season. 

Will both drivers be back? Probably not. Coyne doesn't retain both drivers often. 

Will one driver be back? Possibly, but it is not strong in either case. Grosjean was the "hired" Coyne driver while Hauger was the "funded" Coyne driver. Hauger had some of his own sponsorship, but the Andretti Global tie helped secure that seat. Andretti Global has lost interest in its prospect and it will no longer back Hauger, especially since Andretti has locked up Marcus Ericsson over a multi-year extension, securing that three-driver lineup for the foreseeable future. 

Dale Coyne Racing is in limbo as it regularly is after a season has ended. We don't know what drivers will be there. We don't know if it will hire a rookie or find another veteran to bring back. We will likely not know where this team will stand come Thanksgiving or Christmas or possibly even Valentine's Day. There was a brief period when Coyne did have its drivers secured well before the holidays began. That was an aberration. This is a return to the norm. 

The team fell off. Both cars did finish in Leader Circle positions after one of the Coyne cars failed to qualify in the previous three seasons that is a boost to this team. Both Coyne cars also made the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 2023 as well. The Leader Circle money will help as much as a $1.7-million bonus can entering a lame-duck season for the current generation of car and when a massive expense is about to be undertaken for new equipment. However, its cars were 19th and 22nd in the championship. In 2024, Coyne was semi-regularly in the top ten and competitive with Rinus VeeKay. 

It doesn't feel like 2027 will be a sizable leap forward or a return to 2025 form. The Andretti partnership did nothing with Hauger. There are some shortcomings you cannot overcome. Coyne had some speed, but it could not produce it when it matter most in races. It doesn't matter what drivers are put in those cars, no one is overcoming absence of race pace.

There is some belief Coyne will replace one Indy Lights champion for another, and 2026 Indy Lights champion Nikita Johnson has been linked to the team. It would be another young driver at Coyne as Johnson does not turn 19 years old until five days before the 2027 Indianapolis 500. 

While Johnson took the title, there was not much shown that suggests he is ready for IndyCar and will be a natural fit. He could bring some funding beyond the scholarship he receives for the championship. It would help with the finances but that does not guarantee the success on the track. Combining Johnson with Grosjean and Coyne's regular stable of engineers does not inject hope into the possible outcome of this team.

Of course, we could end up with something entirely different and something we cannot imagine in our minds for Coyne's 2027 lineup. It is another offseason where we look at Dale Coyne Racing, have no clue where it is going, and we will not really care even after its driver lineup is confirmed. Whatever decision is made, it is borderline irrelevant to how next season will play out. Someone will be champion, but it will not be Dale Coyne Racing as the Illinois-based team hopes to fight for the championship top ten, but might not even be good enough to crack the top fifteen. 

2026 IndyCar Team Preview: Dale Coyne Racing

IndyCar's official open test from Phoenix Raceway is underway, and we are 11 days from the first race of the season from St. Petersburg. Normally, we end our team previews with the defending champions, but Dale Coyne Racing took so damn long to finalize its driver lineup that it has claimed the tail end of our previews. We have known about one of its drivers since September 24, 2025, 158 days prior to the 2026 opener. We learned about its second driver on February 13, 2026, 16 days before the first race. One driver is a rookie. The other is a returnee for Dale Coyne Racing, and IndyCar in general.

At A Glance... It is a pretty good lineup

Romain Grosjean is back in IndyCar after a year away as a Prema's reserve driver, and he is returning to Dale Coyne Racing after Grosjean made his IndyCar debut with the team in 2021. Grosjean will be driving the #18 Honda for the team. Meanwhile, Dennis Hauger will take charge of the #19 Honda in an entry that is run in partnership with Andretti Global.

It is a good lineup, and it could be fruitful. 

Grosjean did not win in his first four seasons in IndyCar, though he had a few close calls, including at Dale Coyne Racing. The lack of a victory, especially after a pair of seasons at then-Andretti Autosport, was a surprise. There were plenty of good days but Grosjean never broke through and it felt like a near certainty especially after some brilliant performances. 

We learned a lot about Grosjean, and for all the sparks of speed we will see, he is prone to falling into a rut and being in bad form for a few races. There would be those two or three races a year that would stand out, but we would then see Grosjean hit a stretch of races where he was not competitive, and he was not fighting in the top half of the field. It led to outbursts that could not be ignored. Moving to Juncos Hollinger Racing only set him further behind, and Grosjean had some impressive drives, but there was a limit to his success. 

This Dale Coyne Racing is arguably in a better spot than where it was in 2021. That was a good team as Grosjean had Ed Jones as his teammate with Vasser-Sullivan support. Coyne is coming off a good rebound in 2025 after a horrendous 2024, and combining where it was with an Andretti partnership for its second car, Coyne should be able to maintain where it was last season with Rinus VeeKay. A top fifteen championship performance is in play, but it should have two cars fighting to reach that level. 

Hauger is ready for IndyCar, and Andretti Global has great interest in his success. I am not sure the #19 Honda is going to be a de facto fourth Andretti entry, but it certainly will not be what the second Dale Coyne Racing car has been in recent seasons. I don't think Coyne should be worrying about an entry missing the Indianapolis 500 for a third consecutive year. 

Last year, Hauger showed he was better than Indy Lights, but he learned most of these circuits and is not joining the series blind. The support will be there, and he will be working closely with the Andretti group while also having a teammate that is rather comfortable and had plenty to teach the Norwegian. It is still IndyCar, and rookies have had teething problems in recent seasons, but Hauger is entering with more talent than most of the other recent rookies, and few have had this kind of support.

This is a sneaky good lineup. This could have been a Formula One lineup in a different universe where Grosjean doesn't have his career good sideways at Haas and if Hauger had more support in the ladder system. Instead, it is in IndyCar with one of the least resourced teams on the grid, but a group that has a history of punching above its weight. Coyne could be in for a memorable season. 

2025 Dale Coyne Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 2nd (Toronto)

Poles: 0

Best Start: 5th (Barber)

Championship Finishes: 14th (Rinus VeeKay), 27th (Jacob Abel) 

Romain Grosjean - #18 Bitcoin MAX Honda

Numbers to Remember:

14.3906: Career average finish in IndyCar

3: Races where Grosjean led more than four laps

50: Percent of his starts have been lead lap finishes, 32 out of 64 starts.

What is the best possible outcome?

A sneaky run into the top ten of the championship. 

There is a reasonable season where Grosjean has a podium finish or two, about five or six top five finishes and has ten top ten finishes, and that gets him somewhere between eighth and tenth in the championship. Marcus Armstrong was eighth in the championship last year with one podium finish, two top five finishes and 11 top ten finishes. That is feasible for Grosjean, and you know what? He could win. VeeKay had competitive speed and was fighting for podium finishes. He was a little fortunate at Toronto that the stars aligned that he could be leading late, but Grosjean could be put in that same position. 

A race victory would be a terrific story and would cancel out whatever else happened during the season. Grosjean could be 15th in the championship and it would not matter. 

What is realistic?

We must look at the entire picture with Grosjean, because for all of his positives and all the promise he still has in IndyCar, this is a driver who never finished better than 13th in the championship and his most top five finishes in a season is four. In each of his final three seasons in IndyCar, Grosjean ended the year without have a top five finish in the final nine races, 13 races and nine races. Two of those seasons were with Andretti. We must also keep in mind Grosjean is returning after a year away from IndyCar, and he only competed in five aces last year, the five IMSA endurance races with Lamborghini.

Matching VeeKay's output would be a terrific return season for Grosjean. That would be a podium, two total top five finishes and seven top ten finishes. I think Grosjean could do a little better than seven top ten finishes, but Grosjean has never had more than seven top ten finishes in a season. Keep that in mind. 

There are going to be a few weekends where we hear Grosjean's frustration, but we will also have weekends where we see Grosjean as one of the more joyous drivers post-race.

Dennis Hauger - #19 Ault Blockchain Honda

Numbers to Remember:

21.24: Average championship finish of qualified rookies season since 2020

14: Best championship finish for a Rookie of the Year since 2020

95: Hauger is on track to be the 95th different driver to start an IndyCar race for Dale Coyne Racing

What is the best possible outcome?

Hauger is essentially another Andretti Global driver and he is constantly in the second round of qualifying and pushing the top ten. He is the best Dale Coyne Racing finisher more times than not, and that is a source of frustration for his French teammate. Hauger improves each race and top ten results slowly become top five results. There is a weekend or two where it clicks and he is in the Fast Six and pushing for a podium. 

It is somewhere in that eighth to tenth territory where a handful of top five finishes and a majority of top ten finishes sets Hauger above most of the competition.

What is realistic?

Rookies have struggled in IndyCar lately, and it feels like the hybrid system has not been making it easier. Hauger is still learning this year, and it is a new system he has yet to experience. Last year's rookie class was rather good, but Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman each struggled. Shwartzman was running for an entirely new team, but Foster was with a good group, and even when we saw flashes, we saw Foster come back to earth during races and fail to finish in the top ten. 

Hauger could crack the top fifteen in the championship, but I believe he will be outside of that group. He will still have a few really good races and there could be a weekend or two where he is outstanding, but we must remember this is Dale Coyne Racing. Andretti Global's resources will help, but we just saw an Andretti car end up 20th in the championship last season. Not everyone can crack the top ten. Not everyone can crack the top fifteen. That doesn't mean the season is a failure. 

