IndyCars - The off-season: Series news and comment until the March 2014 kick-off

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IndyCar driver Jan Heylen gets an upgrade for 2022…

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One of the most exciting Porsche pilots in North American Sports Car racing is Champ car veteran Jan Heylen. The 41-year-old Belgian had arguably the best year in his career in 2021, taking no less than THREE national titles - Champion of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Pro-Am Cup, IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport class Champion and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class Michelin Endurance Cup Champion, along with Patrick Long and Trent Hindman and in all three cases, while driving for Wright Motorsports.

Yesterday, it was announced that Heylen will take over the WeatherTech 2022 # 16 Wright Motorsports GTD Pro class Porsche 911 GT3 R from retiring Patrick Long. Jan’s co-driver in the car will be his MPC co-driver this year, Ryan Hardwick. And making it even better, for the Michelin Endurance Cup races they will get the services of GTD class 2021 Champion Zacharie Robichon.

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Jan Heylen (left) and Ryan Hardwick at Road Atlanta

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Zacharie Robichon

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The guys will be competing against Porsche factory drivers in the new GTD Pro class, including the squad at PFAFF Motorsports, which was Zacharie’s home for the last few years. We know that Jan is up for this. The guy is phenomenal in a Porsche!

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Congrats, Jan!

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IndyCar driver Jack Hawksworth will drive for Lexus in GTD Pro class in 2022…

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The former Indy Pro 2000 Champion and IndyCar driver will drive for Vasser Sullivan in their new GTD Pro class effort in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in his usual mount, the # 14 Lexus RCF-GT3. Driving with him will be fellow Englishman and ex-McLaren factory driver Ben Barnicoat. Making it all better is IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood who will be the squad’s “add” for the Michelin Endurance Cup races, as he was in 2021.

The team immediately put out this hero card featuring (left to right) Kyle, Jack and Ben:

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The team’s next move will be to announce their GTD Pro/Am class squad to drive the # 12 Lexus RCF GTD. They have several good pilots to choose from, including IndyCar drivers Aaron Telitz, Zach Veach and Rob Megennis, all of whom drove for Vasser Sullivan for the last few years.

left to right, Aaron Telitz, Zach Veach and Rob Megennis

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When a choice is made we will let you know.

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The Indy Lights hold a second day of practice at Sebring…

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On Tuesday, a mix of 13 potential and realized Indy Lights drivers tested on the short course at Sebring for 4 teams - Andretti Autosport, TJ Speed Motorsports, HMD Motorsports and Abel Motorsports. On Wednesday, 12 of the 13 returned to the track and put in more laps. We have the results of those runs here.

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Here was the order of speed for the Indy Lights Sebring test, Day 2: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Sting Ray Robb, Andretti Autosport - time of 55.890s

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2 - Danial Frost, HMD Motorsports - time of 55.990s

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3 - Benjamin Pedersen, Global Racing Group w/ HMD Motorsports - time of 56.034s

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4 - Hunter McElrea [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 56.035s

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5 - Matthew Brabham [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 56.095s

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6 - Manuel Sulaiman, HMD Motorsports - time of 56.116s

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7 - Kyffin Simpson [R], TJ Speed Motorsports - time of 56.169s

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8 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 56.229s

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9 - Ernie Francis, Jr. [R], HMD Motorsports - time of 56.239s

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10 - Artem Petrov [R], TJ Speed Motorsports - time of 56.374s

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11 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports - time of 56.581s

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12 - Christian Bogle, HMD Motorsports - time of 56.697s

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Notable:

• Sting Ray had an unremarkable “learning year” in the Lights in 2021, driving for Juncos Racing, but that was following an outstanding year as Champion of Indy Pro 2000, and that title form was on display again on Wednesday. When Robb feels he is ready to WIN races he will WIN races. His time on Wednesday was TOPS for the 2-day test.

• Matthew Brabham is one of the most experienced drivers in this field. The Road to Indy ace is a rookie here only because he has so little time in the Dallara IL-15. He is expected to be signed for the full season by Andretti Autosport.

• The entire field was covered by less than 0.9 seconds and the TOP SEVEN by less than 0.3 seconds.

• Already signed for the 2022 season are Robb, Frost, Pedersen, McElrea, Simpson and Rasmussen. Jacob Abel is a shoo-in to be signed by family team Abel Motorsports, should they decide to go Indy Lights racing, and Ernie Francis, Jr. would run under the banner of Force Indy, should they decide the time is right.

