IndyCar Wrap-Up: Juncos Hollinger Racing's 2026 Season

The halfway point of IndyCar Wrap-Up reaches a team that had its best season in IndyCar. Prior to the 2026 season, Juncos Hollinger Racing had never had a car or driver finish in the championship top ten. It entered this year with an upgrade in lead driver with Rinus VeeKay. Onto his third midfield team, VeeKay wowed many with his 2025 season at Dale Coyne Racing. However, there is a limit to how much skill can overcome technical deficiencies. This pairing drew the best out of each other.  

Rinus VeeKay

In 2025, VeeKay made the most of his lifeline at Dale Coyne Racing and maintained finishing between 12th and 14th in the IndyCar every season of his IndyCar career. For him to extend that form for a seventh consecutive season, VeeKay would need to lift Juncos Hollinger Racing to a level it had never been. The combination went beyond that and was a feel-good story of 2026.

What objectively was his best race?

VeeKay took third in the Milwaukee race that began on Saturday but finished on Sunday evening. VeeKay went from 24th to third and had marvelous pace at the end. Using the lapped car of Scott Dixon as a pick, VeeKay was able to pass Scott McLaughlin for the final podium position. 

What subjectively was his best race?

It should be VeeKay’s entire summer because he found a way to be more present in the top five than the likes of Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Scott Dixon. Milwaukee was probably VeeKay’s best weekend, but he had strong drives at Gateway, Mid-Ohio and Portland. He spent the entire Portland race in the top five, something we had not seen a Juncos Hollinger Racing driver do ever. This level of consistency was partially unthinkable for this team and VeeKay drew it out of this group. 

What objectively was his worst race?

VeeKay was collateral damage after Marcus Armstrong got the braking wrong at Washington, D.C. and Armstrong clattered Christian Rasmussen into VeeKay. It left the Dutchman classified in 23rd.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Early contact with Álex Palou ruined VeeKay’s Phoenix race. VeeKay started eighth and essentially spent the entire race four or five laps down. Knowing what his pace was for the rest of the season, it feels like his Phoenix race was going to be promising had he made it through the first 21 laps without contact. It could have been a top ten day, maybe a top five day, but in the record book it will forever be a 22nd-place finish. 

Rinus VeeKay's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 10th (378 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 33
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 3
Fast Twelves: 5
Average Start: 14.333
Average Finish: 11.277

Sting Ray Robb

For the first time in his IndyCar career, Robb remained with the same team after switching shirts for his first three seasons. He showed better consistency and increased pace toward the end of his 2025 season. Remaining at the same team was hopefully going to extend his growth a little further in 2026. Ground was not made. 

What objectively was his best race?

In a messy Markham race, Robb was 11th at the checkered flag as seven of 25 starters retired and Dennis Hauger ran out of fuel on the final lap. Robb did start 15th, so it wasn’t a case that pace was entirely absent. 

What subjectively was his best race?

I don’t think any race was brilliant for Robb. I don’t think he did anything positively noteworthy. Nashville will get mentioned because he ran all 225 laps, the only oval he finished on the lead lap, and he finished five spots better than where he started, though largely because others made mistakes and Robb ran long on ever stint, never having a caution catch him out.  

What objectively was his worst race?

Robb ran into David Malukas after Malukas hit the barrier on exit of the final corner at Washington, D.C. Robb had nowhere to go and it left him 25th. It was Robb’s only retirement of the season. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

The last race at Laguna Seca because what stands out the most is Robb ran over the back of Dennis Hauger on the opening lap, Hauger’s season ended before he could complete a lap in the finale, Robb received a penalty, Robb finished a lap down in 23rd. He had 11 results outside the top twenty in 18 races, and he had 15 finishes outside the top fifteen. 

Sting Ray Robb's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 25th (182 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.388
Average Finish: 19.888

An Early Look Ahead

I want to deconstruct this team’s future depending on a rumored ownership change. 

Brad Hollinger has been suggested as wanting to fully takeover the team from Ricardo Juncos and becoming the sole owner. Hollinger has essentially been a non-public owner. His name is on the door and the shirts, but he is not openly at the racetracks and giving interviews or making himself known. There are really no silent team owners in IndyCar.

Roger Penske owns the series. Chip Ganassi figuratively owns the series. Dan Towriss is not Michael Andretti, but he is around. Bobby Rahal is Bobby Rahal. David Letterman doesn’t hide in the shadows when he is attending races. Dale Coyne, Larry Foyt, Ed Carpenter, and Mike Shank are all on timing stands and actively involved in teams. Zak Brown is always talking when he is at a racetrack. Brad Hollinger is none of that, and it is interesting he would want to own a team outright.

Ricardo Juncos is open and engaged with the team and series. Juncos has been on the timing stand, an integral part of the team’s operations. Cutting out Juncos either means Hollinger wants to take on a greater role or he will hire his own figurehead to run it, which he arguably already has with the Juncos partnership. It sounds like there has been disharmony within JHR ownership for quite some time and one thing we know is a recipe for success in sports is infighting within an ownership group.

Does the off-track squabbling cause performance issues on the racetrack? It is certainly a concern. However, VeeKay is believed to be locked down for 2027, which means he is either going down with the ship or he can continue to carry this team forward. Robb is largely expected to be out of the team. VeeKay showed the team’s potential. He cracked the championship top ten and has the pace to compete for victories. Adding another driver of that caliber can only help the team. Where does that other driver come from?

Between an ownership takeover and a possible renewed partnership with Arrow McLaren after the 2024 partnership ended midseason following hostilities then-McLaren driver Théo Pourchaire received from fans after an incident with then-JHR driver Agustín Canapino, there isn’t a team in IndyCar with a more unpredictable offseason ahead of it, and Dale Coyne Racing has two potential openings that could remain unfilled until the start of March. Let’s not forget JHR dismissed Callum Ilott almost two months after the 2023 season and when Ilott was largely expected to continue with the team into 2024. Even what we think JHR has locked in for 2027 should not be held as gospel.

We really cannot write anything off for JHR, and this is all off the racetrack. It obscures what its future holds for on-track results. IndyCar is a series where the midfield changes rapidly and teams shoot up and down regularly. Just because JHR was in the top ten in 2026 doesn’t mean it will stay there for long,

Dale Coyne Racing was winning races and leading the championship with Sébastien Bourdais, and it hasn’t cracked the championship top ten since 2018. Ed Carpenter Racing hasn’t had a top ten championship finisher since Josef Newgarden. Two seasons ago, Santino Ferrucci was ninth with A.J. Foyt Racing, and now that partnership ended after neither Foyt car finished better than 17th. It wasn’t long ago Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has both cars in the championship top ten and now none of its three can crack the top fifteen. It wasn’t long ago Meyer Shank Racing could not crack the top fifteen and now it has two entries that compete for race victories and it just won the Indianapolis 500.

History suggests JHR is bound for a dip. Maybe VeeKay holds on for another season, but sustained success is not usual for a team of this size in IndyCar. If the form holds in 2027, it could be best to get out after that season because a third year of this level of competitiveness feels unlikely. However, this could be the point to get off the ride and it is too late. A rough ride could lay ahead.

2026 IndyCar Team Preview: Juncos Hollinger Racing

One day closer to the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season and one more team to preview to share. Only 24 days from the season opener, and we are onto a team that has made some changes again. For the third consecutive season, Juncos Hollinger Racing has a new driver lineup. 

The team has been stagnant ever since it became a full-time IndyCar team. Every driver who has came through JHR hits the same level. The team has never had a top fifteen finish in the championship. It has yet to win a race. Each year, JHR shows some sparks and it has a few good days, but most races see the team out of the picture, and no one looks to it as a threat. 

JHR has brought in a driver that has been above its pedigree, but the question hanging over this team is can anyone outperform its current limits?

At A Glance... This team goes as far as Rinus VeeKay goes

It is pretty self explanatory. If Rinus VeeKay has a good season, Juncos Hollinger Racing is going to have a good season. If Rinus VeeKay does not have a good season, Juncos Hollinger Racing is not going to have a good season. It is black-and-white for this group, a team that has yet to have an overwhelmingly good season in IndyCar since it became a full-time entrant in 2022.

Sting Ray Robb is not going to make a difference. In his three-year career, Robb's best average finish in a season is 19.3529. He has two top ten finishes in 51 starts. Both of those results were ninth. He struggles to qualify in the top twenty. We know the limits of Robb, and he is not going to be the one carrying this team. All eyes are on VeeKay.

VeeKay has been the model of consistency over his six IndyCar seasons. He has never finished better than 12th in the championship, but he has also never finished worse than 14th. In four of those seasons he has had a podium finish. In five of those seasons he has had at least one top five result, and he has been doing it with mid-level equipment. Let’s not forget, he does have a race victory though it came nearly five years ago.

Ed Carpenter Racing has not been a regular contender for a decade, but VeeKay was the best driver every year he was there. An argument could be made VeeKay went to the worst team in IndyCar, or charitably the least-resourced team in IndyCar in Dale Coyne Racing, and he competed in the top ten and fought for top five finishes. At Toronto, he was in the conversation for victory. VeeKay can get the most out of a race car. The question will be how much is there in JHR's machines?

We have seen JHR have good days, but those are seldom, and we see its drivers struggle to be average. Every driver seems to have a good day or two. Callum Ilott had a few top five finishes and had some good qualifying runs. Romain Grosjean had a few good races and scored a top five at Laguna Seca. Conor Daly got the most out of the car on ovals and scored JHR's its best result, its lone podium finish, but all those results were uncommon, and most weeks these three drivers were struggling to break into the top fifteen.

This will now be VeeKay's battle, and while he has been able to pull out more top ten finishes than others in similar equipment, there comes a point where the cars are just not there for good results on a regular basis. JHR can put the pieces together for a race or two, but most weekends it looks like the team is fighting from behind. It is fighting just to get firmly in the middle of IndyCar and not be stuck toward the back. 