Any finishes in the top five with at least seven or eight top ten finishes is what Hauger should be shooting for. Remember, it was not long ago Kyle Kirkwood failed to finish better than tenth as a rookie and he was soon winning races. 

The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season begins on Sunday March 1 with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Fox's coverage will begin at noon Eastern.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Dale Coyne Racing's 2025 Season

Our fourth IndyCar Wrap-Up sees a team that moved up the grid. Dale Coyne Racing went from a team that didn't have a car finish better than 13th in 2024 to a team that nearly stole a victory in Toronto while having a number of other impressive days. It was the last team to set its driver lineup, and it did it late in the game, but the last driver hired proved to be a wise choice. However, Dale Coyne Racing still showed its shortcomings, and it took another tough blow in the month of May.

Rinus VeeKay

The last driver hired for a full-time seat, VeeKay took on a new challenge as he was out of a ride after five seasons with Ed Carpenter Racing. Joining the team that did not have a car finish better than 13th the year prior was a cause for concern, but VeeKay excelled at Dale Coyne Racing. Together they found good results early, and ran surprisingly competitive at times. What could have been a step backward for a career at a crossroads may have been a big leap forward for the Dutch driver.

What objectively was his best race?

VeeKay ended up second at Toronto, but he led 16 laps after the cautions and pit strategy shook out to the point where VeeKay was at the front. He was leading going into the final round of pit stops, but the concern would be if his #18 DCR crew could complete a stop to hold off Patricio O'Ward. Unfortunately, it didn't. O'Ward took the lead and sailed to victory, but VeeKay held on to second, his first podium in over three years.

What subjectively was his best race?

Toronto was good, but VeeKay started to stand out early. He opened the season with a ninth at St. Petersburg. Thermal Club and Long Beach were tougher days, but VeeKay shined at Barber Motorsports Park. He qualified a surprising fifth and he spent the entire race in the top five. He was up to fourth late and pushing Scott McLaughlin for that final podium position. Barber set the tone for VeeKay's season. 

What objectively was his worst race?

VeeKay had consecutive 27th-place finishes, and at the worst time. In the Indianapolis 500, VeeKay had an accident in the pit lane. At Detroit, his car suffered an engine failure after only completing six laps. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

At Indianapolis, VeeKay had used an alternate strategy to get into the top ten. We were only 200 miles into the race. There was plenty of time for VeeKay to do more, and he lost the car on pit entry when he didn't have brakes. Detroit was terrible because he qualified sixth. That final week of May and first day of June are really the low points of his season. 

Rinus VeeKay's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 14th (305 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 7
Laps Led: 19
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 4
Average Start: 18.764
Average Finish: 13.882

Jacob Abel

After three seasons in Indy Lights, there was only one place left for Abel to go, and that was IndyCar. With help from his family's team, Abel partnered with Dale Coyne Racing, and it was one of the toughest seasons you could ask for. While half the team shined and were a reason to celebrate, Abel's half was a reminder of how small Dale Coyne Racing is and how tough it is to be remotely competitive let alone succeed.

What objectively was his best race?

Benefitting from not stopping before what ultimately was the final caution of the second Iowa race, Abel remained on the lead lap while a number of drivers were trapped a lap down. He had not been driving great prior to that but he was not ahead of most of the competition, and Abel finished 11th. 

What subjectively was his best race?

It is really just the second Iowa race, but Detroit should be mentioned because after Abel failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, he responded and finished 18th, his best finish of the season up to that point.

What objectively was his worst race?

On the road, Abel was 27th at Barber Motorsports Park, dead last in a race where every car was running at the finish. Abel never had good speed. In the first Iowa race, Abel had an accident after 72 laps and he was classified in 27th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Isn't failing to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 objectively worse than finishing last in two other races? Either way, Indianapolis was a low moment. We knew Dale Coyne Racing had a car fail to qualify last year, and DCR had two cars in the last row shootout the year before that. Most had Abel penciled in for the last row shootout, but he never had the pace to threaten to make the race. He struggled to break 227 mph over a four-lap average. It became clear in the middle of the practice week that Abel was missing the race unless someone else had the qualifying weekend from hell. That didn't happen, and Abel missed the Indianapolis 500. 

Jacob Abel's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 27th (123 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 24.9375
Average Finish: 22.6875

An Early Look Ahead

We know Dennis Hauger will be joining the Dale Coyne Racing operation, as Coyne forms a technical partnership with Andretti Global for the 2026 season. It is unclear who will be in the second seat. Jacob Abel has not been ruled out, but it seems unlikely Abel will return for a second season at DCR. The one named mentioned for the second seat was Romain Grosjean, who spent 2025 as a reserve driver for Prema.

There were plenty of reasons to be encouraged heading into 2026. The Andretti partnership only increases the positive vibes around the Coyne operation. 

The month of May should be more smooth now that Andretti is involved, but it is not guaranteed they will be in the clear. Remember, Marco Andretti was also in the last chance qualifying session at Indianapolis along with the two Dale Coyne Racing last year. At least it shouldn't seem inevitable one of the Coyne cars will fail to make the race. 

Coyne is getting a driver who is more than ready for IndyCar and probably should have been in IndyCar this year. Hauger is joining an ascending team, if it was only getting out of the cellar. There will surely be some growing pains. Ovals are still new to the Norwegian. However, there should be a level of competitiveness that is somewhere in the ballpark of where we saw DCR in 2025. It is still Dale Coyne Racing. It will not be competing for the championship. It will have days where it is never in the picture, but there will be weekends where Coyne is quick and performing better than a handful of cars that are better on paper.

Dale Coyne said we would know both of the team's drivers by Halloween. That is less than a month away. If it is Grosjean, we know that combination worked in 2021. Grosjean probably should have won one race, if not two. We also know how Grosjean's attitude can swing and, when things are not going right, he is stuck in a hole too deep for a tow truck to pull him out. Maybe a year on the sidelines will help. It is not going to fully change him, but he could have a new perspective that keeps him more grounded. 

If it isn't Grosjean, you would think it would be someone with experience, and I mean more than the 16 starts Abel made last year. Coyne has an opportunity with the Andretti partnership to return to a level it has not seen since 2019. This is a chance to have two proper drivers that you can feel confident will have days in the top ten, maybe push the top five, and if the cards fall right, could be looking at victory. We saw that was the case with Rinus VeeKay this year.

Who else fits that mold? It is a pretty steep drop off from Grosjean. Conor Daly could be available, but we know his ceiling and unless it is an oval, you do not expect Daly to raise Coyne's level. Coyne isn't getting Takuma Sato to comeback to full-time driving. The same can be said for Ryan Hunter-Reay. Jack Harvey has already announced his Indianapolis 500 plans with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Outside of those handful of drivers, there aren't many other veterans available to direct a program. There is a lot of youth and inexperience. That isn't what Coyne needs or is looking for. 

There should be a lot of curious eyes on Dale Coyne Racing over the next few months, especially when testing begins. 

2025 IndyCar Team Preview: Dale Coyne Racing

Only two IndyCar team previews remains as we are within a fortnight of the 2025 IndyCar season opener from St. Petersburg. Exactly 11 days from the first race, we are near the end and we now know the full entry list for the season opener as last week Dale Coyne Racing confirmed its second driver.

It will be a pairing of a veteran and a rookie, a past race winner and a competitive Indy Lights graduate. With these signings, Dale Coyne Racing will have 94 different starters in its 40-plus year history. Last season, Dale Coyne Racing did not have a single top ten finish despite having nine different drivers rotate through its two entries. 

At First Glance... At least we know the drivers

Who had this one coming? There is a reason why Dale Coyne Racing is one of the final team previews every year. I was fully expecting another year of open riffing on what should happen for a team that had made no announcements. Jacob Abel was announced rather early, and last week it was confirmed Rinus VeeKay would round out the lineup.

After a season of musical chairs, Coyne has brought in two respectable drivers who will be looking to make the most of a full season. 

For VeeKay, it keeps him on the grid after five consistent but unfulfilled season at Ed Carpenter Racing. 

For Abel, it is a chance at IndyCar after it appeared he would be shutout from the grid due to the increased competition for seats and the grid limit the charter system agreement set. 

It is two drivers who have a greater objective in mind. It isn't a driver who has scrapped together enough funds for a race or two or three. It is not someone who has been out of open-wheel racing for more than a decade getting a chance to race an IndyCar with no real plans of turning it into a full-time gig. These are two drivers that want to be in IndyCar and are looking for more than what they have now. Coyne is a place, but it is not the place either want to be long-term.

To be fair, Coyne is no one's place for long. 

Both drivers are hoping this can be a springboard. In VeeKay's case, it is back to a competitive seat that can have him fighting at the front. Abel is hoping that this can be the successful first act that leads to a lengthy IndyCar career. Both are motivated and have sights beyond 2025 and this team. Coyne can live with that. The team knows its place in the series.

The concern for these drivers is DCR has been taking steps back for a number of years now. It was not close to competitive last year. Jack Harvey isn't the greatest driver in the world, but he is good enough to score respectable results. He couldn't break the top ten. At no point did Coyne have it click and the speed show up for both its entries to run competitive. At every race, it was fighting from the back and not making up much ground. Dale Coyne Racing was responsible for the only car to fail to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 last May.

That is the limit VeeKay and Abel will face in 2025. For as hard as they may try, the limit may be reached sooner than they wish. This entire season will be about pushing beyond that limit and hoping it is enough to impress others.

