IndyCar News: Hunter McElrea To Make IndyCar Debut With Dale Coyne Racing

Saajan Jogia | Jul 17, 2024

Winners of the Indy Lights Championship winners Hunter McElrea finished second, Linus Lundqvist finished first and Sting Ray Robb finished third celebrate raise their trophies in front of the Jame Scott Memorial Fountain Sunday, June 5, 2022 on Belle Isle. Grand Prix2 / Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

2023 Indy NXT championship runner-up Hunter McElrea will race for the first time in the IndyCar series with Dale Coyne Racing after his impressive one-day test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last week.

The American-New Zealander began his karting career at 7, before being elevated to single-seaters in Formula Ford championships in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. In 2018, he became the first non-Australian driver to win a title since 1985 after competing in the Australian Formula Ford for the second time.

Before joining Indy NXT in 2022, where he earned Rookie of the Year honors, McElrea was the vice-champion in the 2019 USF2000 series and secured third place in the 2021 Indy Pro 2000 Championship.

Given his past achievements and his run at Mid-Ohio last week, team boss Dale Coyne was mighty impressed with the 24-year-old's performance. He told the media:

“Hunter impressed the team during our test last week at Mid-Ohio.

“He quickly got up to speed and helped run through our testing plan.

“I’m excited to see what he can do on the streets of Toronto this weekend.”

McElrea has transitioned to the IMSA SportsCar Championship this year, competing in the endurance rounds for TDS Racing in the LMP2 class. He notably finished runner-up in his class at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.

This weekend will witness McElrea stepping into the No.18 Honda at the 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street circuit in Toronto. He becomes the fourth driver to pilot the No.18 car since Rookie Nolan Siegel was originally slated to race on the streets of Toronto but departed the team in June to join Arrow McLaren, leaving the seat open for McElrea.

McElrea expressed that racing in IndyCar is a dream come true for him, something he has worked towards for a long time. He added:

“It’s a dream come true for me to be making my NTT IndyCar Series debut.

“I’ve been working towards this for a long time, and I have to thank Dale (Coyne, team owner) for the opportunity.

“I can’t wait to get to Toronto, which is one of the coolest events of the year. I want to thank JR Smart and Courtesy Corporation for making this possible for me.”