Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced that it will retain the driver services of Callum Ilott for the 2023 IndyCar season and beyond.
Both Ilott and the team are competing in their inaugural full time IndyCar season this year, and have decided to continue their partnership as both grow and mature within the series.
Ilott has earned one top 10 finish this season, and sits firmly in the middle of the rookie points race despite missing one race due to a hand injury sustained in the Indianapolis 500.
The deal was described as a long-term, multi-year agreement, and will see the young driver continue to grow and learn in a stable environment.
“We’ve got some clear goals that we need to achieve towards the end of this year,” said Ilott. “Then I think over the winter the hard work starts again to develop, get the most out of this IndyCar paddock, and try to push to get as many results as possible in the next couple years.
“Yeah, I’m super excited to continue what we’re doing, show what we can do as a little powerhouse.”
Ilott raced for two years in Formula 2 and held various roles as test and reserve driver for the Alfa Romeo and Ferrari Formula 1 teams over the past couple years.
He temporarily gave up his position at the Ferrari Driver Academy to pursue a career in IndyCar starting in late 2021, and is now firmly committed to a career stateside despite technically still being part of the program.
Ilott’s extension with JHR means that he is off the driver market, and will not play into the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Ganassi’s #10 entry and the few other open seats thought to be available for next season.
“Back in 2021, I took my time to choose our NTT IndyCar Series driver from a list of five drivers,” said JHR Co-owner Ricardo Juncos. “Even when Callum was not on the radar for most of the teams here in the states, I knew he was the perfect fit for our team. Not only for his potential as a driver, but his personality and his desire to win which aligns with our team philosophy.
“Today, almost a year later, I’m happy to confirm Callum’s continuation with the team for long term. This is just the beginning of a new era at JHR and I’m looking forward to continuing our work with Callum and to the results we know we can receive together as a team.”
Also as part of the announcement, Juncos made known the intention to field a second car in the series next season. He made note of the large disadvantage his team is dealing with having only a one car program.