• Not putting in time Wednesday was James Roe who drove for TJ Speed Motorsports on Tuesday. Also putting in no time on either day was Linus Lundqvist, who is expected to drive for GRG w/HMD Motorsports in 2023.

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AWOL on Wednesday - James Roe (left) and Linus Lundqvist

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If any more confirmations come as a result of these tests we will let you know.

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On Tuesday, Nolan Siegel announced his jump up to Indy Pro 2000…

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The now 17-year-old will make the move from USF2000 to Indy Pro 2000, but stay with the same team, DEForce Racing. Nolan leaves USF2000 with a record of 6 podiums, 2 poles 2 Fatest Laps and a WIN.

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Nolan Siegel

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In the last two seasons Siegel has become a perpetual front runner, always at the pointy end of the field. In addition to his open-wheel experience Nolan also has SportsCar experience, with three starts in the Michelin Pilot Challenge and 1 start at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, all driving an Audi for CarBahn Motorsports with Peregrine Racing.

In addition, he was one of the race WINNING drivers in the WRL 8 Hour at Circuit of the Americas in an Aston Martin a year ago, driving for Stoner Car Care/Automatic Racing.

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Siegel will jump into anything when he gets the chance and make it go fast.

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[MarkyS]

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Takuma Sato lands at Dale Coyne Racing for 2022…

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The 2-time Indy 500 race WINNER was replaced at Rahal Letterman Lanigan by Christian Lundgaard for 2022 but has found a home with Dale Coyne Racing with Cody Ware Racing. Takuma will drive the # 51 Honda vacated by Romain Grosjean, when he shifted over to Andretti Autosport.

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Takuma Sato - over to DCR w/RWR

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Said the youthful 45-year-old, “I am extremely excited that we were able to work out a deal with Dale, Rick and everyone at Dale Coyne Racing. With Honda an integral part of Dale Coyne Racing, it seemed like a great fit. The team has proven year after year that they are very competitive on all types of circuits.

“Particularly the speed that team has shown in recent years at the Indy 500 were very impressive. I am really looking forward to working with my new environment and can’t wait to get started.”

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Dale Coyne Racing is also expected to partner with HMD Motorsports in 2022, and bring 2021 Indy Lights Vice-Champion David Malukas to the series in the doing. That will give the team a fast, young talent paired with a seasoned veteran who knows how to WIN at Indy - it’s a great plan and a great squad.

David Malukas

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Saty tuned for word on Malukas.

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Sage Karam and Santino Ferrucci will be at Indy in 2022…

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…and both will be driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, where Sage has found a home for several years for the annual classic. This will be Santino’s first foray with the team.

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Sage Karam…

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…and Santino Ferrucci - teammates for 2022 at Indy

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Both guys have been punching above their weight at Indy for years, now. Sage had a best showing of a P7 from a P31 start for DRR last year, while in his three races at Indy Santino has posted a P7 in 2019 (Rookie of the Year), a P4 in 2020 and a P6 last year.

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Sage at Indy in 2021 - a P7 from the last row

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Said Santino, “I am super-thrilled to join DRR. Nothing is better than being a part of a team that has such a high work ethic. The team’s attention to detail is comparable to top teams in the series.

“In my last two 500 races, we’ve been in the hunt to win, and I think I have grown a lot as a driver to understand that patience is needed to win. DRR has a great car and proved it last year with a seventh-place finish.”

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Santino at Indy in 2021 - from P23 to P6 for RLL

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Sage will stick with the # 24 Honda for DRR in 2022 while Santino will drive the # 23 Honda. The boys were teamed once before, as kids growing up karting, so this will be a reunion.

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It’s great to see these two at the 500 again. They definitely add excitement.

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R.I.P.

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Jacob Abel will go Indy Lights racing in 2022…

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…for family team Abel Motorsports, which has seen Jacob drive open-wheel in F4 United States, F3 Americas, Formula Regionals Americas and Indy Pro 2000, but the happy warrior from Louisville, Kentucky has also driven SportsCars for Racer’s Edge Motorsports and Compass Racing.

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Jacob Abel (right)

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Jacob’s greatest success is in F3 Americas and Formula Regionals America where he has 15 podiums, including 4 WINS. He also has a WIN in the Fantec GT World Challenge America Pro/Am Cup, driving an Acura NSX GT3.

In Indy Pro 2000 action Jacob pulled in 2 podiums in 2021, and with a new team headquarters in Indianapolis and former Belardi Auto Racing team manager John Brunner coming on board, the team figures it’s a perfect time to get into Indy Lights.