VeeKay worked some impressive magic last year at Dale Coyne Racing. The last driver hired for the 2025 season, he was the toast of the series for the first half of the season, and it briefly looked like he could sneak into the championship top ten. It was a tougher end to the season, but VeeKay took a team that did not finish better than 13th all season in 2024 and showed it could be competitive. Not that it was a surprise considering we have seen Coyne be competitive before, but nobody was expecting that big of a leap for Coyne.

Can VeeKay replicate that form at JHR? The team has never had a driver finish in the top fifteen of the championship, and VeeKay has never finished outside the top fifteen. One of those streaks will end this year.

2025 Juncos Hollinger Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 5th (Nashville)

Poles: 0

Best Start: 2nd (Iowa I)

Championship Finishes: 18th (Conor Daly), 25th (Sting Ray Robb)

Rinus VeeKay - #76 JHR Chevrolet

Numbers to Remember:

16.04: Combined average finish of Callum Ilott, Romain Grosjean and Conor Daly at Juncos Hollinger Racing

13.91753: VeeKay's career average finish

4.75: Juncos Hollinger Racing's average number of top ten finishes in a season since 2022

5.333: VeeKay's average number of top ten finishes in a season

What is the best possible outcome?

VeeKay can have seven or eight top ten finishes, though none are all that impressive, but they are good results, and even when he is not finishing in the top ten, he is finishing in the top fifteen and scoring respectable points totals on a consistent basis. There could be a race or two where JHR has good form and VeeKay is pushing for the top five, which helps his championship total.

At best, we see VeeKay match his personal best championship finish, and that is 12th. The top ten feels like it will be just out of reach, but VeeKay can firmly keep himself in the territory he has been occupying his entire career.

What is realistic?

It feels like we are about to see VeeKay's worst season in IndyCar, and it is not because of a diminished skill set or the grid improving drastically. It is a driver moving to a less successful team and at some point the pieces don't all fall in place and everything becomes more difficult.

Even when Romain Grosjean had six top ten finishes for the team in 2024, he was 17th in the championship, and Grosjean had only two retirements that season, one of which was for a gearbox issue in the season opener at St. Petersburg, and Grosjean was collected in an accident at Iowa.

Any more than five top ten finishes would be overachieving for VeeKay. Even if he does that, at best he finishes 15th, which would technically be his worst championship result in IndyCar, but it would not be a disaster or an embarrassing season for the Dutchman. It would actually be another honorable result showing he can punch above the weight of the team.

Sting Ray Robb - #77 Goodheart Animal Health Center Chevrolet

Numbers to Remember:

20.35294: Career average finish

23.41176: Career average starting position

7: Top twenty starts in 2025

2: Top twenty starts for Robb in his first two seasons

What is the best possible outcome?

The best result for Sting Ray Robb would be if Prema is unable to run full-time and gifts him at least two positions in the championship. Take out some of the competition and Robb will be guaranteed an improvement no matter what happens on track in 2026.

Robb is more comfortable with the car, and his qualifying form did pick up in 2025, but he is still miles from being competitive. We are never expecting him to be in the mix to get out of the first round of qualifying on a road or street course.

The limits are Robb qualifies in the top twenty in the majority of the races, he has about six finishes in the top fifteen and he has an average finish around 18th. That might sneak him into the top 20 in the championship.

What is realistic?

Two fewer Prema cars competing full-time would actually help Robb out a lot. It is not what is preventing him from finishing in the championship top ten, but a few more points here and there can make a difference. It should be noted he was 25th in the championship and 30 points behind Robert Shwartzman in 24th. The only other full-time drivers behind Robb in 2025 were Devlin DeFrancesco, who scored ten fewer points, and Jacob Abel, who missed the Indianapolis 500 but was still 58 points behind Robb.

Robb had three top fifteen finishes last year. He was ninth at Long Beach but that included impressive tire strategy and not losing an excessive amount of time on the alternate tire.

Maybe he is in for one fortunate result a season, but it is not going to completely swing his championship. He could finish in the top 20, but 20th feels like the limit. Even if there are only 25 full-time cars, it feels like Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing improved greatly by taking DeFrancesco out for Mick Schumacher, and it seems like Dale Coyne Racing could be set for a big improvement in its second car. Even without Shwartzman, Robb was 32 points from the next driver in the championship, and that was Nolan Siegel.

Do we really think Robb is going to outscore an Arrow McLaren driver?

Someone must finish last among the full-time drivers. I think we have found our guy.

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

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Juncos Hollinger Racing's 2025 Season

Moving onto our second IndyCar Wrap-Up of the 2025 season, and Juncos Hollinger Racing had a slight change from its 2024 lineup. Conor Daly became a full-time driver for JHR after closing the 2024 with the team. Sting Ray Robb joined the organization for his third year in IndyCar. The team remained intact for the entire year. While there were a few bright spots for this group, most races did not see JHR as a factor.

Conor Daly

After spending 2024 mostly on the sidelines, Daly passed the audition when he got the second Juncos Hollinger Racing entry into a Leaders' Circle position and earned his first full-time ride since 2022. Ovals were expected to be where Daly would excel, and that was the case. However, we never saw a spark on a road or street course where the team got to shine.

What objectively was his best race?
Daly's season could not end on a much higher note. Though he had a poor qualifying run at Nashville, starting 24th, Daly ended up climbing up into the top ten in quick fashion, and that is where he spent most of the race. His car continued to improve and chipped away as the race ran on. When the checkered flag waved, Daly was fifth, his best finish of the season.

What subjectively was his best race?

Nashville and Gateway are neck-and-neck. Nashville was pretty good and Daly had to overcome a disappointing start to the weekend. It is hard to overlook Gateway because he had a good claim at a possible victory.

Daly looked set to win at Gateway. He was leading and keeping the race at arm's length as the laps ticked down. The only problem is the field beat Daly in the pit lane. After one cycle, Daly was out of the lead. On the next cycle, he fell back again and was out of the top five when the checkered flag waved. Gateway was his strongest race, though it slipped away from him.

What objectively was his worst race?
After contact with Christian Rasmussen in turn ten at Portland, Daly spun off circuit and he was out of the race classified in 26th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

There were a few races where Daly didn't have the pace and struggled to finish much better than his teammate, a driver everyone believed Daly is significantly better than. However, his worst race is Portland, and not because of the accident and the result, but how Daly conducted himself before and after the incident. 

Rightfully upset after being forced off track, Daly attempted to take matters into his own hands and lunged at Rasmussen, looking for contact in the chicane. The contact in turn ten was much more shared than as simple as Rasmussen turned into Daly, though Daly immediately stepped out of the car and cried foul, failing to acknowledge the role he played in his own bad day.

Conor Daly's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 18th (268 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 4
Laps Led: 51
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 17.294
Average Finish: 15.294

Sting Ray Robb

Moving to his third team in three seasons, Robb looked to improve on his results at A.J. Foyt Racing. His finishes did improve in his sophomore season, and he did score his first career top ten finish. Robb had a shock of encouragement early in the season, but Robb settled into where we have seen him run over his first two seasons in IndyCar.

What objectively was his best race?

Good strategy saw Robb finish ninth despite starting 19th on the grid at Long Beach. It was Robb's second top ten finish of his career and his first on a street course.

What subjectively was his best race?

At Long Beach, Robb chose to take on the alternate tire late in the race, which put him in a difficult spot to lose ground while others had already shed the less desirable tire. However, Robb did 12 laps and when he got off the alternate tire, he had managed to hold onto a top ten spot. This race could have evolved into Robb spending a chunk of it in the top ten and one bad stint leading him to drop to 16th or 17th and be completely forgotten. Instead, he held ground and got a top ten.

What objectively was his worst race?

Robb spun under braking at Road America and hit the barrier. He was classified in 26th with only nine laps completed.

What subjectively was his worst race?

No race stands out as particularly poor for Robb. The races where he wasn't quick, he was anonymous, but didn't get in the way. Road America was bad. He had two other retirements. He was collateral damage when Kyle Larson spun in the Indianapolis 500, and then he spun on his own early in the second Iowa race. 

Iowa was a little disappointing because Daly was competing in the top ten, and we have seen Robb have good runs on ovals, but in this case, Robb started outside the top twenty in both races and never performed above expectation. I think the Iowa weekend was a missed opportunity.

Sting Ray Robb's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 25th (181 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 12
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.176
Average Finish: 19.529

An Early Look Ahead

We know Robb will be returning for 2026, as for the second driver, there are questions. 

Daly lives on one-year deals, and though he can have a handful of competitive oval races each season, he is still a driver that is finishing 18th in the championship and whose ceiling is 17th in the championship. Not once did JHR make it out of the first round of qualifying. Daly didn't have a top ten finish on a road or street course.

It is a team too small to draw a notable name that could take it to the next level. It lives within its means, but that means one of its cars will have Robb occupying the seat and perhaps sneaking into the top ten on a flukey day but for the most part it will be a car fighting just to crack the top twenty. Sure, it might get lucky a few more times and make the top fifteen, but it is a car we will hardly speak about over the entire season. 

JHR would neither benefit nor suffer from retaining Daly. Maybe one of these oval races do go his way and he is on the right side of a caution during the final pit cycle and he pits with 25 cars trapped a lap down. Maybe it works out that his pit stops are just adequate enough to keep him in the fight and not cost him four positions. That is the one positive to Daly. He is there. Can the team support him? 

A good number of drivers are not getting to that level. Daly has you on the door step, but can he and JHR combine to close the deal? 

Of course, close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades. Close doesn't pay the bills. For as close as Daly gets, the team still needs to pay the electric bill. If someone else comes along and makes that easier, they will trade close for the lights staying on. 