2024 Dale Coyne Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 13th (Barber, Mid-Ohio, Nashville)

Poles: 0

Best Start: 13th (Milwaukee II)

Championship Finishes: 25th (Jack Harvey), 29th (Katherine Legge), 31st (Toby Sowery), 34th (Luca Ghiotto), 38th (Tristan Vautier), 40th (Colin Braun), 41st (Hunter McElrea)

Rinus VeeKay- #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda

Numbers to Remember:

4: Seasons with at least one top five finish

47: Races since VeeKay’s most recent podium finish (third at Barber in 2022)

13.9375: Career average finish in 80 IndyCar starts

What does a championship season look like for him?

Dale Coyne Racing having a time machine, and bringing the pace from 2017 and 2018 into 2025 for VeeKay. All of a sudden, VeeKay goes from being on the fringe of the top twenty to a top ten car and pushing for more. 

The season would start relatively slow, finishing in the top ten but not showing signs as the driver to beat. The Indianapolis 500 is where VeeKay shines and the stunning speed has the Dutchman at the front. After appearing to have taken a step back from Ed Carpenter Racing, VeeKay moves forward with Dale Coyne Racing, and he finishes first in one of the most stunning results in the 109 editions of the race.

One victory changes everything. From a feel-good story to Cinderella, VeeKay continues his consistency of top ten finishes but he wins Gateway and picks up podium finishes in Road America and Mid-Ohio. He wins one of the Iowa races and finishes in the top five in the other. He wins Laguna Seca, which convinces people a championship is not only a dream, but a possibility. Another podium finish in Milwaukee and a victory in Nashville cap off the improbable.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

What firepower Coyne brings to the track will determine how VeeKay does in the championship. VeeKay has finished between 12th and 14th in every season he has raced in IndyCar. That is the baseline based on what Ed Carpenter Racing provided and what VeeKay could do with it. Dale Coyne Racing is a step back. It is realistic to expect a step back. 

VeeKay will find a way to get into the top ten, but it will likely be a rare occasion. Those will be good days, but most days will be fights to be respectable. He should be able to achieve that occasional, but there will be a few races where he will not be able to pull this car into the top half of the field. 

Considering that the two DCR cars ended up 26th and 27th in the entrants' championship out of 27 full-time cars, this team can only move up. VeeKay should pick up the pieces and put this entry into a Leader Circle spot. He can crack the top twenty, but it will be difficult for him to break into the top 15 or 16.

Jacob Abel - #51 Abel Construction Honda

Numbers to Remember:

42: Indy Lights starts

30: Indy Lights starts for Abel to get his first career victory

71.42: Percentage of Abel’s Indy Lights podium finishes came last season (Ten out of 14) 

What does a championship season look like for him?

Pretty much identical to what VeeKay's hypothetical championship season looks like. Dale Coyne Racing finding speed it has really only had once in its history and Abel's skill making a massive leap in development from Indy Lights to IndyCar despite having seldom seat time testing in the preseason. 

Top tens are a good place for a rookie to start. Each race gets a little better for Abel. Top tens slowly become top five finishes. With each race, he grows in confidence and after eight consecutive top ten finishes to open the season, Abel's first career victory does at Road America. From there, he continues running at the front and getting a few more top five finishes.

It is a championship season built on remarkable consistency the likes of Tony Kanaan and Álex Palou. He wins at Laguna Seca and Portland, and he ends the season having completed every lap with 17 top ten finishes in 17 races.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Far fewer than 17 top ten finishes. 

Abel had good consistency in Indy Lights, and he grew slowly, improving over every season. While he was good in Indy Lights, it will require a higher level for him to be competitive in IndyCar. Plenty of Indy Lights drivers have fizzled out in IndyCar driving for better teams than DCR.

This will be a season where results will be harder to come by but as the season goes along, Abel should feel more comfortable and be improving. Top ten finishes will be asking for a lot considering the team he is driving for, but he should be pushing for the top fifteen more as the season goes along.

However, breaking into the top twenty is difficult to imagine, and Abel is likely to finish third among the three rookies on the 2025 grid. 

The 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season opens on Sunday March 2 with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Fox's coverage of the season opener will begin at noon Eastern Time.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Dale Coyne Racing's 2024 Season

The 2024 IndyCar season has come to a close, and after a few weeks of some general observations from the season, it is time to get a little more specific and start looking at how each team fared. Starting at the bottom of the grid, we will work our way to the top, and we start with Dale Coyne Racing. Nine drivers contested a race for the Illinois-based team. Five drivers made their IndyCar debut driving for Coyne this year. One driver made his IndyCar return after an eight-year absence. Coyne kept us on our toes, but results on-track never stood out.

Jack Harvey

Come January, Dale Coyne Racing had no drivers selected to run any races in the 2024 season. Jack Harvey ended up testing for the team at Homestead and the belief was Harvey would run some races, but the final total was undetermined. Harvey ended up running 14 of 17 races, missing the Indianapolis 500 due to sponsorship reasons and two races due to a back injury. Experience only took Harvey and DCR so far.

What objectively was his best race?
It was not the most thrilling result, but Harvey was 13th at Barber Motorsports Park as a number of cars got into incidents, and he was 13th at Nashville after catching a break of not making his first pit stop before the first caution. At Barber, all three Arrow McLaren cars had trouble. Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden both had bad days. Harvey was able to avoid the mess and he ended up 13th. At Nashville, Harvey was able to stay ahead of the cars stuck a lap down after the first pit cycle, and it paid off at the finish. 

What subjectively was his best race?

Barber or Nashville will likely be remember as his best race of the season, but Harvey was running 13th at the time of the accident on the penultimate restart at Gateway. He looked to at least match his best finish of the season or possibly better it and sneak into the top ten. The car was reasonably competitive, but Harvey was caught in the accident when Alexander Rossi ran over the back of Will Power, and Harvey was collateral damage in a chain reaction. The final result was 20th, but he drove much better than that and it was his best race. 

What objectively was his worst race?
Unbeknownst to most, Harvey was battling neck and shoulder pain at Mid-Ohio. He started 26th and made up a few spots early, but he stalled on his first pit stop and lost all the time made up in the opening laps. He ended up 26th despite the pain.

What subjectively was his worst race?

That neck and shoulder pain lingered into Iowa and he attempted to compete in the weekend, but it was too much. Harvey qualified and started in the first Iowa race, but parked the car after 28 laps. He stepped out of the car for the second Iowa race for Conor Daly, and then he sat out Toronto as Hunter McElrea made his IndyCar debut. The bright side for Harvey is neither Daly nor McElrea shocked the world in their two starts in the #18 Honda. Daly's Iowa race only lasted 140 laps before a mechanical issue made him the first retirement. McElrea hit the wall on his out lap after his second pit stop, ending his race after 57 laps.

Jack Harvey's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 25th (143points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 21.857
Average Finish: 19.857

Katherine Legge

Nobody at the start of the season had Katherine Legge starting all seven oval races this season. That is what happened as Legge was able to put together the money the spot in the #51 Honda for the Indianapolis 500. Her e.l.f Cosmetic sponsorship was enough to keep her in the car for the remaining oval races, and for the first time since 2012, Legge competed in more than just the Indianapolis 500. 

What objectively was her best race?
Legge was expected to run more oval races but it was not confirmed until late that she would be in the car for Iowa. In the second Milwaukee race, Legge ran long on stints and she even led two laps during a pit cycle. Keeping her nose clean and watching her tires got her a 15th-place finish.

What subjectively was her best race?

It is probably the second Milwaukee race, but the first Iowa race deserves a mention. In the Iowa first race, she kept the car facing in the right direction and she finished 17th, only one lap down as well, as a number drivers had a rough night. It was not spectacular, but considering her jumping in with some limited testing, it was a good night.

What objectively was her worst race?
Legge made the Indianapolis 500, but her race was over after 22 laps due to an engine failure, one of a handful for Honda on Memorial Day weekend. This classified her in 29th.

What subjectively was her worst race?

A downer for Legge is she had early issues in multiple races, and when you are only competing seven times, any laps lost is significant. Along with the Indianapolis 500 retirement, she had a bad moment in the Gateway race that saw her overcook turn one and collide with Ed Carpenter after seven laps. She then hit the barrier exiting turn four at Nashville after getting caught in the marbles, placing her 26th.

Katherine Legge's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 29th (61 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 2
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 24.285
Average Finish: 22.429

The #51 Honda

It was a surprise Coyne had Legge run seven races, and for a moment, it looked like Coyne could have run ten different drivers in the #51 Honda this season. Other than Legge, no driver really competed in a significant portion of the season. With that being the case, we aren't going to look at seven drivers who only raced once or twice and try to split hairs over the four categories. Let's look at the #51 Honda as a whole for the ten road/street course races Legge did not compete in. The other drivers that ran this entry in 2024 are Colin Braun, Nolan Siegel, Luca Ghiotto, Tristan Vautier and Toby Sowery. 

What objectively was its best race?
Toby Sowery used a two-stop strategy to finish 13th at Mid-Ohio. It wasn't anything stellar. Everyone on the two-stop strategy ended up finishing ahead of basically everyone on the three-stop strategy. The team stuck to its guns and took advantage of others taking a gamble. Sowery didn't put a wheel wrong and made the most of it.

What subjectively was its best race?