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Said Jacob, “This is the logical next step for the team and I. This will be one of the bigger challenges I have faced in my racing career but with the team I have around me and their Indy Lights experience I know I have the tools to succeed. Also having Partners like Crosley Brands continuing their support of me and the team means a lot. I love representing them and having them around, and I hope I can deliver them some more trips to victory lane.”

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The Crosley sponsored Dallara IL-15 for Abel Motorsports, 2022

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[MarkyS]

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Rob Megennis has found a home in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship…

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…for 2022. The Road to Indy driver is coming off his 2nd season of Indy Lights for Andretti Autosport, where he has collected 8 podiums and 1 WIN over the last two years. Mixed in with all that Lights driving Rob has been adding in IMSA driving for Vasser Sullivan in their # 12 Lexus RCF GT3, co-driving as the team “add” in all four Michelin Cup Endurance Cup races for 2021. His drive at the Petit Le Mans this year netted him and co-drivers Frankie Montecalvo and IndyCar driver Zach Veach a podium finish in the GTD class.

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Rob Megennis

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Yesterday, Peregrine Racing named Rob to co-drive the team’s new Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo with Jeff Westphal, who has been the pilot in their Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo for a few seasons. The car will compete under the banner of CarBahn Motorsports with Peregrine Racing, as did the Audi.

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The new Lamborghini HuracanGT3 Evo for CarBahn / Peregrine

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Said Rob, “I’m eager to apply all that I’ve learned from racing in Indy Lights and from running the 2021 Michelin Endurance Cup to my first full year in sports cars. Peregrine is an amazing team, Lamborghini is an incredible manufacturer, and I cannot wait to partner with someone as talented and experienced as Jeff.”

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On last Thursday Helio Castroneves unveiled the 2022 Indy 500 ticket…

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…with his image on it, celebrating his historic 4th WIN last May. Thursday’s 2022 ticket unveiling was held in front of a live audience at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show.

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Helio (2nd from left) at the unveiling. IMS President Doug Boles is on the right

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The artistic shot taken by Chris Owens shows Castroneves with the symbols of his record-tying “500” victory: Four fingers raised, the traditional winner’s wreath, the Borg-Warner Trophy and a portion of his winning car in the background.

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The next honor for Helio will be the unveiling of his 4th likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy, and that is upcoming.

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One picture is worth a thousand word…

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Recently, one of the things ex-Formula One driver Romain Grosjean said in his advice to young drivers who want to get to the top echelons of open-wheel was to consider IndyCars and one of the reasons he spoke of was the all-together better feeling of camaraderie in the paddock, compared to almost any series he could name. The cutthroat isn’t there. In fact, many of the drivers are buds

Take a look at this picture of a recent lunch that IndyCar driver Colton Herta took with some of his buds:

Clockwise, from the bottom left, Colton Herta, Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Rinus VeeKay, Callum Ilott, James Hinchcliffe, Marcus Eriksson and Devlin DeFrancesco.

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Where else are you going to see that?

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With the recent historic race in New South Wales for the Bathurst 1000…

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…which we spoke of in posts # 1553 and 1554, we thought it might be a good idea to celebrate 18,000 views of the thread with 4 of Bathurst’s loveliest Grid Girls:

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Thank you, ladies!

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On Friday, young American Yuven Sundaramoorthy CONFIRMED his ascension…

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…to Indy Pro 2000 for 2022, driving for Pabst Racing. Yuven has been a Pabst Racing “speed boy” for the last 3 years in USF2000, with a terrific 2021 season. Grabbing 4 poles, 5 Fastest Laps, 9 podiums and 4 WINS, the 18-year-old from Wisconsin came in 3rd in the points and almost stole the Vice-Championship.

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Yuven took the WINS

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Said Yuven, “I’m really excited to take the next step up on the ladder and be closer to IndyCar. Also happy to be back with Pabst Racing and I feel like we have a really good chance to bring home the championship.”

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Yuven at the 2021 Chris Griffis Memorial Test for Pabst Racing in their PM-18

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During the 2022 season, Yuven will continue to balance his education with racing. He is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying computer science where he is also a part of the Formula SAE team - the quest for student engineers to design and test a small formula car from scratch.

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Sundaramoorthy is the 5th guy to CONFIRM for Indy Pro 2000 and the 3rd rookie to do so. More will come.

