DragonSpeed to expand IndyCar program

Elton Julian will shift the focus of his DragonSpeed racing team from contesting the next FIA World Endurance Championship to expanding the program’s presence in the NTT IndyCar Series.

With DragonSpeed currently competing in the FIA WEC’s LMP1 and LMP2 classes, the European Le Mans Series’ LMP2 category, and a five-race introduction this year in IndyCar, Julian clearly has found something in IndyCar that warrants a change of direction.

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“The Le Mans 24 Hour next month will be our final LMP1 and regular WEC outing, allowing us to ramp up our IndyCar efforts on both the technical and marketing fronts,” Julian said. “We’re not leaving the WEC entirely, as we plan to enter our No. 21 LMP2 ORECA O7-Gibson in individual rounds, including Spa, Brazil, and Le Mans, with Le Mans, of course, subject to us earning or being granted an invitation.

“We’re also considering running Daytona and Sebring with IMSA again. We’ll definitely be continuing in the ELMS, which we think offers the best sports car racing on the planet and remains the ideal series for the top gentleman drivers."

Preparing to try and qualify for DragonSpeed’s first Indy 500 this weekend with driver Ben Hanley and their No. 81 Chevy, Julian and his team will spend the next several months plotting the program’s IndyCar calendar for 2020.

“For us, the potential for growing DragonSpeed as an engineering and commercial concern is far clearer in IndyCar than anywhere else in the sport, given the quality of racing and stable formula,” Julian said. “That’s what’s driven our decision.”