Sowery was 17th at Portland, his worst of three results, but it was his best race, and probably the best race for this entry as season. Sowery went wheel-to-wheel with a number of drivers and drew a lot of praise after the race. This wasn't a race where one strategy was clearly better than the other. He made the most of the situation and he was the best DCR finisher as Harvey was 24th.

What objectively was its worst race?
Outside of Legge's 29th at Indianapolis, Luca Ghiotto had an accident at Laguna Seca and finished in 27th, dead last. 

What subjectively was its worst race?

Anytime there is an accident, it wasn't a good day. Laguna Seca was a bad day for DCR as Harvey also lost an engine in that race. 

It is hard to knock any of the drivers because they all came in with little seat time. Braun had not done anything single-seater related in nearly 20 years prior to his race at St. Petersburg. Ghiotto was thrown in the car out of nowhere before Barber. Nobody saw Vautier jumping into the car prior to Detroit. Sowery had no time in the car and looked good, something few of the Coyne drivers could say once this season was over, but none of them were given the time to succeed. 

The #51 Honda's 2024 Statistics

Entrants' Championship Position: 26th (165 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 2
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 23.705
Average Finish: 20.882

An Early Look Ahead

We have no clue what Dale Coyne Racing will look like. We likely will not have a clue until the calendar flips to 2025. We do know the rules will force DCR to operate its business a little differently next season.

With the introduction of the charter system, there is a provision that limits a team to running no more than three drivers per entry. That means the #51 Honda cannot have six drivers rotate through its seat. It will force Coyne to make some tougher decisions and possibly do more work to ensure its drivers remain in the seat for more than one or two races. 

We have no clue which direction the team will go. Will Jack Harvey stick around? Could Toby Sowery expand to a full-time role? Will two drivers we are not even thinking about end up in these two entries next year? Probably. The last one is the most likely answer knowing Coyne. 

There really is not much more to say. There is no point in predicting Dale Coyne Racing's future. There will be no carry over, no momentum from last season. There was nothing to carry over anyway. It was a team that could not get a car into the top ten. It barely broke the top fifteen. We know this team when working at its highest potential can win races and be competitive. There is no signs of that returning anytime soon. 

2024 IndyCar Team Preview: Dale Coyne Racing

Twenty-three days remain until the 2024 IndyCar season opener from St. Petersburg, and while we are almost within three weeks of the first race, there are still some open seats in IndyCar. Dale Coyne Racing will have two new drivers in 2024. David Malukas has moved to Arrow McLaren. Sting Ray Robb has moved to A.J. Foyt Racing. However, who those two drivers will be are still a mystery though this close to the first race.

At First Glance... Is this acceptable in 2024?

At time of writing, it is less than a month until the 2024 IndyCar season opener, IndyCar media day was over a month ago, and Dale Coyne Racing has still yet to announce any drivers for the upcoming season. 

It has long been a joke that Coyne waits until the last minute to announce its drivers, sometimes not confirming drivers until hours, maybe even minutes, before the first practice session of the season. But that has rarely been the case for Coyne in recent seasons. For the better part of the last decade, Coyne has had its drivers confirmed in timely fashion, most years before Christmas, a previously unthinkable time for the organization. This year has been a break from recent DCR trends, but should it have even gotten to this point? Should it even be allowed?

Considering the growing fervor for larger financial protections for team owners, including possible guaranteed starting spots in the Indianapolis 500, teams should make a greater effort to be a part of the series. Every team had a driver present at IndyCar media day last month... except Dale Coyne Racing. Every team had a driver the media could talk to and write about and gain greater insight during an already lengthy offseason with still two months until the first race... except Dale Coyne Racing. Every participant was there and participating... except Dale Coyne Racing.

This might be the Dale Coyne Racing way of old and something we cannot be surprised about, but in 2024, can IndyCar afford to have a team that is completely silent and disengaged from the moment one season ends until the next one begins? If these team owners view themselves as a sort of shareholder of the series and believes it is crucial they receive a greater financial reward to assure long-term stability in the series than they must do better than being anonymous for half the year and leave us all guessing who will be driving its cars until we get to the opening weekend. 

It is isn't 1998 anymore. Coyne isn't the small team blocked out by about a dozen bigger teams with tobacco sponsorships. There are ten teams in IndyCar. That's it, the same number as Formula One. IndyCar prides itself on open competition and any of these organizations, doesn't matter the size, can win a race. Coyne is an example of that, but in 2024 it must at least show an effort to be a part of the series. 

Every Formula One team is making noise in the offseason. We know just as much about Haas and Sauber at the back of the grid as we do Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari at the front. 

This might be the Coyne business model that has kept the team on the grid for 40 years, but there is a middle ground between this and being McLaren, Penske, Ganassi and Andretti. Coyne doesn't have to be over the top and flamboyant. It just needs to show some kind of pulse and not slide into hibernation. 

Dale Coyne's participation has been greatly appreciated, and he has made it through many different eras, some tougher to navigate than others, but IndyCar needs more active team owners. It needs organizations expanding the profile of the series and bringing new people into the tent. 

Plenty of teams bring new partners to the series. Ganassi brought NTT Data to IndyCar a decade ago. Then-Schmidt Peterson Motorsports brought Arrow, which is a prominent name with McLaren today. DHL has been around for over a decade thanks to Andretti. Verizon has been around for over a decade thanks to Penske. Meyer Shank Racing got SiriusXM on its cars. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing introduced Hy-Vee, which now supports an entire race weekend at Iowa. 

Coyne has never been in that group, but IndyCar needs all of its teams to be in the group. The Coyne model worked, but on a selfish level. It is time for fresh minds and fresh ideas and sees the team as a part of a greater collective. A team should no longer be around just to see what driver or drivers bring a large enough check to break even. IndyCar needs teams that openly seek partners for the greater benefit of the team and series as a whole. 

When you consider what Trackhouse is doing in NASCAR, and it is expanding to MotoGP, that organization purchasing Dale Coyne Racing would be a substantial boost to IndyCar. It doesn't have to be Trackhouse. VasserSullivan and HMD Motorsports are two established organizations that would also be beneficial for IndyCar to have take over this outfit, and both would increase competition on and off the track. 

IndyCar needs its teams to be fully present 365 days a year. One team clinging to its old ways is not going to help the series. There are others out there that can provide more than Dale Coyne Racing at this moment, and the sooner they come in the better.

Possible Drivers

Since the end of the 2023 IndyCar season, Dale Coyne Racing has tested Jacob Abel, Jack Harvey and Nolan Siegel. Abel tested at Sebring on November 6 while Harvey and Siegel drove for the team at the Homestead road course over January 22-24. 

Abel and Siegel are both planning to run full-time in Indy Lights, Abel with his family's team and Siegel with HMD Motorsports, which has a partnership with the Coyne operation. Harvey has no announced plans for next season. 

Harvey has made 79 starts in his IndyCar career and spent the better of the previous two seasons driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. All 79 of his starts have come for Honda-powered teams. After a promising period with Meyer Shank Racing, which included him finishing on the poidum for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in 2019 and having ten top ten finishes over 24 starts between 2019 and 2020, Harvey has had only seven top ten finishes in his last 46 starts. He did not finish in the top ten in any of his 13 starts during the 2023 season, and he had one top ten finish in his 29 starts with RLLR. 

There are not many other IndyCar-experienced drivers on the sidelines. The likes of Conor Daly and Ryan Hunter-Reay have Indianapolis 500 rides but generally do not have the funding for more races. Considering the lack of drivers DCR has tested, it makes sense Harvey will be one of the team's drivers come the St. Petersburg season opener. How many races Harvey runs in 2024 remains unknown. 

However, there is a good chance Coyne will enter a driver, or possibly multiple drivers this season, without any experience in a DW12 chassis prior to their first appearance, and that isn't without race experience, that is without testing experience. We could see a few cold turkey drivers this season coming from unexpected corners of the world. IndyCar is not a series with abundant testing, but every other driver on the grid has at least tested an IndyCar prior, and most of the drivers on the grid have spent multiple years with this chassis. There will be a significant uphill battle for any driver coming in blind with Coyne. 

Abel and Siegel have each tested for the team, but interloping regularly in IndyCar seems unlikely for either driver. Nobody has seriously attempted a full-time Indy Lights and IndyCar efforts. The money doesn't really exist to allow it. Either or both drivers could run a one-off. There are three IndyCar race weekends without Indy Lights competition, Long Beach, Indianapolis and Toronto. 

All we can say, it is Dale Coyne Racing. Any and all names are equally likely candidates to end up in one of its cars. Keep an open mind. 

The first round of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season will be the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 10. Coverage will begin at noon on NBC and Peacock.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Dale Coyne Racing's 2023 Season

Our fourth 2023 IndyCar Wrap-Up takes us to everyone's favorite plucky underdog, Dale Coyne Racing. Illinois' only IndyCar team again provided us with some inspiring results and showed the little guys can fight with the big boys on any given day. However, the results showed it is still far from competing with the bigs on every damn day. With the youngest driver lineup on the grid, Coyne's two drivers experienced hardship, but one significantly more than the other.

David Malukas

For his sophomore season, Malukas returned to Dale Coyne Racing with firm expectations on competitiveness. It might not have been as rosy as his rookie season, but Malukas displayed flashes of skill and others noticed, including top-tier teams. However, there were greater rough patches than 2022 that cannot be ignored.

