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.

2021 IndyCar Team Preview: Dale Coyne Racing

We have reached our always interesting IndyCar Team Preview, Dale Coyne Racing. 

Last year, the team saw sophomore Santino Ferrucci paired with rookie Álex Palou, who was transitioning from Japan's Super Formula series. Both drivers showed flashes of speed, but neither stringed together a complete season and both drivers finished outside the top ten in the championship. 

DCR will shuffle the deck and have a different set of drivers from its 2020 season, but one is a familiar face. After sitting out the 2020 season, Ed Jones is set to return to IndyCar competition. Jones' teammate is a familiar face on the international level, and that is Romain Grosjean, who will attempt all the road and street courses as of now. The door is open for a few other drivers to cycle through the team and Dale Coyne Racing has a new partner, as Rick Ware Racing will have a hand operating the second car in the organization. 

2020 Dale Coyne Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 3rd (Road America II)

Poles: 0

Championship Finishes: 13th (Santino Ferrucci), 16th (Álex Palou)

2021 Drivers:

Ed Jones - #18 SealMasters Honda

Jones' 2020 season did not happen. 

He planned to drive an Audi in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, but when the pandemic hit Jones was unable to travel from his native United Arab Emirates to Germany and the rest of Europe and he lost his ride. 

After missing an entire year, Jones returned to competition in the Gulf 12 Hours in January, but his race lasted only 26 laps in the 2 Seas Motorsports McLaren. He made his debut in the 24 Hours of Daytona week later driving a Ferrari for Scuderia Corsa in the GT Daytona class with Ryan Briscoe, Marcos Gomes and Bret Curtis. That race lasted longer than 26 laps for Jones, but the team still retired after completing 676 laps, good enough for 14th in class. 

Jones has 47 IndyCar starts having driven for Dale Coyne Racing as a rookie in 2017 and he won rookie of the year that season. He then moved to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2018 and Ed Carpenter Racing in 2019. The best finish of his IndyCar career was third on three occasions, the 2017 Indianapolis 500, Long Beach 2018 and the second Belle Isle race in 2018.

Numbers to Remember:

5: Top ten finishes in his first ten IndyCar starts, all with Dale Coyne Racing.

9: Top ten finishes in his last 37 IndyCar starts (seven with DCR, 17 with Chip Ganassi Racing and 13 with Ed Carpenter Racing)

1: Lap led in his career. It was during a pit cycle at Texas in 2018.

5: Consecutive seasons with at least one podium finish for Dale Coyne Racing.

9: Consecutive seasons with at least one top five finish for Dale Coyne Racing.

Predictions/Goals:

At least look as good as he did in his first two IndyCar season. 

Jones was a hot prospect in 2017. Everyone was astonished what he did in his first ten races with Dale Coyne Racing. We all thought it was a matter of time before a larger team picked him up, and sure enough, Ganassi did. He wasn't Ganassi's first or second choice, so when Jones put up average results and the driver Ganassi wanted became available (Felix Rosenqvist), Ganassi took no time making the change. 

There comes a point when a driver need consistency to achieve results and three teams in three years is not what is best for a driver's development. Dale Coyne Racing is not the same Dale Coyne Racing that Jones experienced in 2017, but this is a reset to his career. 

In recent years, we are accustomed to drivers performing above average for Dale Coyne Racing. We are used to DCR picking up a victory or putting a driver on the podium. Jones has even been that driver. Even with all that success, DCR is still a small team. The team has not seen some great expansion over the last ten years. It continues to be the humble Illinois team punching above its weight. 

A good year would be Jones keeping the team between 13th and 17th in the championship. That is nothing to brag about but a driver in that territory will have a few respectable days. He will get six to eight top ten finishes, but he could also pick up a top five finish or two. 

What does Jones need to do in 2021?

Make it to the second round of qualifying in least half the races with at least one Fast Six appearance.

Finish on the lead lap in at least 13 races. 

Be the top DCR finisher in at least seven road/street course races.

Romain Grosjean - #51 Dale Coyne Racing/Rick Ware Racing Honda

Grosjean wrapped up his tenth season in Formula One in 2020. It was his fifth with the Haas F1 Team and it proved to be one of the toughest of his career. 

He started outside the top 15 in 12 of his 15 starts with nine finishes outside the top 15. Grosjean was running at the finish of 12 consecutive races from the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. Despite that run, Grosjean picked up only one points scoring finish, a ninth at the Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. 

Grosjean's season ended in a harrowing accident in the Bahrain Grand Prix when his car split the Armco barrier and burst into flames. Grosjean spent 27 seconds in the fire before emerging without a racing boot and eyebrows scorched from his face. He had severe burns to his hands, but no other significant injuries. His burns would prevent him from taking part in the final two races of the season. 

Two points were the fewest Grosjean had scored when he had contested majority of the races. He ended his career with 179 starts, ten podium finishes, 391 points and one fastest lap. His ten podium finishes are the fourth-most in Formula One history for a driver without a victory. Only Nick Heidfeld, Stefan Johansson and Chris Amon had more. 

Numbers to Remember:

3,550: Days between Grosjean's last victory in an open-wheel car at the Hungaroring in the GP2 Series on July 30, 2011 and the Barber season opener. That is nine years, eight months and 19 days.

1: Victory in a Renault Clio in an Andros Trophy race, an ice racing series, in December 2016.