It costs to compete. JHR has spent a significant amount of money just to be on the grid and running for 15th. Stepping up to the next level will require more, and it seems JHR is a team that is at its limit. The organization is not building a new shop like Andretti Global, Arrow McLaren and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing all have in recent years. It doesn't have fancy programs to develop the dampers. It cannot hire a special pit crew dedicated to the craft. This is where it lives. It can either sustain running for 15th or wither away and disappear from our sights. 

2025 IndyCar Team Preview: Juncos Hollinger Racing

We are getting into the nitty-gritty of the IndyCar offseason. It is unclear when the postseason becomes the offseason and when the offseason becomes the preseason. It feels safe to say we are in that last phase. Only 19 days remain until the first race of the season. 

Juncos Hollinger Racing will be looking for improved results, and it will be doing it with an entirely new lineup. Two drivers in, two drivers out from how the team looked on this day one year ago. From a Trans-Atlantic partnership to an All-American duo, results aren't the only change the JHR operation will be looking for. It should be a little less controversial off the track as well.

At First Glance... It looks good on the outside, but performance is what counts

In come Sting Ray Robb and Conor Daly. Daly was already there, an interim solution at the end of the 2024 season that has turned into a permanent role. Daly got the #78 Chevrolet into the Leader Circle fund over the final five races of the season. It was enough to pass the audition. Robb is moving to his third team in three years. He brings a cushion of cash to comfort the program. 

On the outside, it is a safe lineup. Daly is the mouth of IndyCar, constantly running and hard to ignore. Robb brings a smile. They are a safe combination for a team. One will continuously sing praise about IndyCar. The other will be welcoming even on the worst days. It is a small thing but a mammoth change for the JHR group. 

For two seasons, it not only had to fight on the racetrack but had to deal with raging fires off the track due to the social media conduct surrounding one of its drivers. Twice it involved a teammate. Then it involved a partner and cost JHR a beneficial cooperative. Neither Daly nor Robb should pose those problem, but it is 2025 and the world is a tinderbox. Sneezing the wrong way could set the place ablaze. 

JHR will win over fanfare from its drivers for their personalities, but what determines how successful you are as a team is what is done on the racetrack. You can sign all the autographs and take all the photographs in the world but that doesn't really pays the bills in motorsports. At some point, you must succeed to warrant the interest from sponsors and investors. In its first three seasons as a full-time IndyCar team, success has been rare for this team. 

There have been glorious moments that show how competitive IndyCar can be where JHR has a car fighting in the final round of qualifying for pole position or finds itself in the top five late in a race. The problem is that is one or twice in a 17-race season. Most of the time, JHR goes unnoticed, and that isn't mentioning the two or three times it is noticed for a bad thing. 

It is year four and JHR has an experienced lineup. Though he hasn't been full-time even majority of the time, Daly has been in IndyCar for over a decade and has worked with a multitude of teams. He has gotten good results with less than perfect equipment. He has been in far worse situations. It is time to see a little more. 

We saw a little more in 2024, but not really enough. We must see even more than that in 2025. It isn't going to be consistent race victories and podium finishes, but JHR must make a step further into the middle. It has been living on the edge of the bottom third, which isn't the bottom but not a great place to be. It must put more daylight between it and last. This is the time to make up some ground. 

2024 Juncos Hollinger Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 3rd (Milwaukee I)

Poles: 0

Best Start: 5th (St. Petersburg, Toronto)

Championship Finishes: 17th (Romain Grosjean), 26th (Conor Daly), 27th (Agustín Canapino)

Sting Ray Robb - #77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

Numbers to Remember:

22.176: Average finish in 2023

19.176: Average finish in 2024

17.235: Average finish of Juncos Hollinger Racing entries over the last two seasons

What does a championship season look like for him?

Do you remember what I wrote for Devlin DeFrancesco? 

That! All that! 

Except Robb has improved and Juncos Hollinger Racing has made strides to take it ahead of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Chevrolet power proves to give Robb an advantage and plays a crucial role in deciding the oval races. With Robb finishing best in five of those six events, he can get away with another three victories in the road and street course events to eek out a championship that most ignore.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Considering that entering the 2025 season moving from A.J. Foyt Racing to Juncos Hollinger Racing would be considered a slight step down, it is hard to imagine how Robb will do better than last year, but then again, JHR's team average finish over the last two seasons is almost 3.5 positions better than Robb's career average finish, this isn't a massive leap back for the Idahoan. 

We have seen glimpses of speed with Juncos Hollinger Racing since it became a full-time IndyCar operation in 2022, but those glimpses have been rare, and they have come at the hands of some pretty skilled driver. Robb is not associated in the same class of drivers as Callum Ilott, Romain Grosjean and Conor Daly, and Daly is barely in the same class as the first two. 

JHR has been good, and Robb showed on the Road to Indy he improves with time. Every season he spent in the junior system was better than the previous one. That trend has stuck through his first two IndyCar seasons. Eventually, all things end. 

Robb might have been 20th in the drivers' championship, but the #41 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet was 24th and did not finish inside the Leader Circle positions. A few drivers benefitted in the standings last season due to the number of cars that rotated entries midseason. Robb did pick up his first career top ten, but he still had seven finishes outside the top twenty and 14 finishes outside the top fifteen. 

The big change from 2023 to 2024 was Robb didn't have any finishes outside the top 25 last year after having four in 2023, including a 31st in Indianapolis, and he went from one top fifteen finish to three. Those incremental gains show up in an average finish improving three positions, but it is in average finish going from outside the top twenty to barely inside the top twenty. 

Those incremental gains could continue at JHR for Robb, or he will plateau. The latter is highly likely.

Conor Daly - #78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

Numbers to Remember:

11: Teams in his IndyCar career

8: Daly has finished in the top ten for eight of those 11 teams

4: Of those teams he has finished in the top five with

What does a championship season look like for him?

Juncos Hollinger Racing being at its best at every round. 

It is producing a car that can make it out of the first round of qualifying on road and street courses in every race and pushing to make it to the final round majority of the time. With those advantageous starting positions, Daly is able to run regularly in the top ten. 

In that spot, when the JHR crew is on it, Daly is able to go forward, taking an eighth spot in the grid and turn it into a top five finish. Or taking a fifth grid spot and turning it into a podium run. With those kind of runs, Daly is further up the championship order than anyone would imagine from the start. 

Ovals are where Daly makes his money. On those days, Daly is a contender. He isn't working his way to get to the font, he is at the front and engaging in the chess game from the very beginning to maintain track position until the final stint. Based on his ability, Daly is able to over maneuver the competition and take victories. It all starts at Indianapolis. 

Daly's oval form is what carries him and complements his exceptional road and street course performances. Days where he is off and slips to ninth or out of the top ten are made up for with podium finishes on the ovals. Avoiding all trouble, Daly is able to put together the most unlikely of championship finishes.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Daly is a driver who has never finished better than 17th in the championship when he has competed full-time joining a team who has had an average finish of slightly worse than 17th over the last two seasons. 

They are perfect for one another! Oh, and let's not forget to mention JHR finished 17th in the championship last year with Romain Grosjean. Again, perfect. 

It can be better. Daly has done a good job getting more out of bad equipment, except at Ed Carpenter Racing. Results will require a little help from the strategist, something we have not seen JHR excel at. If Daly can get the car into a good position and the crew can formulate a strategy that can get that little extra, both Daly and JHR could improve. 

JHR had eight top ten finishes last season. Daly was responsible for two of them. The team can get some results. The problem is Daly has never had more than five top ten finishes in the season, and that was his rookie year. 

The team had a top ten finish in four of the final five oval races last year, which bodes well for Daly. It doesn't mean the batting average will be exactly where he wants it, but he should have some good results, and that will be the start. Three or four top ten finishes on ovals will set up well. If the road and street course form can come close to matching, Daly could be on the verge of breaking into the top fifteen.

Grosjean had six top ten finishes, one of which was a fourth at Laguna Seca, and he was still 37 points outside the top fifteen. Daly will need least two or three top five finishes and eight to ten top ten finishes on his own. That is a big ask. It will not be without a lack of effort.

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: Juncos Hollinger Racing's 2024 Season

Our second IndyCar Wrap-Up has us looking at Juncos Hollinger Racing. The team made a late change to its driver lineup during the offseason when it appeared the organization was set to retain its 2023 duo. Gone was Callum Ilott and in was Romain Grosjean, his third team in four seasons. The plucky underdog team that once stole everyone's hearts in Indianapolis 500 qualifying had its best finishes ever this season, but this season will again be remembered for off-track mistakes that has soured the love for the organization.

Romain Grosjean

After a two-year spell with Andretti Autosport, Grosjean was without a team when DHL sponsorship left the organization and the Andretti program downsized to three cars. JHR was a step to something smaller, but smaller did not stop Grosjean from showing great potential at Dale Coyne Racing in 2023. At JHR, Grosjean had some good days but continued to butt heads and the mistakes are simply unavoidable.

What objectively was his best race?
Grosjean had a fourth at Laguna Seca after spending basically the entire race in the top ten. He did not stop under the caution for Luca Ghiotto's accident, and that gave him a few more spots into the top five. Once in that position, he held on despite there being some quick drivers behind him.

What subjectively was his best race?

Laguna Seca. It was his most competitive race and he was not far off finishing third. Grosjean also had a good drive in the second Milwaukee race using strategy to run long on the penultimate stint and saving tires for the run to the checkered flag. It got him ninth.

What objectively was his worst race?
Portland was a mare for Grosjean. He started well in the top ten and he was running well, but then he lost it entering turn one, spun across the track and then when Grosjean attempted to get the car spun back around, he collided with Christian Rasmussen, puncturing the Frenchman's tire in the process. Grosjean had already lost significant time with the spin and waiting for space to open. He then took on a penalty for unsafely spinning into the Dane. Grosjean went from possibly finishing sixth to finishing three laps down in 27th, the final car running.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Isn't it obvious? Portland was entirely on him, but Grosjean had a number of frustrating days. Some were not going that well to begin with, but it felt like every third race Grosjean was miffed and notably angry over the radio. Detroit stands out as one of those races. He did not have the right fuel-mapping in the first Milwaukee race and lost his cool over something that should not happen at this level.