What objectively was his best race?
Malukas has a fondness for Gateway, and in what was his second IndyCar start around the 1.25-mile oval this summer, Malukas earned his second podium finish at the circuit. It was a spot worse than last season, but third ended up being the Illinoian's best result of the season. Malukas went on a charge late to third, but he spent much of this race in the top ten and top five. 

What subjectively was his best race?

Gateway is the answer, but a few other races deserve recognition. Malukas was fourth at the Texas race, and he spent a good portion of that race in the top ten and the top five. He didn't quite look capable of winning, but he was holding his own against some top teams, and it was only his second visit to Texas. His oval experience is still less than most, but he never looked out of place.

Besides Texas, Mid-Ohio deserves a mention because he finished sixth in that race after being on a slump since Texas. His best finish in the prior six races was 19th. At Mid-Ohio, he went forward, finishing sixth, six spots better than where he started. It was a solid drive.

Iowa should also be mentioned, specifically the second Iowa race. He spent the entire race in the top ten, and got a few spots on the last restart to finish eighth.

What objectively was his worst race?
Minor contact took Malukas out of the Indianapolis 500, leaving him 29th, but it was not a standout day prior to the contact either.

What subjectively was his worst race?

This isn't on Malukas, but the engine fire at Nashville that caused a rear wing failure at Nashville ended a promising day right when it was getting started. Malukas started fifth and hopes were high before the car let him down.

David Malukas' 2023 Statistics

Championship Position: 17th (265 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 4
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 15.765
Average Finish: 16.353

Sting Ray Robb

After spending six seasons on the Road to Indy, Robb turned his vice-championship Indy Lights season in 2022 into a full-time rookie IndyCar season in 2023. For a driver who historically takes a few seasons to develop in a race car, Robb's rookie season matched that trend and leaves him with a lot of room for growth if he has an IndyCar future.

What objectively was his best race?
That would be the final race of Robb's rookie season. As many other drivers were caught in accidents, Laguna Seca was the one race Robb kept his nose clean and avoided any trouble. That earned the Idahoan 12th to end his rookie season on a high note. 

What subjectively was his best race?

It is by far Laguna Seca. Nobody would have batted an eye if Robb had clipped somebody in that race and ended up finishing 18th. It wasn't a spectacular 12th-place finish. It was more "oh, Robb's in 12th" kind of finish and it didn't really impress anyone, but it is still his best finish. 

Also consider prior to this weekend, his best finish was 16th, and that was at St. Petersburg, where he suffered damaged from the opening lap accident after contact with Simon Pagenaud, spent much of the race multiple laps down and then pulled off the track with four laps remaining. 

Lead lap finishes were infrequent for Robb. First was Road America, where he finished 18th, and then at Nashville, where he finished 17th before Laguna Seca. I guess the days he went the distance are the bright spots.

What objectively was his worst race?
An accident on lap 90 of the Indianapolis left him classified in 31st. It was the first caution of the race. Robb had not been competitive up to that point, and he was caught on the outside of turn one when Graham Rahal was passing him. Robb was caught in the marbles and hit the barrier. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

Indianapolis deserves a special mention because Robb opened his mouth and sounded like a fool after the accident. He heaped the blame on Rahal, but after watching the replays, it was clear Rahal made a good pass and Robb got caught on the outside. Robb wasn't forced up due to a questionable move. Robb put himself there and then looked to pin blame on someone else. 

This one isn't on Robb, but the pit crew blunder in the second Iowa race letting Robb go on track when they knew a wheel nut was not secured on a tire was indefensible. It led to a rightful disqualification, but frankly there should have been a greater penalty to the team. That was a massive safety hazard created when it shouldn't have been the case. 

Sting Ray Robb's 2023 Statistics

Championship Position: 30th (53 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 1
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 24.235
Average Finish: 22.176

An Early Look Ahead

Malukas is heading to Arrow McLaren and Robb's future remains uncertain, and yet there are no concerns over Coyne's 2024 season. 

Dale Coyne Racing lives in fluctuation, and it finds a way to keep its head above water. The team knows drivers are only hanging around for a short-time, and it would prefer a driver only staying for a year or two. Coyne doesn't have the money to keep a promising talent nor does it have the funds to make a splashy hire. It is IndyCar's moneyball team, IndyCar's Oakland Athletics. 

Engineering changes might have set the team back this year, but Coyne's guys develop. It has regularly experienced shakeups over the last few seasons and yet it has at least one podium finish in eight consecutive seasons and it has had at least one top five result in 14 consecutive seasons. Prior to 2009, the team had ten total top five finishes in its first 25 seasons of competition. 

The one rumor is Romain Grosjean may return. Grosjean had his best IndyCar success at Dale Coyne Racing. The team is different than his previous season with DCR in 2021, but perhaps it is the right combination for both driver and team. Perhaps it is the unlikely partnership that sparks success neither could achieve with anyone else. It isn't certain that is happening, it might not happen at all, but it would be an exciting development this IndyCar offseason. 

However, Coyne is open to anybody with a budget. Grosjean isn't bring much of anything. It worked in 2021, but it could be the deciding factor. 

Moving on from Robb would surprise no one. The results were bad. There wasn't a redeeming race in 2023 that warranted another chance in 2024. 

Of course, if the money is good enough, the partnership will continue, but Coyne knows there are plenty of talented drivers out there who could get more of those cars. It could be someone from Europe. It could be Danial Frost. It could be somebody we have never heard of. With Dale Coyne Racing, nobody can be entirely crossed off.

2023 IndyCar Team Preview: Dale Coyne Racing

And then there were two. Two IndyCar team previews remain and we are now only 16 days until the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season opener from the streets of Long Beach. Dale Coyne Racing has won the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg twice, one of only three times to win this event multiple times. Not even Chip Ganassi Racing has done that. The chances of a third St. Petersburg triumph lie in the hands of IndyCar's two youngest drivers, as Coyne looks to end a five-year winless drought.

At First Glance... That is a lot of youth in one team

One driver was born September 3, 2001. The other driver was born 24 days later. The two youngest drivers on the IndyCar grid in 2023 will be teammates, setting up a combination that could either leave us hopeful for IndyCar's future or a trail of carbon fiber straight to Dallara's front door. 

David Malukas is the veteran despite being the youngest driver in the team. In 17 races, Malukas rarely put a wheel wrong. Outside a few accidents early in the season and contact while battling for a top five position in Nashville, Malukas did the minimum any rookie could do: Bring the car home in one piece more times than not. Not only was he bringing the car home but he was completing all the laps. There were his three retirements but the only other races he finished a lap down were the first Iowa race and the Laguna Seca finale. 

He completed 1,257 of 1,258 laps on ovals, including all 200 at Indianapolis and was the top finishing rookie though honors went to another driver. Malukas' best result was a charging finish to second at Gateway while pressuring Josef Newgarden all the way to the checkered flag. All of Malukas' best days came on ovals. He went from 19th to 11th at Texas with three laps led in his second career start and he was eighth in the second Iowa race, spending much of the day in the top ten. His only top ten finish on a road/street course was at Mid-Ohio. For all his success, there is much room for growth. 

Enter Sting Ray Robb, a Road to Indy driver that has been far from exceptional. Robb has gotten results after some time in each of the development series. It took him 49 races to win in Indy Pro 2000. He had one top five finish in his first Indy Lights season and it took him 33 races to win in the second-tier series. Last year's Indy Lights field was not overflowing with talent. The IndyCar grid is much quicker than where Robb is coming from. 

This is a teetering driver lineup. Two young drivers will either work out shockingly well or be a mess. Neither driver has a senior teammate to lean on. Add to it Malukas will have a new engineer in Alex Athanasiadis, and most of this team will be learning together. If this team gets lost at any point the Coyne organization could be in for a long season. 

2022 Dale Coyne Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 2nd (Gateway)

Poles: 0

Best Starting Position: 2nd (Belle Isle)

Championship Finishes: 16th (David Malukas), 19th (Takuma Sato)

David Malukas - #18 Honda

Numbers to Remember:

4: Races where Malukas finished better than his starting position in 2022

3: Of those four races were oval events.

10.2: Average finish on ovals in 2022

What does a championship season look like for him?

Improvement takes place across the board, but a championship is built off the back of Malukas' oval results. Every oval race is a top five finish, and he wins at least two of them. That is only five races though, and where we notice Malukas the most is on the road and street courses. He makes the second round of qualifying in majority of the races, aiding his improved results. 

Malukas finds himself getting on the podium in at least three races along with a total of six top five finishes and eight top ten finishes on road/street courses. The last portion of the season is what takes him over the top. He gets a victory at Gateway that starts his ride to the championship. A pair of podium results at Portland and Laguna Seca take him over the top and complete an improbable championship season.  

What does a realistic season look like for him?

I think we will see Malukas right where he finished in 2022. Dale Coyne Racing can get some good results, but I don't think it can replicate what it did in 2017 and 2018 with Sébastien Bourdais. Every team has improved and most have done more than Coyne. There is too much uncertainty to think Coyne can take a pair of 21-year-old drivers and turn them into championship top ten drivers.

There are three Penske entries, three full-time Ganassi entries, three McLaren entries, four Andretti entries and three Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entries. That is 16 cars. Malukas would need to top two of those to break the top fifteen and that isn't factoring in the pair of Ed Carpenter Racing and pair of Meyer Shank Racing entries. Malukas will be in that middle third of the field, but could fall into that bottom third if results aren't as strong as 2022. Five top ten finishes could be the best he and Coyne can hope for.

