With his return to Inter Europol for the Rolex 24, Siegel looks to reset ahead of a pivotal season in IndyCar

18 months ago, Nolan Siegel’s star was on a steady rise in the racing world. In 2024, Siegel won LMP2 at the Le Mans 24 Hours as a 19-year-old rookie, adding to his brief but accomplished sports car racing career that also included LMP2 class victories at the IMSA endurance classics at Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta. Not long after, he was handed a long-term contract to drive for Arrow McLaren in the NTT IndyCar Series, stepping into somewhat murky waters as the latest in a string of drivers to pilot the No. 6 Dallara-Chevrolet.

As he returns to the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the first time since 2024, things have changed, and by Siegel’s own admission, he’s come back to sports car racing to rejuvenate his love for racing – and potentially try and save his IndyCar career.

“I’ve always loved sports car racing,” said Siegel, who’ll drive Inter Europol Competition’s one-off No. 343 ORECA 07-Gibson at Daytona. “It’s kind of where I grew up. And IMSA has always held a special place in my heart. The first kind of professional racing I ever saw as a kid was IMSA, and it was here at Daytona – this is kind of where I fell in love with it. So I’m really excited to be back.

It’s a poignant reunion for both team and driver, as Siegel helped give Inter Europol its first LMP2 win at the 2023 Asian Le Mans 4 Hours of Dubai. It was the first of many victories and championships for the “Racing Bakers of Poland,” who’ve now won Le Mans twice in the last three years.

This recent return to sports cars is the first time Siegel’s raced anything other than his McLaren IndyCar since Le Mans, which also keeps him occupied during the lengthy IndyCar layoff.

“For me, the IndyCar offseason is really long, and last year, not driving anything for five months was a struggle, to be honest. And I don’t think it’s an ideal way to go into St. Pete,” Siegel said about his time off. “I just love behind here, and love racing IMSA, so I’m really excited about it.”

Opportunity knocked for Siegel in IndyCar with Arrow McLaren, but it hasn't been much fun...yet. Kym Illman/Getty Images

Siegel’s sudden promotion to Arrow McLaren came just four races into his IndyCar career, and pulled him out of his second full season of Indy NXT, where he was battling the likes of Louis Foster and Jacob Abel for a championship. Since that call-up, he’s only managed three top-10 finishes at McLaren and finished 22nd in last year’s IndyCar standings – he is acutely aware of what’s at stake going into 2026.

“It is, obviously, a very important year for me in IndyCar – it’s gonna be, for sure, a career-defining year…whether that’s career-ending or career-making,” he admitted. “I am doing everything I can to stay in a race car, which, again, means being here. I’m glad that I convinced everyone on the 9-to-5 job to let me do this.

“And I think it’s gonna be fun as well; sometimes, in IndyCar, it gets so serious and, especially when things aren’t going well, you forget to enjoy racing. I feel like sports car racing is always just really enjoyable and it reminds me of why I love this sport. I think in a lot of ways, that’s beneficial going into the IndyCar season as well, to just remember that I do enjoy doing what I do.”

Daytona represents a chance for Siegel to start to rebuild his reputation going into the upcoming IndyCar season. He has a strong team around him, including his former Indy NXT engineer Nathan Toney. He’ll be partnered with a strong line-up of drivers including FIA Formula E championship leader Nick Cassidy, Inter Europol team principal Jakub Smiechowski and Greek amateur driver Georgios Kolovos.

“This has been kind of a dream race for me to win,” Siegel says about the upcoming race. “I think we have a really strong line-up. I think the car is going to be fast. It’s a good team.

“No matter what happens, no matter who you are, the last result kind of defines what’s happening next. For me, obviously, I won Le Mans, got the IndyCar opportunity – that was amazing, but I knew that that was just the start of the journey, not the end of the journey. And I’ll keep working to keep the dream alive.”