Romain Grosjean's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 17th (260 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 6
Average Start: 12.8235
Average Finish: 15.588

Conor Daly

With Agustín Canapino removed after Toronto and the #78 Chevrolet outside of a Leader Circle spot, JHR called in the veteran Daly to increase its chances of claiming one of the 22 positions. With four of the final races on ovals, JHR was hoping to use Daly's expertise to lift it up the results. It was not as simple as that, but Daly was able to get more out of the car than his predecessor. 

What objectively was his best race?
It was third in the first Milwaukee race as Daly made a number of impressive moves on the outside of the circuit. However, Daly did benefit from the final caution for Colton Herta's unsecured tire coming loose on track. This allowed Daly to make his final pit stop after a number of cars were trapped a lap down, but Daly did have to make a few passes in the final stint to get to third.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is third at Milwaukee. Daly had still made up 12 spots before getting the break on the final caution that put him into position for a top five finish let alone a podium finish. He did get stuck just outside the top ten and could not make up much more ground than that, but he was able to take Juncos Hollinger Racing and put it on the podium when given the opportunity. 

We should also acknowledge Daly's tenth place finish at the Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. It was another ear of Daly taking a good car and putting it in the top ten of IndyCar's biggest race.

What objectively was his worst race?
It was not a race with Juncos Hollinger Racing. Daly stepped in mid-weekend to the #18 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing as Jack Harvey was having back and neck pain. Harvey start-and-parked the first Iowa race and Daly took over for the second race. However, there was a mechanical problem that ended Daly's race after 140 laps.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is the second Iowa race. Daly got a brief shakedown of the car on Sunday morning before the race and that was it. He was thrown into the fire and he was not going to do much better than maybe cracking the top twenty. 

Conor Daly's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 26th (119 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 3
Laps Led: 22
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.667
Average Finish: 14.571

Agustín Canapino

A good rookie season for Canapino raised expectations for the Argentine driver in his sophomore season. Though new to single-seater racing, results had to improve to justify Canapino's spot on the grid as the competition continued to improve. There were a few good days, as we saw in 2023, but the average result was not trending in the right direction. There was another off-track incident where Canapino supporters made death threats toward another driver, and Canapino did not make the situation any better. Combined with the on-track results, Canapino did not see out the season.

What objectively was his best race?
It was 12th at Detroit and being on the verge of a top ten. Canapino had a run-in with Théo Pourchaire that cost him some spots, but did not hurt him all that much. Canapino benefitted from others being on the wrong strategy and being caught in greater incidents to score this finish.

What subjectively was his best race?

It was Detroit because Canapino drove a good race. He didn't make any mistakes and mostly avoided the on-track issues. Keeping it clean was working well for him. He lost some spots late but still ended up better than he likely would have finished if it wasn't for the abundance of cautions. 

What objectively was his worst race?
Canapino was collected in an opening lap incident in the first Iowa race when David Malukas spun and Canapino and his teammate Grosjean had nowhere to go. Canapino ended up classified in 27th, dead last.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is everything post-Detroit, and it is the inability to distance himself from the vitriol spewed online from supporters of his. Worst of all, he fanned the flame, essentially endorsing the behavior as Pourchaire became another target. This could have been avoided. Canapino and JHR could have attempted to diffuse the situation, but like in 2023, neither got ahead of the mess. They actually made it worse. 

Canapino was distracted to the point he was sidelined for Road America because the team did not believe he was focused enough to drive the car. He won many admirers for taking this risk and coming to IndyCar after spending basically his entire career in stock cars and sports cars in Argentina. He did respectable considering his lack of background in single-seater cars, but the off-track issues, the lost of a partnership with Arrow McLaren due to this incident combined with his results meant it was best for the team to move on after making Canapino its project just over a season prior. 

Agustín Canapino's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 27th (109 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 16.818
Average Finish: 20.364

An Early Look Ahead

The season ended on a good note for Juncos Hollinger Racing. Both cars finished in the Leader Circle, the cars had flashes of speed, and JHR ended up getting its best finish ever, but the team did have a long season and it will be looking for a step forward. 

Where it goes from here is unclear. It does feel apparent that the driver responsible for its first podium finish will not be back, but maybe Conor Daly will stick around. He is scheduled to test with the team at Indianapolis. Daly came in to fill in a role. Daly got the job done as a super-sub, but it is not necessarily enough to earn him a full-time ride. That will likely come down to someone with money. Romain Grosjean could stick around but that is far from a guarantee as well. 

Keeping Grosjean could provide a little consistency heading into a new season, but there is not a clear direction of where the team could go with its second seat. The Agustín Canapino experiment is over. There are plenty of IndyCar-experienced drivers hanging around that could lift JHR to a higher level, but JHR is in a precarious financial situation. There were not many sponsors on the two JHR cars, and in three seasons of full-time competition, JHR has not seen any significant partner, other than the tourism money Canapino brought.

At some point, the team will need a stronger base than relying on Ricardo Juncos' ties to Argentina and whatever percentage of Brad Hollinger's wealth he is comfortable with burning. Any hope that having a name like Grosjean will attract partners seems foolish at this point. 

For three seasons, we have seen flashes at JHR, whether it be Callum Ilott, Grosjean or Daly, but the team needs something a little more substantial than three or four good races a year and then a dozen or more disappointing days. At its best, it is a respectable team. At its worse, it looks like a team that has bit off more than it can chew. 

Even if things take a step forward, how far is JHR going to move up? 

The team has never had a top fifteen championship finisher. Grosjean ended up scoring fewer points than Ilott did in 2023. Ed Carpenter Racing struggled to get top five finishers. It took A.J. Foyt Racing partnering with Team Penske to get a car in the top ten of the championship. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing won a race last season, had a few competitive days in 2024, and RLLR still looks a mile off from the top of the pile. JHR isn't going to leap into the mix with Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Global. It is going to fall short of Arrow McLaren. 

Cracking the top fifteen and possibly finishing inside the top 12 appears to be the realistic limit. JHR is not going to a world-beater in 2025. That will be a chance to improve but that improvement will still be far from the mountaintop.

2024 IndyCar Team Preview: Juncos Hollinger Racing

We might be only days into 2024, and the first race of the IndyCar season still might be over two months away, but the time has come to look ahead to the 2024 season. All of autumn is behind us and winter is the countdown to the new season. Most seats are accounted for and we have reached the part of the offseason where all it feels like the only thing remaining is the waiting.

There will be some changes to driver lineups when we reach St. Petersburg in 65 days time. Juncos Hollinger Racing has shaken up half of its drivers. In its first year as a full-time two-car effort the results were good, but JHR failed to show some of its bursts of speed from 2022. Speed is not the main cause for the dismissal of Callum Ilott, but the team is hoping a little more experience will take it further up the grid in 2024.

At First Glance... Is there any reason we should believe Juncos Hollinger Racing can win a race?

Seriously? Why should we think Juncos Hollinger Racing will be in contention to win races just because it added Romain Grosjean? 

The team has never finished on the podium. Last year, it had two top five finishes and three top ten finishes. As an organization it had an average finish of 17.5, had one top ten starting position and the team's average starting position was 20.617. 

And adding a driver with a career average finish of 14th, who is coming off his worst season based on average finish, and has never won an IndyCar race, is all of a sudden going to lift IndyCar's smallest team to the top of the pile? 

Call me a skeptic, but I don't think Grosjean alone will be enough. This team is more than just one piece away. 

Also consider how few teams win in IndyCar. It is a series where any team can win, but it can be a rare occurrence. It has been over a decade since A.J. Foyt Racing has won, and it had two fully funded cars for most of that time. Dale Coyne Racing is over five years removed from its most recent victory. Meyer Shank Racing's lone victory, the 2021 Indianapolis 500, is looking more like beginner's luck with each passing day. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has one victory in the last three seasons. Ed Carpenter Racing has one victory in the last seven seasons. Even the mighty and mouthy Arrow McLaren didn't win in 2023. 

Why should we believe JHR will do it considering all we know?

There just needs to be one day, and Grosjean came close to that day with Dale Coyne Racing. He arguably should have won once with DCR. Grosjean came close to that day with Andretti Autosport. He arguably should have won at least once, if not twice, with Andretti. JHR showed bursts of qualifying speed in 2022. Those were almost nonexistent in 2023. Considering the temperament of Grosjean combined with where JHR was last year, this does not look a great match on paper.

Grosjean will not have a senior teammate besides him. As much praise Agustín Canapino earned in his rookie season for his results, his average finish was still 19.706, equal with Devlin DeFrancesco, behind Jack Harvey, who was fired three races early, and also behind Santino Ferrucci and Hélio Castroneves. Even with some development, Canapino is a long way away from being a contender. 

The hope might be for something grand, but JHR needs something a little greater than hope. 

2023 Juncos Hollinger Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 5th (St. Petersburg and Laguna Seca)

Poles: 0

Best Start: 8th (Portland)

Championship Finishes: 16th (Callum Ilott), 21st (Agustín Canapino)

Romain Grosjean - #77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

Numbers to Remember:

13.9722: Average points per race for Callum Ilott in 36 races with Juncos Hollinger Racing.

19.0638: Average points per race for Grosjean in 47 career starts

23: Lead lap finishes in his IndyCar career.

28: Drivers who had their first career victory came in their 50th career start or later.

What does a championship season look like for him?