Sting Ray Robb - #18 Honda

Numbers to Remember:

95: Road to Indy starts

8: Road to Indy victories

26: Road to Indy podium finishes

19: Of those 26 podium finishes occurred in two seasons (2020 Indy Pro 2000 and 2022 Indy Lights)

What does a championship season look like for him?

We find out this is actually Robb's third or fourth IndyCar season and after about 34 to 50 IndyCar starts he has finally gotten a handle of all these tracks in an IndyCar. The season starts with a run of podium finishes. Robb keeps up his run with a top ten streak over the first seven races, but he doesn't win until Mid-Ohio. A few more top ten finishes follow before he wins for a second time on the IMS road course. He enters the Laguna Seca finally needing a victory and a little bit of help to take the championship and the one time it actually works it is in this case. Robb wins the race and gets the help needed to take the Astor Cup.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

I expect this season to look like pretty much Robb's first seasons in the other two Road to Indy series he contested. Nothing flashy, nothing remarkable and Robb finishing at the back of the championship. This will be a tough season for him. This field is significantly better than any grid he has raced against before. Combined with the Coyne entry, every race will be a uphill fight for Robb. 

Anything inside the top twenty would be impressive, but there is a good chance he will be outside the top twenty. The expectation is for there to be 25 full-time drivers. At least five drivers will finish outside the top twenty in that case. At best I think Robb could get one or two top ten finishes. Top five finishes in normal racing circumstances is almost unfathomable to think about. Very few rookies blow the doors off the competition from the jump. I don't see Robb being a revelation this year. He is almost competing just to get a sophomore season. 

The 2023 NTT IndyCar Series begins on Sunday March 5 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. NBC and Peacock will have coverage of the race starting at noon.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Dale Coyne Racing's 2022 Season

The third IndyCar Wrap-Up will look at our first Honda team. Dale Coyne Racing underwent a full driver change for the 2022 season. After housing Romain Grosjean, who was the darling of the 2021 season, and bringing back Ed Jones, Coyne swap one Formula One veteran for another and dropped a rookie into its other seat. Despite the changes, the team had high hopes for this season as it looked to score its first victory since 2018.

David Malukas

After finishing runner-up in the 2021 Indy Lights championship, Malukas moved up to IndyCar as his family's team partnered with the Dale Coyne Racing operation. The Illinois teams united and carried some excitement into this year with expectations of competing for Rookie of the Year. The best didn't happen all at once, but this group grew into the success, and Malukas ended 2022 with higher stock than when he started the season. 

What objectively was his best race?
How about a runner-up finish at Gateway? The Dale Coyne Racing team was running an alternate strategy anticipating rain and when the rain came Malukas and teammate Takuma Sato were in top ten positions. After a lengthy delay, Malukas came alive after the restart. drove onto the podium and pressured Josef Newgarden in the closing laps.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Gateway. Malukas looked good all weekend, but the team's call in the race allowed the Illinois-native to be aggressive in his home race and set him up for that late run to the podium. 

It should also be noted Malukas looked good on all the ovals, 11th at Texas, 16th at Indianapolis, the top rookie finisher on the road, and he was 14th and eighth at the Iowa races. He was also 11th at Belle Isle with fastest lap. 

What objectively was his worst race?

The first race of the season, and in turn the first race of Malukas' IndyCar career. He got into the marbles in turn four and hit the barrier, knocking him out of his first race after 23 laps and classifying him in 26th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

A possible top five finish was in the cards at Nashville before Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood got together in turn nine. It was an ambitious attempt from Kirkwood, and he did graze the inside barrier, but Malukas was pinching Kirkwood tight into that corner and the officials put Malukas behind Kirkwood as they saw the incident as avoidable contact from Malukas.

Long Beach wasn't good either. Malukas started 18th, had an improper pit exit penalty while already running at the back and was then caught in Jimmie Johnson's accident late in the race in turn eight. 

David Malukas' 2022 Statistics
Championship Position: 16th (305 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 3
Laps Led: 8
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 6
Average Start: 12.647
Average Finish: 14

Takuma Sato

After four seasons and an Indianapolis 500 victory with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Sato moved to Coyne, the fifth team in his IndyCar career. Sato gave many reasons for confidence. He was filling a car that had been on the podium multiple times the previous season, and Sato had finished 12th or better in the championship in the previous five years. There was hope of big finishes for the #51 Honda entry, but these were humbler results.

What objectively was his best race?
It was the same race as Sato's teammate, Gateway. Sato qualified eighth and was in the top ten for most of it. He looked like the only driver capable with mixing it with the top seven championship contenders in the first half of the race until Malukas came alive. It was one of the few races Sato spent the entire race in the top ten and he finished fifth.

What subjectively was his best race?

Gateway, but the second Iowa race deserves a mention because he fought for a top ten result in that one. Non-descriptive results defined Sato's season. The second Iowa race was one of the few times we really saw him run competitively for top positions.

What objectively was his worst race?

Sato was 25th in the Indianapolis 500 after deciding to make a stop 43 laps from the finish in a Hail Mary attempt for victory. He fell many laps short of making it on fuel and his final stop came just before the Jimmie Johnson accident in turn two, which meant Sato was trapped a lap down. It didn't help that Sato started tenth and faded over the course of the race. 

He was also 25th at Toronto after catching the barrier on the outside of turn two on the opening lap.

What subjectively was his worst race?

When your race is over in two corners, it is difficult to say anything else was worse. Toronto has a good case. 

Takuma Sato's 2022 Statistics
Championship Position: 19th (258 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 4
Laps Led: 33
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 14.706
Average Finish: 16

An Early Look Ahead

Malukas will be back. We are unsure of Sato's status. The team would like to expand to three cars with the likely driver being the 2022 Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist, who drove for Henry Malukas' HMD Motorsports, but Honda isn't committing to more than 15 full-time engine programs and that could keep Coyne at two cars for next season. It also doesn't help that Lundqvist received only $500,000 for his Indy Lights championship, down from the $1.2 million prize past Indy Lights champions received, as Penske Entertainment Group took over promotion of the series after Andersen Promotion worked in partnership with IndyCar over the previous few seasons.

Coyne didn't win a race, but there was a lot to be positive about. Malukas grew with each race. There were very few moments he looked like a rookie. He did the smart thing of completing as many laps as he could and scored some impressive results while other rookies weren't as consistent finishing races. He fell short of Rookie of the Year but consider that nine of the 14 Rookies of the Year since reunification were not full-time in IndyCar in 2022 and that award loses some of its luster. Josef Newgarden wasn't Rookie of the Year and neither was Álex Palou. How are those careers going? 

The one concern for Malukas is he does feel like another one of these Road to Indy drivers that had good days early in his time in IndyCar but didn't have a great day. Gabby Chaves had good days in IndyCar. Chaves nearly won Pocono as a rookie and he rarely had a retirement in his time in IndyCar, but Chaves is no longer in the series. Carlos Muñoz was stunning on big ovals and regularly had good results, but Muñoz is no longer in the series. Spencer Pigot had good days when he was the road/street course driver for Ed Carpenter Racing, but Pigot is no longer in the series. Everyone was sure Ed Jones was the real deal during his rookie year with Coyne in 2017. Jones wasn't on the grid in 2020 and he wasn't on the grid again in 2022. 

There was a lot of hype behind Malukas to move to Chip Ganassi Racing if the #10 Honda entry was open as the Álex Palou-to-McLaren drama played out, but recent history suggests we should pump the brakes on such thoughts and see how the sophomore season goes before crowning Malukas as the next great thing in IndyCar. 

Malukas has a wonderful, open personality that the series should promote. I think he can attract a healthy following, but the biggest thing that will determine his exposure is on-track success. Josef Newgarden paid his dues driving for the single-car Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. He had pulled out encouraging results with little behind him before SFHR and Ed Carpenter Racing merged, which led to race victories, which then became a move to Team Penske. 

Newgarden was rumored for a Penske move after the 2012 season, but that move came five years later and instantly resulted in a championship. 

Patience is a good thing. I don't think anyone realizes Malukas turns 21 years old today! He spent the entire 2022 season as a 20-year-old. There is a long career ahead of him. He doesn't need to be thrust into a more difficult situation. Malukas is in the right place for his sophomore season, and it will likely be the right place for year three and year four as well. It is good for him, and it is good for Coyne to stay committed to one another for the next few years. That will help both parties out into the future. 

Sato is the question mark. The 2022 season wasn't great, but we didn't see Sato revert to the driver of his first six IndyCar season that showed flashes of speed and tore up a lot of carbon fiber. IndyCar is that competitive that a clean but quick Sato is 19th in the championship. It is also a case that the 45-year-old Sato is regressing. His qualifying form has been down notable the last two years. The race results are also taking a dip. He turns 46 years old this January. We are approaching the final IndyCar starts for Takuma Sato. How many are left? I think they are countable at this point. 

It could be over. Sato could decide he has had enough and get out before going through one more difficult season where it is a challenge to crack the top fifteen. Or he gives it one more swing on the full schedule and tries to make a little more magic. 

A different driver alongside Malukas could be the best choice for the team and take it to a higher level. Other than Lundqvist, there isn't another driver floating out as a possible Coyne entrant in 2023. Sato can positively contribute to this team, but the general expectation is if the changes don't come in 2023 than 2024 will see a tweak with the goal being Dale Coyne Racing matching some of its best seasons ever in IndyCar.

