Dale Coyne Racing announces driver lineup for IndyCar opener
Dale Coyne Racing announced Jack Harvey and Colin Braun as its drivers for the IndyCar Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, filling two of the final voids on the grid for the March 10 season opener.
Harvey, an IndyCar veteran since 2017 who lost his ride late last year at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, will drive DCR's No. 18 Dallara-Honda in 14 races. Indy NXT winner Nolan Siegel will drive the car in the $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Honda Indy Toronto and also will attempt to make his Indy 500 debut.
Braun, a Rolex 24 at Daytona overall winner who races full time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, will drive the No. 51 for DCR (in partnership with Rick Ware Racing) at St. Petersburg and the Thermal Club with "the hopes of doing more races later this year," according to a team release. Braun will be making his IndyCar debut this weekend after testing last week with DCR at Sebring International Raceway.
The team also announced the addition of No. 51 lead engineer Steve Newey, who has been a part of winning teams in IndyCar and also worked in Formula One, NASCAR and sports cars.
IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Pete on NBC: How to watch, start times, schedules, streaming
The season opener has become a favorite for drivers who enjoy the atmosphere on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
“It’s been a busy off-season and we’re extremely pleased with our driver lineup heading into the 2024 season," team owner Dale Coyne said in a release. "I think we have a great combination of drivers that will work well together, as they’ve shown at our tests in Homestead and Sebring. Jack brings a lot of experience to the team and he immediately fit right in when he tested with us.
"Nolan, like Jack, is a pleasure to work with. He impressed us at the Homestead test with how quickly he was up to speed for his first time in the car. We look forward to seeing what both will do this season aboard our 18 car.
“We already know what Colin Braun can do in a sportscar, and it was great to see him jump into our Indy car last week. He’s jumping into the deep end with little time aboard one of these cars before his first race but we’re confident in his abilities and can’t wait to see him back in the car this weekend in St. Petersburg."
IndyCar has yet to release its entry list for St. Pete. The last car without a confirmed driver seems to be the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet after David Malukas was injured in the offseason. The team is expected to name Callum Ilott as Malukas' replacement today.