It starts with some impressive drives from the back to front, taking a 17th starting position and turning it into a sixth or a 15th and putting it on the podium. After a string of top ten finishes, Grosjean has his best Indianapolis 500, completes all 200 laps and takes home a respectable top ten result. 

From the opening stanza of the season, JHR is able to build off the results and the qualifying pace improves, putting Grosjean into the second round of qualifying regularly and sneaking him into the Fast Six on occasion. It is in the middle third of the season where Grosjean gets his first victory of the season and it feels like a championship is practical. 

Damage is limited at Iowa, but it requires another victory or two mixed in with the oval races dotting the final third of the season. Consistent top ten results turned into top five results on road and street courses gets him to Nashville with a puncher's chance at the title and JHR and Grosjean pull off the improbable with a victory in the finale to take home the Astor Cup.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Not much different from what we saw from Grosjean's first three seasons in IndyCar except fewer trips to the podium. The note about Callum Illot's top five finishes are they came on days of survival. St. Petersburg had a number of accidents, as did Laguna Seca and both were disjointed affairs. Ilott could keep his nose out of trouble and get a result. Grosjean is more known for getting his nose into trouble than avoiding it. 

There will be a promising day or two where Grosjean is mixing it up with a notable name, Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Colton Herta, and Grosjean is in fifth, sixth or seventh and it feels like JHR is trending in the right direction, but there will be rough patches, and some of those will be due to Grosjean's only failings; clipping a barrier, botching a restart, etc. There will also be weekends where the team is off and everyone is frustrated. 

Grosjean could increase his top ten finish total from last year and still lose positions in the championship. A year where he has four to six top ten finishes but ends up 14th to 18th in the championship is conceivable.

Agustín Canapino - #78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

Numbers to Remember:

3: Times Canapino was the top JHR finisher in 2023.

0: Times Canapino was the top JHR finisher when Callum Illot did not retire from the race. 

12: Starts outside the top twenty in 2023

18: Best starting position in the 2023 season

What does a championship season look like for him?

Something similar to Scott McLaughlin's sophomore season, only better. Victory and podium finishes early, but instead of having a slump in the spring and early summer, his results remain in the top ten, with a strong day at Indianapolis with perhaps some qualifying points to help pad his total. 

Once we get into summer, Canapino is constantly in the top five and wins a few times. These results might have to come after some tough qualifying performances, but, like in Grosjean's best case scenario, the team is improving throughout the season.

Any championship for Canapino will come down to the final race and a tough battle with a few notable drivers. It will be a true David vs. Goliath, Cinderella story. It will likely come down to Canapino overcoming a deficit in the final race, having a few fortunate circumstances go in his favor and Canapino having one of his best days to take an unthinkable title.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

About as good as how he did last season.

Canapino could be worse in 2024, but not noticeably worse. As celebrated as Canapino's rookie season was, it was still not a very good season. For most other rookies, those results would not be something to hang your hat on. The hope would be for a giant leap forward in year two. That feels like asking a lot.

In eight of 17 races last year, he started and finished outside the top twenty. He started outside the top twenty in eight of 12 road/street course races. He had five lead lap finishes, three of which were street courses and two of those races had five cautions or more, races where he was kept in the pack. 

Canapino could improve in all of those areas but gain almost no ground from where he was in the championship last season.

The one thing in Canapino's favor is he didn't get into many accidents. The only one that was because Canapino went over the edge was Indianapolis. His other retirements were Nashville, where it was a mechanical issue, and Portland, which was another mechanical failure. Canapino wasn't tearing corners off race cars on a regular basis. If you avoid doing that, you will always do slightly better than your pace. Any increase in accidents and the results will look much worse. 

Looking at the 2023 results, it is difficult to imagine how Canapino is going to get four or five top ten finishes in 2024. One or two could fall his way with high attrition rates or playing the right strategy, but that is the best case scenario at the moment. Breaking the top twenty in the championship would be a good year for the Argentine in year two.

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: Juncos Hollinger Racing's 2023 Season

The third 2023 IndyCar Wrap-Up looks at a pleasantly exciting team from the 2022 season, Juncos Hollinger Racing, and JHR had more to be excited about this season. The team expanded to two cars for 2023, keeping Callum Ilott after a notable rookie season, but it brought in a new driver from a pathway that has no history of producing any IndyCar drivers. One of the biggest question marks of the season turned out to be another exciting outcome for JHR, but pace was still lacking.

Callum Ilott

After flashes of speed last season, Ilott returned for a sophomore season looking to make more headway to the front of the grid and translating good qualifying results into good finishes. The flashes were non-existent in 2023, but Ilott still drew respectable results for one of the smallest and newest teams on the grid.

What objectively was his best rottace?
In the St. Petersburg season opener, Ilott started 22nd, but he avoided the mess and climbed his way to a top five finish, the first of his career. That is how Ilott started his season. 

How did he finish his season? He was fifth at Laguna Seca in a race where he missed the mess and he was the mess, spinning on his own entering the pit lane and having some contact with others, and he still finished fifth! 

What subjectively was his best race?

The Indianapolis 500 was in question for Ilott for most of practice and into qualifying. Juncos Hollinger Racing could not quite get the car dialed in and it looked like Ilott would be in danger of missing the race. The team proactively changed to the backup car, and it was the right move, as Ilott ended up qualifying 27th, which had more speed than his primary car had shown throughout the entire practice week.

During the race, Ilott kept moving forward, and he benefitted from some of the late accidents, but Ilott ended up finishing 12th, completing all 200 laps.

What objectively was his worst race?
Ilott ran into the back of Kyle Kirkwood at the start of the Detroit race and his race was over after one lap, placing him 27th, but Detroit wasn't his only 27th-place finish of the season. Ilott was 27th at Gateway after a brushing the wall. It felt like Ilott was going to finish in the top fifteen and had an outside shot of slipping into the top ten.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It does not get much worse than Detroit, but besides that one incident, Ilott's biggest issue, and JHR's issue in general, was the team's general lack of pace. Unlike 2022, where JHR had a few breakout weekends, JHR did not have that. Ilott was starting toward the rear of the field on a regular basis. He made up positions in most races, but he was not breaking into the top ten. It was good to be gaining seven to nine positions a race, but that was just getting him into the top fifteen.

Callum Ilott's 2023 Statistics

Championship Position: 16th (266 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 3
Laps Led: 5
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 19
Average Finish: 15.294

Agustín Canapino

A veteran driver from the domestic Argentina motorsports scene, everyone had an eye on Canapino wondering how he would adapt and expecting him to be a liability. He was far from that, holding his own in his first real open-wheel experience against drivers who have spent their entire racing careers in single-seater cars. It wasn't a great season but it was better than almost anyone imagined.

What objectively was his best race?
Canapino had three finishes of 12th, including two in the first two races at St. Petersburg and Texas. The next one was at Detroit. 

What subjectively was his best race?

All three of those races were worthy of being mentioned. St. Petersburg was his first IndyCar race and only the second weekend in an open-wheel race. Expectations were low and he was on pace, keeping the car out of the barriers. But Texas was his first oval race and he was in his element despite such an unordinary setting. He made it to the checkered flag and never put a wheel wrong. 

The Indianapolis 500 should be mentioned because Canapino was the top running rookie for a good portion of the race and looked set to potentially take Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors before he ran into the back of Simon Pagenaud while the field was slowing for the Patricio O'Ward accident. This ended Canapino's race.

What objectively was his worst race?
Along with 26th at Indianapolis, he was 26th at Barber Motorsports Park, in the second Iowa race and Portland. He did finish on the lead lap at Barber, but he brushed the barrier in the Iowa race and ended up 14 laps down. A mechanical failure spin Canapino off course at Portland and ended his day. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

Indianapolis was a missed opportunity. It is really Canapino's only major mistake this season. The entire end of the "500" was messy and incoherent, but a slight lapse of concentration took him out of the race and ended what was a great day otherwise.

Agustín Canapino's 2023 Statistics

Championship Position: 21st (180 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 3
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.235
Average Finish: 19.706

An Early Look Ahead

For all the excitement behind this team, next month's Argentine general election will be the most important Argentine general election in IndyCar history. 

Questions loom over whether the Argentine tourism money will continue with the team for next year. This also factors into whether or not IndyCar has a race in Argentina, which has been rumored for the last year. One domino falling in Buenos Aires will set off a reaction in Indianapolis. 

As much praise as Canapino earned for his rookie season in IndyCar, we must remember he scored only 180 points from 17 starts, about 10.588 points per start. His average finish was 22.235. He did well for a driver who never raced full-time in an single-seater car prior and was moving to a new series in a new country at 33 years old, but Canapino is far from being a top ten contender. I don't know if IndyCar is the best way to draw tourists to Argentina, but it would be an easy expense to pull the plug on.

If that is the case, where does it leave JHR? 

The team sounds set with Ilott for another season, but that Argentina money was helping the team across the board. The Brit should be safe, but the second seat will remain in question, and if the Argentina money does not return, Ilott may also be in jeopardy. It is difficult to see Canapino raising the funds to remain if Argentina pulls out. Ricardo Juncos was fond of bringing his fellow Argentine to America. If Canapino is out of a ride, will Juncos decide it is best for the team to turn its focus to one car or will he try and keep two cars on the grid.

Two cars did not yield substantially better results. Qualifying results did take a dip. One car might still be the right number for JHR. 

Ilott is likely heading into his final year with JHR. He has done well with the organization, but thinking he is going to stick around for a fourth season in 2025 is difficult to fathom. His stock didn't fall after the 2023 season, but it was high after 2022 and with the likes of Chip Ganassi Racing expanding to five cars with three drivers 24 years or younger, David Malukas moving to Arrow McLaren, Andretti Autosport possibly downsizing to three cars and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing possibly set with Christian Lundgaard, Graham Rahal and Jüri Vips as the clubhouse leader for the #30 entry, Ilott might have missed an opportunity for a promotion to a top tier team. 

