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Dale Coyne Racing

Jack Harvey Tests for Dale Coyne Racing on January 23, 2024

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So far Dale Coyne Racing has been mum on who will fill their seats for the 2024 INDYCAR racing season, but Jack Harvey may have given us a hint on one of the Coyne seats.

Jack Harvey Tests for Dale Coyne January 23, 2024 - SOURCE: @jack_harvey93 on X
Jack Harvey Tests for Dale Coyne January 23, 2024 SOURCE: @jack_harvey93 on X

Following the exits of David Malukas (aka “Little Dave”) for Arrow McLaren and Sting Ray Robb for A.J. Foyt Enterprises in the offseason, Jack Harvey has been floated as a potential replacement at Dale Coyne Racing following being let go by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing during the 2023 IndyCar season.

TBD if the Englishman and Ravenclaw are in the seat when the green flag drops for the 2024 IndyCar season.

Tristan Vautier Drives the #18 to a Surprising 5th Place Start

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It had been nearly two years since Tristan Vautier last put a wheel on the Texas Motor Speedway oval, but it didn’t look like it when he took to the track on Friday and qualified fifth for Saturday’s RAINGUARD Water Sealers 600.

The Frenchman, who is replacing the injured Sebastien Bourdais at this weekend’s event, was 16th in line to qualify and he immediately jumped up to third place provisionally with his 221.801mph two-lap average around the 1.5-mile oval.

The driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing entry owed part of his qualifying success to his teammate Ed Jones who was second in line to qualify and who provided the team with important feedback following his run.

The team had elected to take a more conservative approach heading into qualifying with a higher level of downforce on their cars. With Jones only registering a two-lap average of 217.315mph the team proceeded to make changes to Vautier’s car, which allowed him to eventually place fifth on the starting grid. Jones will be starting from 19th.

SOURCE: Dale Coyne Racing ♦ PHOTO: Brian Groce

Tristan Vautier to Drive #18 DCR Entry at Texas Motor Speedway #Rainguard600

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Tristan Vautier has been selected to drive the #18 Dale Coyne Racing entry at this weekend’s RAINGUARD Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) alongside Verizon IndyCar Series rookie Ed Jones who will be making his first appearance on the high-speed oval.

Vautier, the 2012 Indy Lights Champion, last raced for the team during the 2015 season making 11 starts, which included both his last oval start at Pocono Raceway as well as his last visit to Texas Motor Speedway.

“We chose Tristan to fill the 18 seat at Texas because of his previous experience at Texas Motor Speedway,” commented Team Owner Dale Coyne. “We think he can help the team and Ed (Jones) who has never raced or even tested there. Tristan has remained close with the team and he’s always done a good job for us. I expect much of the same going into this race weekend.”

This year’s visit to TMS will be Vautier’s third appearance at the 1.455-mile superspeedway.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back in an Indy car and race for Dale again,” expressed Vautier. “But before talking about me stepping in, let’s all keep sending our thoughts to Seb for a quick recovery. I was happy to see him at the track at Indy on race day. I have big shoes to fill!

“That being said, I really can’t wait to be in the car on Friday and see how it feels that first lap around. It’s not the easiest place to step back in and practice is going to be very limited, but the team has been competitive everywhere, and I trust we’ll be good. It’s going to be cool working with the whole team again, and also with Craig Hampson who I met in Le Mans when I was 16 and just getting started in racing. I remember I was asking him about opportunities in the USA and he was telling me to come over!

“I’m super grateful to Dale for renewing his trust in me like he did in 2015, and I also want to send a big thanks to SunEnergy1 Racing and my team owner Kenny Habul who is making 2017 such a special year for me as I return to racing full time in the USA for his team. He is much more than a team owner to me, he wants to see me succeed and supports me in everything I do beyond my commitments with him in sports cars. He is a true blessing. Now it’s time for me to focus and deliver this weekend.”

Vautier and Jones will only get 75 minutes of practice time starting at 10:00am local time Friday, June 9 before heading into qualifying on Friday afternoon. Fans can watch live qualifying coverage on NBCSN starting at 3:30pm ET.

SOURCE: Dale Coyne Racing ♦ PHOTO: Brian Groce

Former F1 driver Esteban Gutierrez to Fill in for Sebastien Bourdais

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Detroit, MI (June 1, 2017) – Former Formula One driver Esteban Gutierrez will be filling in for the injured Sebastien Bourdais aboard the #18 Dale Coyne Racing entry this weekend as he makes his Series debut at the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader.

