Juncos Hollinger Racing and Agustin Canapino have decided to part ways for rest of 2024 IndyCar season after heavy last few months.
Juncos Hollinger Racing –
After a momentous rookie and second season in INDYCAR, Juncos Hollinger Racing and Agustin Canapino have mutually decided to part ways. We commend Agustin for taking the leap into open wheel racing with us over the last year and a half, not only learning a completely new style of racing from his impressive and storied career, but also moving to the US and learning the language to join our series.
Both Agustin and the team have worked tirelessly to learn, grow, and succeed throughout his time at JHR, and we are extremely proud of what we have achieved together. We thank Agustin for his time at Juncos Hollinger Racing and will be cheering him on as he continues his journey. Gracias, Agustin!
UPDATE: INDYCAR veteran Conor Daly will be stepping into the seat of the Juncos Hollinger Racing No. 78 for the remainder of the 2024 season. Welcome, Conor!
Conor Daly: “I am extremely pleased to reunite with Ricardo Juncos after our success together in the Road To Indy! Ricardo took a chance on me when I was young and it made a huge difference in my career. There are a lot of people on this team that I’ve worked with before and I that gives me a lot of confidence.
“What Brad Hollinger and Ricardo have built here is extremely impressive in a short amount of time and I consider myself very lucky to get to compete for the rest of the season and earn the necessary points for this #78 Chevrolet. There are a lot of partners in this effort and I appreciate the support behind me to get back in the race seat.”
Ricardo Juncos: “Having Conor Daly back in a JHR car after many years is like a flashback to some great memories, as we achieved a lot together. Now it’s time to focus on what’s ahead and aim for strong results in the rest of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.”
Brad Hollinger: “Conor’s years of INDYCAR experience will help the team grow and develop the car further.”
Juri Vips –
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Estonian driver Juri Vips will return to NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition for his third start with the team at the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland on August 25. He competed for the team in Portland and Laguna Seca in 2023 and will pilot the No. 75 AMADA Honda in the team’s fourth entry in Portland, along with those for Graham Rahal, Pietro Fittipaldi and Christian Lundgaard.
This will mark his second race at Portland International Raceway, where he made his series debut in 2023. He started and finished 18th and used that experience to run up front the following weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca where he was sixth fastest in Practice 1 and a mere -0.05 from advancing to the Firestone Fast Six on Saturday, qualifying seventh. After a six-grid penalty in the race for an unapproved engine change, he started 13th and was collected in a multi-car crash on the opening lap but soldiered on to finish 24th.
Vips first tested an Indy car for RLL on October 12, 2022, at Sebring International Raceway and again at Barber Motorsports Park on March 13, 2023, and has performed static simulator testing for RLL since 2023. AMADA was also the primary sponsor of the No. 75 Honda-powered entry for Takuma Sato at the 2024 Indianapolis 500.
QUOTEBOARD:
BOBBY RAHAL, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We’re pleased to be able to run Juri in Portland for a number of reasons. For one, he showed at both Portland and Laguna Seca last year that he certainly has the pace to feature in any event he runs with us. He has done a lot of work for us in the simulator this year, which has helped us understand the hybrid system, so it’s nice to reward him for his effort. I’m hopeful that this will lead to more races for him with RLL.”
JURI VIPS, driver of the No. 75 AMADA Honda at Portland: “I’m very grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity. I have been working closely with the team on the simulator program and it has been a year since I have been in the car, but I’m confident that the experience gained last year at Portland and Laguna Seca will help me to get up to speed quickly. It will still be a very big challenge and one I am very much looking forward to.”
[Note: The story is as per press release]