Unanswered questions are always present for a small team, but the ones facing JHR entering 2024 are uncomfortable to answer, and they may become an even greater challenge as we get deeper into the offseason. 

2023 IndyCar Team Preview: Juncos Hollinger Racing

Twenty-three days until the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series opener. This is the antepenultimate team preview. It is an expanding organization. After completing its first season with a full-time entry, Juncos Hollinger Racing will field two cars this season. JHR displayed impressive pace for a single-car organization that was still exploring unknown terrain as a full-time entrant. It hopes to make strides this year with a promising talent and with a driver who is completely unknown outside of his home country but hopes to turn some heads.

At First Glance... Has there ever been someone as unknown as Agustín Canapino to enter IndyCar?

Seriously? When was the last time a driver such as Canapino came into IndyCar and in a full-time ride nonetheless? 

For much of the last decade, new IndyCar drivers have come from the same avenues. The Road to Indy has been a healthy provider of talent. If drivers aren't coming from the domestic route, they are coming from Formula Two where their names are somewhat familiar. Some drivers had ties to Formula One programs, see Callum Ilott. Others were race winners but didn't have ties to a Formula One team. 

There have been a few exceptions. Other recent IndyCar debutants were a Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters race winners, a veteran of 179 Formula One grand prix starts, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and a Supercars champion.

Top drivers from across the globe have been coming to IndyCar for the last few seasons. Canapino is one of the top men from where he comes from. In Argentina, he is a four-time champion in Turismo Carretera, a stock car series. He has twice won the Súper TC2000 championship, a touring car series. The 33-year-old has done it all at home. Now, he moves onto a new challenge. 

America will not be new to Canapino. He made two IMSA starts back in 2019 when Juncos Racing dipped its toe into IMSA competition, but now he is here for the full season, sliding into a single-seater, something Canapino has never really done. He ran a pair of Fórmula 3 Sudamericana races back in 2011. Outside of that, he has been racing stock car and touring car for his entire career. 

We don't look south when it comes to motorsports. We look to Europe, the home of Formula One, Le Mans and more junior series than you can imagine. We look to Japan and Australia for something a little more exotic and thrilling. Throw in a language barrier, Argentina's selection of motorsports isn't close to even become niche in the American motorsports world. What Canapino has done mind as well have taken place on Neptune. That is how far it is from the American motorsports sphere. 

But truth be told there is excellent talent all around the globe. South America has not been the pipeline we are used to seeing for drivers. Brazil isn't producing the same quantity of IndyCar drivers that we saw 20 years ago. There was a burst of Colombians in the early 2010s, but Los Cafeteros have disappeared from the grid. That doesn't mean there are no great drivers in South America. There are, and Canapino will get his chance on a greater stage. 

As for how unexpected Canapino's participation is in the grand scheme of IndyCar? The closest I can come up with is Mario Moraes, a driver who had a brief cup of coffee in British Formula Three and had also competed in Fórmula 3 Sudamericana, but somehow was making his IndyCar debut a few months after turning 19 years old. Another driver that should be mentioned is Juho Annala. Who you ask? Annala started the 2008 Long Beach race driving for Rocketsports. Where did Annala come from? The Finn ran two seasons in British Formula Three's national class and a year in International Formula Master. Long Beach was Annala’s only start and few likely have a clue he ever competed.

The big difference between those two and Canapino is Canapino has a full career behind him backing up his abilities as he looks to find success on a new continent in an entirely different type of machinery.

2022 Juncos Hollinger Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 8th (Grand Prix of Indianapolis)

Poles: 0

Best Starting Position: 2nd (Laguna Seca)

Championship Finishes: 20th (Callum Ilott)

Callum Ilott - #77 Visit Argentina Chevrolet

Numbers to Remember:

1: Time where Ilott had consecutive lead lap finishes in 2022 (Iowa and the July IMS Road course race)

2: Times finishing better than his starting position in his first eight starts of 2022

6: Times finishing better than his starting position in his final eight starts of 2022

What does a championship season look like for him?

Ilott has that breathtaking qualifying pace from the first race of the season and his race finishes back up the pure speed. It might not necessarily be finishing better than where he rolls off, but taking a fifth-place start and at least coming home seventh or eight. It could be starting on the front row but at least finishing in the top five. It might take a few races but he will be using those days to get used to running at the front. 

Come the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Ilott is comfortable and pulls out a special victory, but one that is not all that surprising considering where we saw him running in the first four races. He pulls out a top ten in the Indianapolis 500, something that is victory for this team and can bridge him into the summer. He has a run of podium finishes that has everyone's attention and it includes his second victory of the season at Mid-Ohio. Another top five at Toronto has him in the championship lead. 

Iowa is about getting the most from a difficult situation. A pair of top ten finishes limit the damage before getting back on the podium at Nashville. He sweeps the IMS road course races, gets another top ten at Gateway and then wins at Portland with a top five at Laguna Seca sealing the championship.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Considering the resources of JHR, anything in the top fifteen would be a great year for this season. We know the team can produce speed. Ilott significantly exceeded expectations on qualifying pace. Even with those great qualifying performances we saw, Ilott still started outside the top fifteen in nine of 16 starts. JHR is still a small team. The pit crew is not at the level of Penske or Ganassi. The engineers are not at the same level. The team is not developing its own dampers. 

Ilott can only do so much, but he can be rather remarkable. It will be difficult for him to finish in the top five, but not impossible. It will not be a regular thing for him, but he could pull it off once or twice in 2023. Top ten finishes could happen in every other race. Eight top ten finishes is achievable, but that is the high end for this team's season. Five or six top ten finishes feels more practical.

Agustín Canapino - #78 Visit Argentina Chevrolet

Numbers to Remember:

2: Canapino is one of two motorsports competitors to win the Olimpia de Oro, the prize given to Argentina's sportsperson of the year. The other motorsports competitor to win it was Juan Manuel Fangio. 

15: Turismo Carretera race victories

26: Súper TC2000 race victories

8,267: Days between the last time an Argentine driver started an IndyCar race and the 2023 St. Petersburg season opener. The most recent Argentine to start an IndyCar race was Noberto Fontana at Toronto on July 16, 2000. 

What does a championship season look like for him?

It would have to be a combination of what Álex Palou did in 2021, Scott McLaughlin did in 2022 and a bit of what Robert Wickens did in 2018. Canapino would have to be the best driver from day one at St. Petersburg and leave everyone floored at his ability. Then Canapino would have to do it again and again and again. He would have to shatter everyone's preconceived notion about his abilities, including probably even his own. 

Canapino would need a run of top five results to open the season and then have an Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year worthy run. In the second half of the season, an average finish around 7.5 with at least three victories and five podium finishes would be enough to take an improbable championship. 

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Testing pace was rather encouraging for Canapino. He was 21st out of 27 drivers at the Thermal Club, but the second fastest rookie, and faster than Graham Rahal, Rinus VeeKay, Santino Ferrucci and Conor Daly. He is far from the top, but he wasn't rock bottom. 

It will be an exhausting season. Every track will be new. He will be caught out at a few tracks and be holding on to the rear of the field. It is unlikely he is racing to crack the top fifteen at many races this year. If he is cracking the top twenty a handful of times that could make it a great season. Ovals will be completely new to him. There is a good chance he will be the lowest driver in the championship among the full-time drivers. There should be enough daylight between him and Ilott in the final championship to drive a few Mack Trucks through. However, I think we will see Canapino improve over each round. 

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: Juncos Hollinger Racing's 2022 Season

The second 2022 IndyCar Wrap-Up takes us to the only full-time single-car team that participated this season. Juncos Hollinger Racing ran the final three races of the 2021 season with frankly no success beyond getting a car on the grid, as it used that time as a glorified test program. Some of the growing pains showed early this season, but JHR found impressive speed over the course of the 17 races, though the results didn't always reflect that.

Callum Ilott

Ilott was on the grid for the final three races of 2021 as the Brit got a feel for an IndyCar. The Ferrari Driver Academy member ran the full IndyCar season, making his debut on ovals as well as a number of other circuits. There were plenty of pains, both physical and mental, but Ilott showed great promise and exited the 2022 season as one of the leading prospects. 

What objectively was his best race?
Ilott was eighth in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis after qualifying seventh and spending much of the race in the top ten despite the changing conditions. It was a big breakout for the Brit.

What subjectively was his best race?

There were many impressive results this season. I think Iowa was Ilott's best weekend period. He started both races in 22nd but ended up 12th in Saturday race and on the lead lap in 11th in the Sunday race. Considering Ilott had no oval experience entering this season, the fact he was competing for the top ten in both Iowa races is quite remarkable. 

What objectively was his worst race?
It would be 32nd in the Indianapolis 500, which left him with a broken wrist and kept him out of the car for Belle Isle.

What subjectively was his worst race?

There weren't many bad days for Ilott. The season ended on a sour note when an engine failure took him out of Laguna Seca after starting second and possibly being in line for another top ten finish. He had some tough runs early in the year as the team struggled for speed, but the team had it at most races. I think Toronto was disappointing because he started seventh and front wing damage sent him into the turn three runoff, but he was able to recover to finish 14th. 

He also had second round qualifying appearances at Barber and Mid-Ohio. At Barber, he spun in turn seven and beached the car. He was losing position on worn tires but he was better than 25th. At Mid-Ohio, he lost an engine 57 laps into the race while in contention for a top ten result. Not his fault, but still a bummer nonetheless. 

Callum Ilott's 2022 Statistics
Championship Position: 20th (219 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 7
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 6
Average Start: 15.375

Average Finish: 17.5

An Early Look Ahead

Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced it is retaining Ilott and will expand to two cars for the 2023 season. Things are moving in the right direction for this operation. 