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On Monday, Conor Daly jumped into a USAC Midget for many hot laps…

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Of the current crop of IndyCar drivers Daly is clearly the best in a Midget, and one reason for that was his willingness to look bad for a while, as he learned. He is still learning and will be the first to tell you that, but his enthusiasm refuses to wane. He will be going to his 3rd Chili Bowl Nationals in early 2022 in Tulsa.

On Monday he was able to do a full day of testing - a RARITY - at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina, and making it even better, he had the coaching of Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe - two of the best in these little monsters.

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left to right, Conor, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe

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Daly’s mount for Monday at Millbridge

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Conor sent out this quick vid:

Conor Daly

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Daly is hoping to return to Ed Carpenter Racing as the road and street course driver for the # 20 Chevrolet IndyCar, but it all depends on whether or not he can find sponsorship, as his 2021 sponsor, the US Air Force, has decided not to return as an IndyCar sponsor in 2022. As of now, Conor is still out in the cold.

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James Hinchcliffe is retiring from full-time IndyCar driving…

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The Mayor of Hinchtown has decided to hang up his full-season spurs for a Dallara DW12 and sent out this letter to all his fans:

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James Hinchcliffe

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A couple of things to note: James is NOT retiring from racing. In fact, we know he may end up in IMSA SportsCars, this coming season, in one capacity or another. Secondly, he doesn’t even leave out the possibility of an Indy 500 or two in his future, either.

Furthermore, we know that Paul Tracy will NOT be returning to his broadcast seat at NBC this coming season, and Hinch has been groomed to be a full-time broadcaster for years. He MAY end up in the booth with Leigh Diffy and Townsend Bell, so his connections to IndyCar are hardly at an end.

One reason he may have been more willing to end his days as a full-timer is the knowledge that Canada will still get representation in the series with Dalton Kellett at AJ Foyt Enterprises and now also with Devlin DeFrancesco, who is essentially taking over his car at Andretti Autosport.

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Dalton Kellett (left) and Devlin DeFrancesco

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Guaranteed, we will still be hearing from Hinchcliffe

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Thomas Nepveu is returning for a sophomore season of USF2000…

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…The great Canadian karter had his rookie season of formula car driving in USF2000 this year, driving for Cape Motorsports. With their help he earned 10 TOP TENS, 3 TOP FIVES and his first WIN at Road America. On Tuesday, the 17-year-old announced that he will be returning to the series, but under the tutelage of the guys at DEForce Racing, making Thomas the first “get” for the team in USF2000 for 2022.

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Thomas Nepveu

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Nepveu drove very well for DEForce Racing at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in late October, posting 3 P6s, 2 P4s and a P1 in Test 5.

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Thomas in the DEForce # 10 Tatuus USF-17 at Indianapolis for the CGMT

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Said Thomas, “I am thrilled to join DEForce for the 2022 USF2000 series. Working with them for a few test sessions showed me their ability and I am ready to attack the coming season with nothing else than a hunger to win the Championship.”

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Nepveu was able to translate his prowess as a karter to the formula car quite quickly in 2021. We expect with the help of David and Ernesto Martinez he will be a front runner all season in 2022.

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David Malukas CONFIRMED for Dale Coyne Racing in 2022…

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This was the least secret confirmation of the Silly Season, as it was well known that David’s Indy Lights family team HMD Motorsports was trying to join with an IndyCar team to not only bring David into the big cars but also to strengthen their Lights efforts and that is what is happening here. Henry Malukas, the HMD team principal, will team with Dale Coyne to form Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports, and the 20-year-old Indy Lights Vice Champion for 2021 will be their driver in the # 18 Honda, replacing Ed Jones, who drove in it for the last two seasons

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David Malukas

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David had perhaps his best season in the Road to Indy in 2021, with an outstanding season-long and down-to-the-wire battle with Champion Kyle Kirkwood for the series crown. David collected 7 WINS and 16 podiums from 20 races and led the chase at times.

The very personable Chicago native said, “I am very happy to join Dale Coyne Racing for my first season in the NTT IndyCar Series. It has been my dream since a little kid to get to this point, and I am thrilled to get it started with this team. After my first test with DCR, I felt right at home. They are like family already and I am excited to see what we can accomplish. Bring on 2022!”

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The DCR w/ HMD Motorsports Honda for David - gorgeous

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Dale Coyne tested David in the Fall at Barber Motorsports Park where he TOPPED all the other cars there, including Kyle Kirkwood, Devlin DeFrancesco, F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg and IndyCar veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay. It was David’s first time in an IndyCar but someone forgot to tell him.
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Said Dale, “I’ve been following David in Indy Lights and I was very pleased by what I saw. He had a remarkable season and then he impressed everyone when we tested him back in October. It was his first time in an IndyCar and he was the fastest one at the test, even ahead of a veteran driver. And, on top of it all, he comes from right down the road in Chicago, so it’s a perfect fit for us to run David next season."

