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Last team standing: Coyne still keeping options open
Dale Coyne holds the final pair of keys for drivers looking to race in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2025.
It’s a common occurrence for the Illinois-based team owner whose program has become synonymous with introducing new talent to IndyCar, and with the grid nearly full, Dale Coyne Racing is once again sitting on two prized entries that represent the last seats for interested parties to fill.
With Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing recently confirming Dev DeFrancesco in its lone remaining car and Juncos Hollinger Racing signing Conor Daly to lead its squad, 25 of the 27 full-time entries have been taken. Coyne is working to have both opportunities resolved in the coming weeks and lock down the entire field for the March 2 season opener at St. Petersburg.
“We won't have them by the end of the year, but I'm hoping to have them both by the middle of January,” Coyne told RACER. “Middle to the latter part of January.”
Despite urgings from fans who would like to see former Red Bull Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez climb into one of Coyne’s Honda-powered cars, he says, “obviously he's not gonna do that,” but there’s no shortage of drivers trying to stake their claim to his entries. Unlike last season’s steady rotation of drivers through the Nos. 18 and 51 Hondas, Coyne wants to get away from that practice in 2025.
“I'm the last man standing on the owner’s side with available cars, but there's lots of drivers trying to get in,” he said. “Our goal is to run two guys all year, and that's what we're working towards.”
From Rinus VeeKay to Linus Lundqvist to Toby Sowery and many others, Coyne has a range of quality pros to either hire or take on as paying drivers. His ongoing efforts to sell a stake in Dale Coyne Racing to an investor/partner would create the opportunity to hire at least once ace, which is one of the reasons he hasn’t signed any deals. Progress on the investor/partner front is ongoing.
“Making progress,” he added. “Not as fast as anyone wants, but it's still making progress.”
Marshall Pruett
The 2026 season marks Marshall Pruett's 40th year working in the sport. In his role today for RACER, Pruett covers open-wheel and sports car racing as a writer, reporter, photographer, and filmmaker. In his previous career, he served as a mechanic, engineer, and team manager in a variety of series, including IndyCar, IMSA, and World Challenge.
Read Marshall Pruett's articles
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