Ilott may have had an average finish of 17.5, 21st among IndyCar regulars, but he was much better than that, and we saw it in qualifying. Ilott made the second round of qualifying in six races and ended the season starting on the front row at Laguna Seca. The race pace didn't always transfer over, but he had good performances considering how new everything was to him this year.

JHR showed its limitations. There were plenty of races where Ilott made the second round and then went backward. Those weren't terrible drop offs and he remained in the middle of the field, but it is an area this team will need to improve on next year. 

Ilott showed he is a driver for the future. He looked good at many places, including ovals. At Texas, he got in as many laps as he could, and he didn't have the greatest pace there. He was notably slow late in that race, basically surviving to get to the finish. At Iowa, Ilott was a threat for a top ten finish. That is encouraging for a rookie with no oval experience prior to this season, especially when you consider Ilott broke his wrist at the Indianapolis 500. We have seen many drivers get hurt and be spooked. For Ilott, we didn't see him slow down after that. 

We must acknowledge that Ilott's long-term outlook in IndyCar isn't with Juncos Hollinger Racing. Many teams were sniffing around this kid during the season. If he makes even a marginal improvement in 2023, it will be unlikely he will return to JHR for 2024. A bigger team will sign him. He is primed to be a race winner and champion. JHR knows that. Its building with Ilott and hoping to be better situated when the post-Ilott era begins. 

This group will expand to two cars, which is good in theory. JHR was the lone single-car team in IndyCar. Single-car teams are always fighting uphill. A second car should do wonders. However, this is still a small organization. It is going to need to hire more people while also managing the shortcomings we saw in 2021. While doubling the number of entrants, it could increase the chances at success, it could also increase the number of failures. 

It remains unclear the direction JHR will go with the second car. It could repeat what it did with Ilott and hire a European developed driver. There is plenty talent out there that could lift this program and catch out the rest of IndyCar, but there is a chance a new driver comes in with a new car, new tires, new circuits and cannot get a grip on IndyCar in year one. If it is someone with no oval experience, that could be a further setback and a mental roadblock. 

There are veterans out there that could lift the team, but it is a risk joining a new team that is adding a second entry, which hasn't shown consistent success yet. Not to mention this team isn't loaded with funding. In terms of just attracting a driver, I am not sure which veteran JHR would appeal to. It doesn't feel like a top tier driver, but someone who has been an average IndyCar driver. The foundation has been laid that JHR could challenge for the top fifteen in the championship with Ilott. Whomever they hire for the second car should at least match Ilott's potential. 

We will get plenty of answers in time. For now, JHR is heading in the right direction and will be looking for greater success in 2023.

2022 IndyCar Team Preview: Juncos Hollinger Racing

The penultimate 2022 IndyCar Team Preview looks at the only single-car team on the grid, Juncos Hollinger Racing.

An unexpected entry late in the 2021 season, Juncos Racing returned to IndyCar after over two years away with the introduction of co-owner Brad Hollinger, who was a shareholder and board member for Williams F1. With Hollinger a part of the program, the team brought in Callum Ilott for the final three races of the season, as the team was preparing for a full-time effort in 2022. Ilott was also considering a full-time IndyCar switch after being on the Formula One ladder system.

It just so happened that the two decided to partner for 2022 and now both team and driver look to complete their first full IndyCar season. 

2021 Juncos Hollinger Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 22nd (Laguna Seca)

Poles: 0

Best Starting Position: 18th (Long Beach)

Championship Finishes: 38th (Callum Ilott)

Callum Ilott - #77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

Ilott joined IndyCar for the final three races of the 2021 season in the #77 JHR Chevrolet. With no testing, his debut came at Portland, where he started 19th. He was hit at the start, but kept going, and was running solidly in the middle of the field. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue ended his race after 77 of 110 laps.

Laguna Seca was rougher on the Briton, as he qualified 26th out of 27 cars, and he had an accident in the morning warm-up. The team got the car repaired, and Ilott completed 94 of 95 laps, finishing 22nd. Long Beach mirrored his Portland outing. He qualified 18th, but the car broken down after 47 laps, and he was classified in 26th. 

Outside of IndyCar, Ilott spent 2021 as a Ferrari and Alfa Romeo test and reserve driver in Formula One, and also running GT sports cars for Ferrari teams. He ran the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season, where he had two fourth-place finishes, and he was third in the GTE-Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This came after he was vice-champion in the 2020 Formula Two season behind Mick Schumacher. Ilott won three races, finished on the podium six times and in the points 18 times out of 24 races.

Numbers to Remember:

20.842: Juncos Hollinger Racing's average finish in 19 IndyCar starts.

17: Top five finishes for Ilott in 47 Formula Two stars.

3: Drivers entered for the 2022 Formula One season that Ilott finishes ahead of in the 2020 Formula Two season (Yuki Tsunoda, Nikita Mazepin and Guanyu Zhou, who was Ilott's teammate that season).

What does a championship season look like for him?

Something incredible. 

Ilott's talent that led him to be a Ferrari Driver Academy member shines bright immediately in IndyCar. He goes out and wins the first race, stunning the IndyCar world, but having the Formula One world scoff at any thought of it being a respectable championship seeing as how a kid who was barely a test/reserve driver in Formula One won with a back-marker IndyCar team. 

In race two of the season at Texas, Ilott's first oval, he just survives, finishing the race, but he is multiple laps down. But he bounces back and wins at Long Beach and then Barber. Another podium follows at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and for the Indianapolis 500 he finishes on the lead lap. That is enough of an achievement for him. 

At Belle Isle, it is a top five finish before a podium at Road America and a victory at Mid-Ohio. He gets a top ten result in Toronto, before finishing off the lead lap in both Iowa races and outside the top ten in each. He is back in the top five on the IMS road course and he is on the podium at Nashville. For Gateway, he pulls out a top ten result, filling him for the final two races, which sees another victory at Portland and a top five at Laguna Seca.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Nothing like Ilott's theoretical path to the championship. It is a rookie with what is effectively a new team. Juncos Racing has dabbled in IndyCar, but it has never made a full run at it, and it will be learning along the way. 

Juncos Racing's best finish is 15th, which was in its first race back in the 2017 Indianapolis 500. Between René Binder, Alfonso Celis, Jr. and Kyle Kaiser, the team has yet to have a remotely competitive day on a road or street course. The team has brought on additional resources from Carlin, which has quietly exited IndyCar after four seasons, but I am not sure that will be enough to turn the team into a regular top ten contender. 

Ilott will be learning majority of these circuits, notably all the ovals. There might be a few days where it clicks, but with the depth of IndyCar, and this being the only single-car team on the grid, any top fifteen finish will be a great day, and any top ten finishes will be sensational. 

This is the team we know the least about entering the season. We know they will be there, but we don't know what sponsors it has. Ilott has mentioned that this is a "gap year" for him, as he is not officially a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy anymore, but he hints his plans are to be back in Formula One and involved in the European scene next year. 

We know Ricardo Juncos will be there. Juncos is committed to the Road to Indy, and he will keep those programs going, but after the struggles in his first launch into IndyCar and a tough three-race audition at the end of last season, combined with a driver that is new to North America and might not be fully invested, this is a questionable pairing for success.

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: The Part-Timers' 2019 Seasons

We have reached the halfway point of the IndyCar team reviews and this one will look at the part-time teams, the teams that made cameos throughout 2019. Some of these part-timers showed great potential if they expand to full-time operations. Other teams leave 2019 with many questions.

Meyer Shank Racing
The Ohio-based team increased its IndyCar participation in 2019, running ten races, four more than 2018. The increase in races was not a mistake as the team had some stellar days and outperformed the expectations of many.

Jack Harvey and Meyer Shank Racing might be one of the happiest teams heading into 2019 offseason

Jack Harvey
Harvey's third partial season in IndyCar was his best yet. He and MSR were mixing it up with the big boys and brought home terrific results as a part-time outfit. This season makes full-time aspirations not only seem more likely but this team could be a notable player in IndyCar's future.

What objectively was his best race?
Harvey was third in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and it was a race where he was at the front for the entirety of the affair.

What subjectively was his best race?
It is hard to top third in any race but Harvey started third in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and he was keeping up with the big boys. For a portion of that race he was quicker than Scott Dixon and it appeared Harvey had what it took to win the race! It didn't work out that way and when the rain started late in the race Dixon got stronger and Simon Pagenaud got stronger as well. Not to mention the superiority of the likes of Penske and Ganassi was made clear through pit stops and that put Harvey behind. It was still a great outing and an encouraging sign from this team.

What objectively was his worst race?
It was 22nd at Long Beach after Harvey made contact with Marcus Ericsson into the fountain section and Harvey ended up in the flowerbed. Harvey was able to continue but he had already lost a pair of laps and he would lose another before he would see the checkered flag.

What subjectively was his worst race?
It was Portland because Harvey started fourth and was taken out from behind while running fourth after only 13 laps. Ryan Hunter-Reay completely missed the braking point and he bowled into Harvey and Harvey got the worst of it. Hunter-Reay was able to continue but Harvey lost the opportunity to at least match if not better his career best finish. It was completely out of Harvey's hand.

Jack Harvey's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: 21st (186 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 4
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 5
Average Start: 14.5
Average Finish: 14.2

DragonSpeed
The American-owned sports car operation entered the single-seater fold and it brought Ben Hanley back to single-seater competition for the first time in a decade. Even facing low expectations, DragonSpeed out-kicked the coverage.

Ben Hanley was a new face in IndyCar circles

Ben Hanley
Hanley had been out of single-seater racing since 2010 but his return went much better than anyone could have planned. He might not have been the fastest driver out there but he got a surprise qualifying effort at St. Petersburg and made the Indianapolis 500, his first time on an oval, when most had penciled DragonSpeed as the team going home.