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Dale Coyne (left) and Henry Malukas

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David will be up against a great crop of rookies for Rookie of the Year, so far including Kyle Kirkwood at AJ Foyt Enterprises, Christian Lundgaard at Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Callum Ilott, and Andretti Autosport’s Devlin DeFrancesco - the 3rd Indy Lights 2021 pilot to also graduate. It should be great fun to watch. His teammate will be Takuma Sato, recently announced himself, and that will be great for Malukas at Indy.

Takuma - Indy magic

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Jimmie Johnson has announced he will be FULL TIME in IndyCars in 2022…

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…and that, of course, means he will drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in the # 48 Honda in the 2022 Indy 500, as well as on the ovals at Texas Motor Speedway, Iowa Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, along with all the series road and street courses.

He made the announcement this morning on the Today Show:

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TODAY

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What this means for Tony Kanaan, who was Jimmie’s stand-in for ovals in 2021, no one has said, but it is expected that CGR will provide Kanaan with at least a ride in the Indy 500. We shall see.

Tony Kanaan

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It’s time for an IndyCar / IMSA grab bag of news…

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There are so many current and former IndyCar drivers in IMSA racing in several levels and classes that we always have lots of SportsCar news in our IndyCar-centric thread. Today we have three stories about IMSA racing that are also about IndyCar drivers:

First, Wayne Taylor Racing has announced their 2022 squad for the # 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Dpi-class car in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The full-season drivers will once again be Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, but instead of IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi as the team’s “add” for all four of the Michelin Endurance Cup races in the season, the team is asking 28-year-old Brit Will Stevens to do that job. BUT, Alexander will join the team as the 4th driver for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Alex, Felipe, Ricky and IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves were the 4 drivers in the car in 2021 and WON the race overall and in class.

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The 2022 Rolex 24 team at WTR

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Second, Indy Lights Champion and IndyCar driver Tristan Vautier will return for a 4th season of full-time driver duties in the # 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi V.R for JDC-Miller Motorsports. His teammate will not be Loic Duval, who has been with him for the last three years, but rather he gets veteran IMSA and WEC driver Richard Westbrook. Loic, who is going WEC racing for Peugeot for 2022, will return as the add for the Michelin Endurance Cup races, and 2021 LMP2 class Champion Ben Keating will be the 4th driver for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. This is a talented squad!

Tristan Vautier - back in the Mustang Sampling Caddy…

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…with Richard Westbrook (left), Loic Duval and Ben Keating (right) - strong!

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Finally, IndyCar driver Juan Pablo Montoya returns to full-time driver duties in the WeatherTech series as a co-driver in the DragonSpeed ORECA 07 Gibson in the LMP2 class with Henrik Hedman - a DragonSpeed stalwart for the last 9 years. Henrik was in the team’s LMP2 car when they WON the ProAm class at Le Mans in 2021.

Making the news special is the fact that Juan Pablo’s 16-year-old son Sebastian Montoya will join the squad for the 12 Hours of Sebring, this year. This will be the first time that Juan Pablo and Sebastian have ever raced together. Sebastian recently tested the team’s ORECA 07 at the World Endurance Championship’s Rookie Test in Bahrain. The team’s Rolex 24 at Daytona squad has not yet been named.

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Sebastian Montoya (left) and Juan Pablo at Bahrain - bound for the 12 Hours

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Henrik Hedman

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James Hinchcliffe joins the staff in the NBC broadcast booth for IndyCar races…

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…for 2022 and beyond. When we reported on the Canadian’s departure from full-time IndyCar driving (post # 1575), we speculated that Hinch would replace Paul Tracy in the booth, calling the races with Leigh Diffy and Townsend Bell and that is exactly what will happen. In addition to his IndyCar broadcast duties James will also do selected IMSA races - likely the endurance rounds that are usually filled with IndyCar drivers.

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Said James, “I couldn’t be more excited to join the NBC Sports team this year. I got a taste of calling IndyCar back in 2020 and that really solidified my desire to get into this side of the sport. It’s always been a passion of mine to educate people about IndyCar, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to help tell those stories from the booth alongside a couple of pros in Leigh and Townsend.”

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We expect James to bring two things: Information based on very recent experience and levity. No one is more personable that the Mayor of Hinchtown.

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