Siegel building his case for more IndyCar opportunities

The question being asked of Nolan Siegel when he joined Arrow McLaren two years ago was harsh, but fair: Did the 19-year-old, with just three unremarkable IndyCar Series starts for Dale Coyne Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing to his credit, deserve to drive the coveted No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevy?

Despite a bit of bluster from the team at the time, the honest answer was no – at least in terms of talent and readiness – when compared to who he replaced in reigning Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire. But with the No. 6 entry facing a financial crater, Siegel’s family was able to rectify those needs and give the teenager a chance to learn at one of IndyCar’s best teams. The opportunity was taken before he was ready to deliver on the car’s potential, but that’s changed.

Two years later, and finances are no longer part of the conversation when it comes to Siegel. He’s still the youngest driver in IndyCar at 21 years of age, and since arriving at Arrow McLaren, he’s added 34 more IndyCar races to his ongoing education.

It took all of that partial season in 2024 and the entirety of ‘25 – Siegel’s proper rookie campaign – before he was ready to show a greater measure of his skills, and since Long Beach in April, Siegel’s been making a habit of running inside the top 12. Veteran teammates Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard continue to lead the Arrow McLaren squad, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the gap to Siegel continues to shrink as the Californian ran 12th at his home race, 10th at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, and 11th at the Indy 500 – closest within the team to O’Ward in fourth.

A rough patch from Detroit through Road America was fixed with a 10th at Mid-Ohio, 11th at Nashville, retreat to 18th at Portland, then a strong rebound with 12th at Markham and sixth at Washington, D.C. where once again he was second-best for the team behind Lundgaard in second.

For a kid who was too inexperienced and unprepared to run competitively next to the O’Wards and Lundgaards at the beginning of his Arrow McLaren journey, Siegel’s become a worthwhile candidate to earn new opportunities to stay in the series after Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist moves into the No. 6 car next season.

“It's been a good stretch, and obviously not knowing what next year holds, it's an important time, so it definitely it feels good,” Siegel told RACER after the Freedom 250, where he captured that career-best sixth.

“Consistency has been a focus, for sure. I feel like we've had our glimmers, but never put a consistent stretch in like this. That's the next big step, isn't it? It's been important, and again, it's come at such an important time. So hopefully, the big results come. One big result gets a lot of attention, but I think just stringing together consistent performances has been the goal, and hopefully the big result comes as well.”

Siegel has shown a particular aptitude for ovals, and with this weekend’s Snap-On doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile, he has two prime chances to deliver a big result. With so few seats available next year, the odds are somewhat daunting for Siegel to stay in IndyCar as a full-time driver, but he doesn’t intend to take unreasonable risks in a bid to draw attention to himself. Building on the gains he’s made since Long Beach is the plan as he faces an uncertain future in the series.

“We’ve been fast, and it's just been getting better and better, so I think there's no reason to change anything,” he said. “We've been trying to keep it simple, especially with (his race engineer)) Eric Cowdin. He leads every weekend off by saying, ‘Do the obvious things right,’ and I think that's what's brought the results. That’s the focus going into the rest of the races.

“Again, I don't know what I'm doing next year. I hope something comes up, but no matter what, I think just finishing the season strong is all I can do at this point. So we're going to try and do all the simple, boring things right, and hope that brings a big one, maybe a podium or something really special to close out the season.”