What objectively was his best race?
Hanley's best finish statistically was 18th at St. Petersburg and that came after a red flag in qualifying led to a surprise result. Hanley ended up advancing to the second round of qualifying on debut and he started 12th! The car wasn't close to that position on pure pace. It was a bit of beginner's luck for this lot but while Hanley wasn't lightning at St. Petersburg he had a respectable debut.

What subjectively was his best race?
It isn't a race but subjectively the best thing Ben Hanley and DragonSpeed did in 2019 was make the Indianapolis 500. This team didn't get in by the skin of the its teeth but Hanley qualified 27th ahead of Andretti Autosports' Zach Veach and Chip Ganassi Racing's Felix Rosenqvist.

Many had pegged Hanley and DragonSpeed to miss the race. It was a new team with a driver who had never raced on an oval before and a driver that had been out of single-seater racing for nine years. It was hard to see how this group could get in the race but Indianapolis is a place where if you focus on just having enough speed, not a blazing amount but just enough, you will make the race. DragonSpeed was never going to be competing for pole position or the Fast Nine but it shot to be in the mid-to-low 20s and the team got it with Hanley ending up 27th.

What objectively was his worst race?
It is Indianapolis because Hanley was classified in 32nd but that was after a differential problem led to the end of his race after 54 laps.

Hanley wasn't setting the world on fire but I wish he got more an opportunity to run the Indianapolis 500. He would have likely finished two or three laps down but it would have been a valuable experience for this team to run as many miles as it could and something completely out of the driver's hands failed. That is part of racing.

What subjectively was his worst race?
Hanley only ran three races in 2019 and since we talked about St. Petersburg and Indianapolis, let's mention Barber, where he started 24th and finished 21st, two laps down.

It is not something to wildly celebrate but I should also say it wasn't a terrible showing. Hanley was learning in his few starts this year and he wasn't a hazard. I only wish we had gotten to see more of DragonSpeed and Hanley. We will have to wait for 2020.

Ben Hanley's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: 30th (31 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 21
Average Finish: 23.667

Juncos Racing
It was a year of highs and lows for Juncos Racing. The team did not run as many races as it in 2018 but it left a greater impression in two races than it did in 12 races in 2018.

Kyle Kaiser was the underdog that won over the masses in 2019

Kyle Kaiser
The 2017 Indy Lights champion returned for two races but what Kaiser left on the 2019 season was everything he did at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

What objectively was his best race?
Kaiser made two starts in 2019 and his best finish was 18th at Austin from 21st on the grid. Even better for Kaiser it was the first time he finished on the lead lap in his IndyCar career.

What subjectively was his best race?
Similar to Hanley, the best thing Kaiser and Juncos Racing did all year was qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and Kaiser did it with his back against the wall.

Practice was looking good for Kaiser and Juncos Racing. It seemed this car was going to make the field comfortably and then he had his accident on Fast Friday an hour into the practice session. The team's car that it dedicated to qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 was gone and the scramble was on to turn the backup car around into something that had previously raced at Austin to qualify at over 227 MPH and make the Indianapolis 500.

We have seen every story play out at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We have seen the little teams show up, fight as hard as they can but not come close or have an accident end the dream early. We have seen the little team pull it out of nowhere. Juncos Racing and Kaiser did something incredible.

The team made one qualifying attempt on Saturday but was not quick enough. It pushed all its chips to the center of the table for one final run on Sunday. It drew the final spot in the Last Row Shootout, on the bubble were McLaren with Fernando Alonso and Kaiser got in the field by 0.0129 seconds. McLaren being knocked out alone was a stunner but to have the minnow Juncos Racing do it after the drama of the previous 48 hours is the legendary story that will be told for years to come.

What objectively was his worst race?
The Indianapolis 500 itself was not as kind to Kaiser and Juncos Racing. Kaiser spun exiting turn three and his race was over after 71 laps, leaving him with a 31st place result.

What subjectively was his worst race?
No one wants to have an accident, especially in the Indianapolis 500.

If there is a bad thing about 2019 it is we did not get to see more of Juncos Racing after the team started 12 of 17 races in 2018. I would have been fine with the team getting a driver with a paycheck to fund 4-8 races.

Each team takes its own path to full-time competition and a reduction in races does not mean things are bleak for the future of Juncos Racing. I think we can all agree we are pulling for Juncos Racing. We want this team to make it because Ricardo Juncos has put his life into this operation and this team existing and competing in IndyCar is great for IndyCar. It shows what IndyCar can be. It can bring together the giants of Penske, Ganassi, Andretti and McLaren and those giants can fall to the humble Juncos.

Kyle Kaiser's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: 32nd (22 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 27
Average Finish: 24.5

McLaren
Last year, everyone thought McLaren would come into IndyCar and be a disruptor. Everyone thought McLaren could come in and take Scott Dixon away from Chip Ganassi Racing and pair him with Fernando Alonso. At the end of 2019, that could not seem more unconceivable.

Speaking of Fernando Alonso...

Fernando Alonso
I am not sure what else we can say about McLaren, Fernando Alonso and the combo's failed Indianapolis 500 effort for 2019 but let's go back and look at what I wrote in February and see how wrong it was:

What I Wrote:

McLaren is not going to be tripped up when it comes to the smaller stuff. McLaren did its homework. It has prepared for this race but there is always something that you cannot plan for and can only learn through experience. Those could be the things that catch this team out. 

I am not worried about Alonso. We have seen the Spaniard take on challenge after challenge the last two years and he has never been unprepared. He doesn't think he has got it and tries to figure it out on the fly. The dedication he put into his 2017 program was outstanding and that was with six weeks of preparation. He has been working on 2019 since he left the banquet on Memorial Day 2017. He stepped into sports cars and won Le Mans on debut and won the 24 Hours of Daytona in his second shot at it. He is not going to be a problem and after all, he is going to have the most to gain out of everybody in that race. This isn't some type of bucket list event for him. This is attempting to ascend to a higher level. 

Bob Fernley has been placed as head of McLaren's IndyCar effort. Fernley had previously worked as team principal at Force India. It would be more surprising if McLaren struggles than if McLaren succeeds. I don't think McLaren is going to come in and be 26th but I don't see the team replicating what it did in 2017 and, as I said before, that has nothing to do with Alonso. It is a new car, it is a new engine manufacture and it will be a new group working on the car. There are too many differences to expect Alonso to waltz back in and be back in the top five. I think he is going to have to work harder this time around and even if that is the case I think he can be competitive and be in the top ten.

Well...
Almost all of that is wrong.

McLaren did get tripped up on the small stuff. The team's backup car wasn't ready because it was the wrong shade of orange and was still in the paint shop.

The team couldn't make the top 33, let alone the top 26 or top ten.

We can talk about what would have happened if Alonso does not have his practice accident, if the team doesn't lose a day waiting for paint to dry and if the team wasn't scrambling for a setup to put the car in the field. If the practice accident never occurs, perhaps Alonso is 25th but that didn't happen in this universe.

It is hard to fault Alonso. Yes, he is the pilot and he was in control when the practice accident happened but he gave it his all and each day he was the first car on the outside. Each day he missed it by 0.02 MPH and 0.019 MPH. I am not sure any driver has come as close as he did to qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 on multiple days and not made the field!

I think Alonso prepared as best as he could. There wasn't much else he could have done but it turned out the people around him were not on the same level of preparedness.

Fernando Alonso's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: Not Classified
Wins: Not Applicable
Podiums: Not Applicable
Top Fives: Not Applicable
Top Tens: Not Applicable
Laps Led: Not Applicable
Poles: Not Applicable
Fast Sixes: Not Applicable
Fast Twelves: Not Applicable
Average Start: Not Applicable

Average Finish: Not Applicable

An Early Look Ahead
Let's tackle these team's one at a time...

Meyer Shank Racing is on the cusp of full-time competition. The only races MSR did not run in 2019 were the four ovals that aren't Indianapolis, Belle Isle and Toronto. Ten races is a healthy schedule. The team has not committed to a full season in 2020 and if the team chooses to run ten races again in 2020 then that is good but this team could shake things up if it were to run full-time. Jack Harvey is a talented driver and this team could be on the cusp of the top ten in the championship if it were full-time. MSR will be back in 2020 but the question is for how long?

DragonSpeed withdrew from FIA World Endurance Championship competition to turn attention to its IndyCar effort and European Le Mans Series operation. The only reason the team was unable to run more in 2019 were team members were denied visas and the team could not compete at the final two rounds because of ELMS commitments. If DragonSpeed is going to run more or be full-time in 2020 it is going to have to expand. It is going to need a dedicated IndyCar team and probably a dedicated driver. I like Ben Hanley and I would love to see him get more of a shot but if he is split with the ELMS program then that is not going to be for the best of the IndyCar program. If Hanley is not going to be the dedicated IndyCar drive there are plenty of drivers out there that DragonSpeed could bring into the fold.

Juncos Racing had a successful Road to Indy operation in 2019 but the team's IndyCar effort took a step back and the team's expansion into IMSA's prototype class was going well until Victor Franzoni had a hard accident at Mosport. I just want to see Juncos Racing make a step forward from 2019. There is nothing to suggest that will be the case in 2020 and the team might not be so fortunate next year in the month of May.

McLaren is in bed with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and we touched upon that already but let's focus this on Fernando Alonso's future with the IndyCar program. Everything points to there being an Indianapolis 500 entry for him but how long will Alonso stick with McLaren? He cannot have another qualifying hiccup and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports is a team with its own Indianapolis 500 qualifying struggles. Would Alonso give up on the Triple Crown if McLaren is not able to properly support him or would he move to another IndyCar operation? McLaren is the only one footing his salary and other than Penske, I am not sure any other IndyCar team could match his first offer.

There are a lot of questions surrounding McLaren and its increased presences in IndyCar and in typical McLaren fashion none of them are answered quickly nor clearly. Why would the same be different regarding Alonso?