4: Former Grosjean teammates have raced in IndyCar (Charlie Kimball, Luca Filippi, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutiérrez)

Predictions/Goals:

Formula One drivers do not walk into IndyCar and make it look easy. Rubens Barrichello was 11th in the championship in his lone IndyCar season in 2012, respectable, but with only two top five finishes and three laps led, it was far from Barrichello's Ferrari days. Max Chilton spent a year in Indy Lights before entering IndyCar and in 71 IndyCar starts he has only one top five finish. Takuma Sato has spent over a decade in IndyCar and has only three times finished in the top ten of the championship with his best result being seventh. 

There is enough evidence that proves the back of the Formula One grid is not automatically superior to the entire IndyCar grid. 

Grosjean will have a new car to learn on new tracks and while still recovering from burned hands. He will do it all with one of the smallest teams in IndyCar. Let's not write off Grosjean as some kind of bust if he is only picking up top ten finishes and not threatening for a race victory. 

I do believe we will see Grosjean have some strong days where everything clicks. That doesn't mean he will qualify fourth and finish third after leading eight laps. That could mean qualifying ninth and finishing seventh. There will also be days where he is lost because the track is out of his element and he isn't getting a feel of the tires and the dampers are off. 

As much as people will push back, Grosjean isn't some schlub. He will figure it out and I would expect his average finish in the second half of his season to be better than his first half, similar to what we saw from Barrichello in 2012. Could Grosjean be the next driver to pull out a victory in a Dale Coyne Racing entry? It will be a mighty task in his rookie season, but Carlos Huertas won for Coyne as a rookie. If that can happen Grosjean can definitely win a race as a rookie.

What does Grosjean need to do in 2021?

Pick up at least one top five finish. 

Be the top DCR finisher in at least half his starts. 

Be the top French finisher at least once. 

Finish in the top twenty of the championship.

Cody Ware - #51 Dale Coyne Racing/Rick Ware Racing Honda

While not confirmed, Ware took a spin in this car during a test session at Sebring in February, and it is believed he will make a few starts in an IndyCar in 2021, whether that is in a third car for the team or in the oval races Grosjean does not run. 

A second-generation driver and son of a car owner, Ware has sporadic experience in a race car, mostly in stock car competitions. He did race for his father's Rick Ware Racing in the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series and won the LMP2 Am championship with two victories and two runner-up finishes in four races. The class featured four cars in two races and two cars in the other two. He was fourth in the LMP2 class in this year's 24 Hours of Daytona, a more impressive result. 

In NASCAR, Ware has not competed full-time in any series, though he does plan on running full-time in the Cup Series in 2021. He has two Daytona 500 starts with his best finish being 21st this year. Last year, he picked up his first top ten finish in one of NASCAR's three national touring series when he was seventh in the NASCAR Grand National Series race on the Charlotte roval. 

Numbers to Remember:

3: Open-wheel races in his career, all in the now-defunct NASCAR Southern Modified Tour, the last one coming in the 2014 season opener.

53: Combined starts in NASCAR's three national touring series with his first start coming in 2014.

8: Lead lap finishes in those 53 NASCAR starts.

Predictions/Goals:

We don't know if Ware will be in this car. It is difficult to see how he will run a handful of IndyCar races along with a full NASCAR Cup season. 

The Texas doubleheader conflicts with the Kansas Cup race. The Indianapolis 500 is possible, and he could do The Double or skip the Coca-Cola 600. Gateway is a Saturday night race, the night before the Cup race at Michigan. The Belle Isle doubleheader has also been mentioned as an opportunity for him because that is NASCAR All-Star weekend at Texas and a non-points race, meaning there are no consequences for missing that race. If he does run Belle Isle, he will likely be in a third DCR entry, as Jones and Grosjean would both be entered for that event.

I am setting the bar low for Ware should he run. His testing times at the Sebring were comparable to Jimmie Johnson's, but I am not sure what he would do on an oval. We're not sure he would qualify for the Indianapolis 500. He is too inexperienced as an open-wheel driver to gauge where he would rank. He could significantly struggle on the ovals and lead IndyCar to pulling him for his own good or he could have a car stop properly and end up 25th on the grid for the Indianapolis 500. We need more information.

It sounds like Ware will not be the oval driver for the #51 Honda, but it does sounds like he could run the Indianapolis 500. There is a chance Grosjean could run Gateway. There might even be a sliver of hope Grosjean will run all the ovals and the entire season. In all likelihood, we will see another driver in the #51 Honda for some races. It will be at most four races. Who does DCR take? Does a veteran like Oriol Servià get a shot? Does a young driver like Spencer Pigot, Oliver Askew or Gabby Chaves get a call? Do we see a Pietro Fittipaldi or RC Enerson fill in? Could Zach Veach or Tristan Vautier pair the oval races with his sports car program? 

If Grosjean decides to sample Gateway, it is only three races, one of which is Indianapolis, but that is a tough sell, especially for someone like Pigot, Askew, Fittipaldi, Enerson and Chaves. All those drivers have full-time aspirations. I don't they want to get typecast as an IndyCar part-timer or substitute.  

It has already been a fascinating offseason for Dale Coyne Racing and could prove to get more interesting over the two months between now and the Barber season opener.

What does Ware/whomever else drives for Dale Coyne Racing need to do in 2021?

Not wreck race cars.

For Ware, definitely not wreck race cars.

For anyone else, pick up at least one top ten finish.

The 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season will begin on April 18 at Barber Motorsports Park. NBC will have coverage of the season opener.