2022 IndyCar Team Preview: Dale Coyne Racing

We are nearing the end of these 2022 IndyCar Team Previews and preview #8 will look at Dale Coyne Racing. The 2021 season was another shakeup for Coyne. Two different drivers than the year before as its regulars, but one it had history with, and the other was a Formula One veteran. Ed Jones returned to the team, but Romain Grosjean was the big story. Grosjean was only going to run the road and street courses with Pietro Fittipaldi driving on the ovals in the #51 Honda, run in partnership with Dale Coyne Racing. 

With confidence from great road course results, Grosjean attempted an oval and Gateway, and was thrilling, though his oval inexperienced showed on cold tires. He was the best Coyne driver of the season and nearly won rookie of the year despite missing three races, including the Indianapolis 500. 

Grosjean is gone, and the sequel wasn't better for Jones. Two more new drivers will join the team. One is a rookie, and the other is a Formula One veteran. Only this time the rookie is a race winner from Indy Lights, and that Formula One veteran is also an IndyCar veteran with two Indianapolis 500 victories.

2021 Dale Coyne Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 2nd (Grand Prix of Indianapolis, August IMS road course race)

Poles: 1 (Grand Prix of Indianapolis)

Championship Finishes: 14th (Romain Grosjean), 19th (Ed Jones), 32nd (Pietro Fittipaldi), 34th (Cody Ware), 39th (Ryan Norman)

David Malukas - #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda

Competing in his fourth Road to Indy season, Malukas returned to Indy Lights with his family's team. Contact in the season opener set him behind, but he won the second race of the Barber Motorsports Park weekend and would go on to have four more podium finishes in the next four races with a victory at each round in St. Petersburg and on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

He had a slight dip over the next three races with finishes of fifth and third at Belle Isle and seventh in the first Road America race. These results caused him to lose ground to Kyle Kirkwood, but Malukas won the second Road America race while Kirkwood hit trouble, and the championship gap closed. Malukas would be third in both Mid-Ohio races, but Kirkwood swept the races. 

Malukas swept the Gateway races and then won the first Portland race, but Kirkwood responded with four consecutive victories, while Malukas was second in three of the four and fourth in the other. Kirkwood locked up the title with a race to go. Malukas closed the season with a runner-up result in the final Mid-Ohio race. 

Numbers to Remember:

83.78: Podium finish percentage between Formula Regional Americas and Indy Lights in 2020 and 2021. 

2.9: Average finish in Indy Lights last year, tied with Kyle Kirkwood for best in the series.

2: Malukas could become the second Illinois-born driver to start an IndyCar race for Dale Coyne Racing. The other is Dale Coyne.

What does a championship season look like for him?

It begins with a top five on debut at St. Petersburg before a top ten result in his first large oval race at Texas. In Long Beach, Malukas picks up another top ten result before finishing in the top five at Barber Motorsports Park. 

The pattern continues at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, a top ten finishes, and in Indianapolis 500, he makes the Fast Nine on his way to a top five finish. The pattern is broken at Belle Isle, but in the form of a race victory and then he wins again at Road America, his de facto home race. A third-place finish at Mid-Ohio makes it three consecutive podium results. 

Results dip in the form of three consecutive top ten finishes between Toronto and the Iowa doubleheader. On his first visit to Nashville, he finishes outside the top ten and it looks like the championship is slipping from his hands. But then he wins at Gateway, he is on the podium at Portland and another podium finish at Laguna Seca clinches the championship.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

History points to Coyne rookies running respectable, and Malukas has that ability. He didn't make a lot of mistakes in junior series, and he was quick almost immediately when he first got into U.S. F2000 as a part-time driver. 

However, Malukas is a rookie, and this is a big leap into IndyCar. He was one of two great drivers in Indy Lights last year, but it wasn't the best class of Indy Lights drivers. This is stiff competition, and he will have difficulty keeping up at some races. Street courses are where we expect young drivers to struggle the most. His oval experience is limited. He will be most comfortable at the natural-terrain road courses, and that is where his best finishes should come. 

Among the rookies, Malukas is probably in the second-best scenario. It will be difficult to top Christian Lundgaard and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The Road to Indy system has developed many quality drivers, but Lundgaard came in from Formula Two and adapted very well in his one start last year. The Dane is ready for IndyCar and RLLR has more resources than DCR.

Malukas' main rival will be his rival from last year, Kyle Kirkwood. Kirkwood is at Foyt and we know that program has been at the bottom for quite some time. Finishing ahead of Kirkwood wouldn't necessarily mean it was a great season for Malukas, but it would at least earn him bragging rights in that battle. A top fifteen championship would be a good year for Malukas with at least six to eight top ten finishes. Any race finishes in the top five or on the podium would be spectacular. 

Takuma Sato - #51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda 

Fresh off his second Indianapolis 500 victory, and his best IndyCar championship finish, Sato had a fair start to the 2021 season: 13th at Barber, sixth at St. Petersburg and then ninth and 14th at Texas. 

His month of May was rather tame, 16th in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and he followed up his 2020 Indianapolis 500 victory with a 14th, 18 positions better than when he followed his 2017 victory with a 32nd-place finish in 2018. 

He jumped to fourth in the discombobulated first Belle Isle race but was 12th the next day. Good results would follow with an eighth at Road America and tenth at Mid-Ohio. A retirement at Nashville was a blemish between his top ten summer with a tenth in the August IMS road course race and a sixth at Gateway following the street race result. 

The great day never really came for Sato. He ended the season with a 12th at Portland, but a spin in the corkscrew cost him a possible top ten result at Laguna Seca. He completed his season and his second stint with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in ninth at Long Beach.

Numbers to Remember:

0: Top ten starts in 2021.

17.7: Average starting position in 2021, Sato's worst in his IndyCar career by 3.6 positions.

13.1875: Average starting position for Dale Coyne Racing drivers in 2021.

13: Lead lap finishes in 2021, Sato's most in a season.

What does a championship season look like for him?

It starts with Sato getting down to business, pole position and victory at St. Petersburg. He follows it with a top five at Texas, and then another victory at Long Beach. He finishes in the top ten at Barber, but Sato is outside the top ten in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He doesn't do well on that track. 

However, in the Indianapolis 500, he is at it again, running in the top five, being a nuisance late, but he finishes second. The third Indianapolis 500 victory is just out of his grasp, but he gets over 80 points and extends his championship lead. 

At Belle Isle, Sato makes it three victories in three street course events. He is in the top ten at Road America but finishes outside the top ten at Mid-Ohio. Again, he doesn't do well there either. His perfect street streak does not continue at Toronto, but he finishes in the top five before getting a pair of top ten finishes at Iowa. 

He misses out on the top ten again on the IMS road course but gets a top ten in Nashville. In Gateway, he is in the top five and picks up another top five at Portland. Laguna Seca is a nervy day, and Sato gets the championship with a ninth-place finish, but he wins the title by only a few points, three or fewer. 

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Sato is Sato. Quick, breathtaking, not as reckless as he once was, occasionally lost and average, but he has some standout days where he shows he still has it. If he maximizes his best days, he can be in the top ten of the championship and have a victory or two. If he cannot get to that highest level, he will still be somewhere in the top fifteen of the championship.

For being the smallest team on the grid, Dale Coyne Racing regularly punches above its weight, and this car was fantastic last year with Romain Grosjean. It was competing for race victories and was a regular top ten finisher. Based on points per start, Grosjean's average would have put him tenth in the championship. That wasn't all the driver. The car contributed as well. 

Coyne does see a big shakeup in this crew. Not only is Grosjean, but engineer Olivier Boisson moved to Andretti Autosport as well. However, this team kept up its good form after Craig Hampson left for Arrow McLaren SP and Michael Cannon leaving for Chip Ganassi Racing a few years ago. Eventually, a shakeup will set the team back, but Coyne has a track record suggesting the team will not fall off much. 

Sato can improve his qualifying form. Prior to last year, qualifying was one thing we could count on for him. If he gets better starting positions, he will get better results. He just missed out on the top ten in the championship last year. IndyCar has about 18 drivers that could finish in the top ten of the championship. Sato is in that group that if he finishes outside the top ten, we are wondering how he didn't make it, but we will also be struggling to figure out who shouldn't have made it. 

The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season begins on Sunday February 27 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. NBC's coverage will begin at noon ET.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Dale Coyne Racing's 2021 Season

The fourth IndyCar Wrap-Up is Dale Coyne Racing. IndyCar's smallest team continues to be one of IndyCar's most interesting teams. This year was no different, as the team brought back a former driver who won rookie of the year with the organization, and a Formula One transfer who came to IndyCar as one of the most known drivers in the world after his exit from the grand prix stage.

Romain Grosjean drew much attention for all the right reasons

Romain Grosjean

One of the most anticipated IndyCar introductions, Grosjean came to IndyCar with his Formula One career abbreviated by two races after a fiery accident in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. Nearly five months after his final Formula One appearance, and with healed hands, Grosjean debuted in IndyCar and had a rookie season full of tremendously encouraging highs.

What objectively was his best race?
The Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Pole position and 44 laps led on his way to a runner-up finish. It could have been better for Grosjean. He struggled with traffic and the primary tires during the middle of the race, keeping Rinus VeeKay and Álex Palou in contention. VeeKay's pace was more consistent over each stint and it gave the Dutchman the victory while Grosjean settled for second. Grosjean was also second in the August IMS road course race.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is hard to go against the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, but Grosjean was incredible at Laguna Seca. Starting 13th, Grosjean had one of the best balanced cars and had speed on both tire compounds. He made not one, not two but three passes into the Corkscrew and gained positions on each stint. His strategy saw him drive up to third when he took the checkered flag.

