Dale Coyne Racing team manager Davis retires

Dale Coyne Racing team manager Mitch Davis has informed the team of his intent to retire with immediate effect.

On the approach to his 70th birthday, the veteran chief mechanic and team leader had been pondering a change, and after spending most of his life in racing, Davis decided the time was right to accept a new opportunity that presented itself outside of the sport.

“I’ve always wanted to move out west in my later years, and that’s just recently become possible,” Davis told RACER.

The team will have a significant void to fill with Davis, who also functioned as race strategist for Romain Grosjean’s No. 18 Honda and oversaw the entire operation that also includes the No. 19 Honda driven by rookie Dennis Hauger.

During the offseason, Davis hired veteran race engineer and former IndyCar engineering manager Bill Pappas to run Grosjean’s car, who could be a resource, along with some of the team’s other veterans, to assume team management duties heading into the month of May.