“I’m very grateful to join Dale Coyne Racing, a highly competitive team,” expressed the Mexican. “When Dale Coyne called me, I had no doubt that this would be a great opportunity for me to get experience in the Verizon IndyCar Series. My target is to learn as quickly as possible. IndyCar is a very challenging series for drivers, but I feel ready to take this chance.

“I’m excited about my debut races at the Detroit Grand Prix and I cannot wait to start working with the team, engineers and Honda, as well as driving a Dallara car again. I have very good memories of my successful GP3 and GP2 Series seasons with the Dallara cars and I worked very well with them at Haas F1 Team. I will do my best for Dale Coyne Racing, Honda and all the Mexican fans.”

While it will be his first time aboard an Indy car, the new DCR pilot has plenty of experience racing overseas in top open-wheel racing series.

From 2013 to 2014, Gutierrez raced in Formula One full-time with the Sauber F1 team after two years as their test driver. He then moved on to join Scuderia Ferrari as a test driver in 2015 before competing for a full season with the Haas F1 team in 2016.

Prior to his time in Formula One, he made his mark in the GP2 Series placing third in the Championship standings in 2012 on the strength of seven podium finishes including three wins. In 2010, he took home the GP3 Series Championship thanks to his nine podium finishes in 16 races, which included five race wins.

“We’re going to miss having Sebastien in the #18 car, but we’re very happy with our choice of a replacement for him this weekend,” shared Team Owner Dale Coyne. “Esteban has a great open-wheel racing background, especially with his time in Formula One and the GP2 Series. I think he’ll do well in an Indy car despite the learning curve and we all look forward to seeing what he’ll do this weekend in Detroit.”

Following his years in the karting ranks, Gutierrez made his American racing debut when he competed in the Formula BMW USA Series in 2007. That season, he scored four wins on his way to a runner-up finish and picked up rookie of the year honors. For 2008, he moved to the Formula BMW Europe Series where he reached the title with 12 podium finishes, including seven wins. Since the start of the year, the Mexican has been racing in the Formula E series.

Gutierrez will be on track starting Friday, June 2 for the first practice session at 10:20am. The first race of the doubleheader weekend goes green at 3:50pm on Saturday, June 3, 2017.

Bourdais suffered multiple fractures to the pelvis and a broken right hip during an incident on the third lap of his qualifying attempt for the 101st Indianapolis 500 on May 20th. Following successful surgery, Bourdais will be out for an estimated three months.

SOURCE: Dale Coyne Racing

James Davison discusses filling in for Sebastien Bourdais in Indy 500

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James Davison discusses the process of filling in for Dale Coyne Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais following Bourdais’ accident in qualifications for the 2017 Indianapolis 500.

 

Statement from Sebastien Bourdais (May 21, 2017)

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INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 21, 2017) – The following is a statement from Dale Coyne Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais, who sustained multiple pelvic fractures and a fractured right hip in an incident during qualifying Saturday for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Bourdais underwent surgery Saturday night and is recovering at IU Health Methodist Hospital.

“I want to thank everybody for the support and the messages, quite a few drivers have already dropped by. It’s going to take time, but I’m feeling pretty good since the surgery. I’ll be back at some point. Just don’t know when yet!”

Sebastien Bourdais Medical Update #1

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Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 11:22 AM

Verizon IndyCar Series driver Sebastien Bourdais underwent successful surgery Saturday night for pelvic injuries he sustained while attempting to qualify for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

The Dale Coyne Racing driver sustained multiple fractures to his pelvis and a fracture to his right hip in the incident Saturday.

“Surgery went well,” INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Geoffrey Billows said. “I’ve met with Sebastien this morning and he was doing even better than I expected.”

Additional updates on Bourdais’ condition will be released when available.

James Davison Confirmed to fill in for Sebastien Bourdais

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There are multiple sources reporting that James Davison will fill in for the 18 car of Dale Coyne Racing during the Indy 500 due to Sebastien Bourdais’ accident yesterday.

UPDATE: Dale Coyne Racing Confirms James Davison

Dale Coyne Racing announced on Sunday that Australian James Davison will be replacing the injured Sebastien Bourdais aboard the #18 GEICO Honda for the 101st Indianapolis 500.

Davison is familiar with the team, having last raced for DCR at the 2015 Indianapolis 500. He made two other starts with the Plainfield-based team in 2013.

“My thoughts are with Sebastien and Claire Bourdais,” expressed Davison. “This is never the circumstance that a driver wants to secure an opportunity to drive in the Indianapolis 500. With that said, I’m extremely excited and ready to take on this challenge. The prime goal will be to secure a strong result for the team, Sebastien and all our sponsors. I can’t wait to get started.”

