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?
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
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?
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
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.
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?
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
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.