Grosjean also spent much Road America around the top five and finished fifth. His oval debut at Gateway deserves a mention. He passed many cars in that race but his problems on cold tires cost him all those spots after each pit stop and it dropped him to 14th, one lap down.

 

What objectively was his worst race?

It would be 24th in the second Belle Isle race when a brake failure took him out of the event. He was penalized earlier in that race after contact with Jack Harvey in turn six.

 

What subjectively was his worst race?

We can lump all the street courses in here. St. Petersburg was not bad considering he finished 13th, but he had an accident in the first Belle Isle race after already being knocked out of a front running position with a tire puncture, we covered the second Belle Isle race and Grosjean lost another top ten result when contact with Simon Pagenaud earned him a penalty in Nashville. He brushed the barrier while solidly in the top ten at Long Beach. At least Grosjean has an area to improve in 2022. 

Romain Grosjean's 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 15th (272 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 3
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 53
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 8 
Average Start: 9.3077
Average Finish: 12.692

Ed Jones was back with Dale Coyne Racing in 2021

Ed Jones

After spending 2020 sidelined, mostly due to the pandemic, Jones returned to IndyCar and he was back to full-time competition after having last been part-time in the series. After three teams in three seasons, Jones was back where his IndyCar career started, where he made a good first impression. This time around, things were not as rosy as his rookie year. 

What objectively was his best race?
Jones avoided the mess at Nashville and came home in sixth-place, notably getting that sixth spot with a strong pass on Felix Rosenqvist late.

What subjectively was his best race?

Not many races standout for positives when it comes to Jones. Nashville is probably the correct answer to this question considering he started 26th. The first Belle Isle race deserves a mention, as he started fourth and lost some ground after running long on the alternate tire, but still finished ninth.

Jones did end strong with finishes of 11th, tenth and 12th in the final three races. It was the only period this season when he had three consecutive top 15 finishes.

What objectively was his worst race?

Jones was 28th in the Indianapolis 500 after starting 11th on the grid. He made his final pit stop on lap 198 and the gamble led him to finishing as the final car one lap down.

 

What subjectively was his worst race?

The biggest problem in Jones' season is he has too many events where he was anonymous, 20th from 21st on the grid at St. Petersburg, he was caught in Will Power's spin at Mid-Ohio and completed only three laps and he got into Graham Rahal after two laps at Gateway, taking both drivers out of the top ten. Road America was another missed opportunity after starting 12th in his first race with the same damper package as Grosjean, only for a suspension failure to eliminate Jones with five laps to go. 

It also didn't help Jones that he will most remembered for spinning Patricio O'Ward in the hairpin on the first lap of the Long Beach finale, effectively ending the championship battle right then and there.

Ed Jones' 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 19th (233 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 3
Laps Led: 4
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 5
Average Start: 13.071
Average Finish: 16.438

Pietro Fittipaldi was back for oval races this season

Pietro Fittipaldi

With Grosjean not committing to the ovals at the start of the 2021 season, Dale Coyne Racing drafted in another Haas F1 driver. For the first time in three years, Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time World Drivers' Champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 Emerson Fittipaldi, was back in IndyCar. Coincidentally, it was Fittipaldi who replaced Grosjean in the final two races of the 2020 Formula One season.

What objectively was his best race?
Fittipaldi was 15th in the first Texas race, finishing on the lead lap. He was on the edge of the top ten for most of this race, but dropped back a few spots late. It was a good showing considering he had not been in an IndyCar since September 2018.

What subjectively was his best race?

Texas was his best day, but Fittipaldi's Indianapolis 500 debut deserves some attention. He qualified 13th, the fastest rookie qualifier. His race was not spectacular. He did not make the most of his starting position and lost ground throughout the race, but he took the checkered flag, albeit it a lap down in 25th.

What objectively was his worst race?

Strangely enough, it was the Indianapolis 500.

 

What subjectively was his worst race?

Fittipaldi was taken out in the start accident in the second Texas race and was classified in 21st with barely a lap started let alone an entire lap completed. It was sad not to see Fittipaldi more this year. With Grosjean running Gateway, Fittipaldi made one fewer start than anticipated and the team did not enter an extra car for him. It feels like Fittipaldi could be a strong full-time driver, and yet he constantly finds himself on the periphery of many series. 

Pietro Fittipaldi's 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 32nd (34 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0 
Average Start: 13th (Field set via entrants' point for both Texas races. Fittipaldi qualified 13th for the Indianapolis 500).
Average Finish: 20.333

Cody Ware started three races in 2021

Cody Ware

With Rick Ware Racing partnering with Dale Coyne Racing for the 2021 IndyCar season and the team's #51 Honda, Rick Ware's son got to compete in a few races in a third entry. The NASCAR experienced driver, who has an average finish of 32.8 in 52 Cup Series, did about how you would expect in an IndyCar.

What objectively was his best race?
Ware was 19th on debut at Road America. He also started 25th in that race. 

What subjectively was his best race?

Road America. Nothing like your first time. Ware didn't draw any attention to himself and kept the car on the track. Cautions might have kept him on the lead lap, but Ware did not put himself in trouble at any points.

 

What objectively was his worst race?

Ware was 25th in the August IMS road course race, two laps down and a little in the way.

 

What subjectively was his worst race?

When you are parked for being too slow, that is your worst race, and Ware was disqualified after 70 laps for being too slow at Nashville. The number of accidents allowed Ware to end up with a 20th-place classification, but he was slow in this race. Despite his pace, he got up to seventh during a pit cycle and then immediately spun in turn three after holding up the field.

Cody Ware's 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 34th (26 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0 
Average Start: 26.333
Average Finish: 21.333

Ryan Norman was a surprise debutant

Ryan Norman

After three years in Indy Lights, Norman has spent the last two seasons competing in IMSA's Michelin Pilot Challenge series. When an opportunity came for him to run at his home track of Mid-Ohio in Dale Coyne Racing's extra entry, Norman took it and made his IndyCar debut.

What objectively was his best race?
Norman was 20th, the first car, one lap down.

What subjectively was his best race?

While Norman was only 20th, he was ahead of Dalton Kellett and Jimmie Johnson. Norman also gained six spots on the day, moving up from a 26th starting position.

 

What objectively was his worst race?

Mid-Ohio was Norman's only start of the season. 

 

What subjectively was his worst race?

Running at Mid-Ohio meant Norman had to miss the Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Watkins Glen, but his car owner Bryan Herta encouraged Norman to run the IndyCar race. The only downside is by missing that race, Norman could no longer defend his TCR class championship. His co-driver Parker Chase is second in the championship entering the final round at Road America at the end of October.

Ryan Norman's 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 30th (10 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0 
Average Start: 26
Average Finish: 20

An Early Look Ahead

Dale Coyne Racing is coming off another stellar season and in turn it will be going through another shakeup. 

Grosjean has left for Andretti Autosport and he took engineer Olivier Boisson with him. At the same time, the Vasser/Sullivan partnership could be ending, as Vasser/Sullivan has already independently taken on the Lexus GT Daytona program in IMSA, it could be looking to do the same with its IndyCar team soon. 

The team expressed dissatisfaction with Jones' performance during the season. It was stated that Jones had a different damper program than Grosjean for the first half of the season and the two cars didn't have the same dampers until Road America. We did see Jones closer to equal with Grosjean as the season went on, but while Grosjean stood on the podium three times and had a pole position, Jones had three top ten finishes all season.

Grosjean made three fewer starts and scored 39 points without the benefit of a double points race. 

Coyne has a knack for finding drivers and getting cars to the front. The team lost Craig Hampson to Arrow McLaren SP and Michael Cannon to Ganassi and the team hasn't fallen off. Coyne can head in any direction it wants. In the last decade, it is more likely going to find two respectable drivers and overachieve. For a team with a history of shuffling drivers through its cars without much success and historically having TBA on entry lists, the last ten years has Coyne as more of an Oakland Athletics' Moneyball-esque team than a cellar dweller like the Seattle Mariners. The team finds away to compete rather than just take up space. 

The hope is Coyne will have a good rock to build its 2022 around, as Takuma Sato is linked to one of the seats. Sato might be turning 45 years old in January, and he might be coming off a season where he did not make it out of the first round of qualifying once on a road/street course and did not start in the top ten once, but he did have eight top ten finishes, falling just eight points outside the top ten in the championship. Sato is a great place to start and he will keep the team in the conversation most weekends.

While the team is going through another overhaul, I except Coyne to remain competitive. It is going to find two drivers who can get the job done, and if there is anything we have learned from the last two season with Coyne alone, there are plenty of drivers out there who can enter IndyCar and score results. Would a Sato-led Coyne team necessarily win races? No, but the organization should still be competing for top ten finishes on a regular basis and possibly challenge for a top five finish here or there.

The biggest concerns is if Coyne keeps the partnerships going for another season. Rick Ware Racing might not be a multi-year thing. Vasser/Sullivan could leave this year and bring more uncertainty. The Coyne-Vasser/Sullivan pairing has been together five years and it has yielded great success with multiple drivers. That breakup could set Coyne back. We need to find out sooner rather than later who Coyne will be working with. Once we know that we will have a better idea what to expect for the team in 2022.