Davison will be on track starting Monday for the three and a half hour practice session.

“It’s never easy when you have to replace an injured driver, but the important thing is that Sebastien is going to fully recover from his injuries and we’ll be waiting for him when he’s ready to come back,” shared Team Owner Dale Coyne. “We’ve worked with James in the past and he’s done a good job for us, he’s familiar with the team and knows how we work so it was an easy decision when came the time to find someone to fill the 18 seat.”

James Davison Interview From 2014

You can also listen to the podcast version on Naptown Buzz #111 (back when we numbered them).

James Hinchcliffe Wins At Long Beach, Sebastien Bourdais Leads Points

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Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver, James Hinchcliffe, recorded his first Verizon IndyCar Series win since his nearly fatal  Indianapolis 500 accident in 2015.

Driving the No. 5 Arrow Honda, Hinchcliffe crossed the finish line 1.4940 seconds ahead of Dale Coyne Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais, the winner of last month’s season opener.

Hinchcliffe’s last win came at NOLA Motorsports Park in April 2015, a month before the crash caused when a suspension piece on the car broke at 220-plus mph on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Hinchcliffe returned to racing last season and captured the Indianapolis 500 pole position, but had yet to win another race until today.

“To finally do what was goal No. 1 when we set out at the start of the season, to get back into winner’s circle, to do so as early in the season as we have, as convincingly as we did, was great,” said Hinchcliffe, who recorded the fifth victory of his seven-year Verizon IndyCar Series career.

Bourdais, driving the No. 18 Trench Shoring Honda, recovered from rear wing damage sustained from debris when the cars of Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball made contact on Lap 1. Coupled with his win March 12 in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, it gave Bourdais a 19-point lead over Hinchcliffe in the championship after two of 17 races.

“The fuel saving we could achieve today with the performance we had on the Honda was amazing,” said Bourdais, the four-time Indy car champion who won three straight Long Beach races from 2005-07. “I’ve always been pretty comfortable saving fuel and that one sort of came to us today.”

Josef Newgarden finished third in the No. 2 Verizon Chevrolet, earning his best Long Beach result and first top-three finish since joining Team Penske this season.

“It’s always good to get the first podium out of the way for the Captain,” Newgarden said of team owner Roger Penske. “It was a pleasure to drive this weekend. Verizon gives us great tools at Team Penske. It’s nice to get this one out of the way. Hopefully, now we can hunt down some wins.”

SOURCE: INDYCAR

Genetic Technologies Partners with Pippa Mann

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Genetic Technologies Limited has announced an agreement with Dale Coyne Racing driver Ms. Pippa Mann to promote BREVAGenplus®, the Company’s first-in-class, clinically validated risk assessment test for sporadic breast cancer. The partnership is reflective of the Company’s continuation of its U.S. focused marketing program for BREVAGenplus, with Mann serving for a second consecutive term as the product’s ambassador and spokesperson.

Mann is one of only nine female athletes to ever compete in the “Indy 500” and the only female driver to start in the race over the past four consecutive years. In addition to her role with Genetic Technologies, Mann is partnering with Susan G. Komen®, the world’s largest breast cancer organization, which funds more breast cancer research than any other non-profit, outside of the U.S. government, while providing screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs. In 2016, Mann was honored as one of Komen’s More Than Pink™ heroes in support of the organizations Bold Goal – to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths in the U.S. by half, by 2026.

“We are excited to continue this outstanding partnership with Pippa. She is truly dedicated to leveraging her platform as a world-class athlete to impact women’s health and shares our passion for the integral role BREVAGenplus can play as a breast cancer risk assessment and preventative treatment management tool,” commented Eutillio Buccilli, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Genetic Technologies.

Key partnership activities this year will include the BREVAGenplus logo represented on Mann’s #63 Dale Coyne Racing car and promotional apparel. Mann will also participate at select BREVAGenplus oriented events and other promotional activities over the course of 2017. The 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 2017, will serve as the official launch of this year’s partnership program. The “Indy 500” is the largest single-day sporting event in the world and offers important promotional opportunities during the month-long lead-up to the race, which includes 12 days of on-track activities and hospitality event participation.

“I’m thrilled to welcome back Genetic Technologies as a partner with Dale Coyne Racing and proud to represent the BREVAGenplus brand. I’m excited to do my part in helping women and healthcare providers learn about the test and highlight how important it can be in determining individual breast healthcare plans and personal medical maintenance,” commented Pippa Mann.

SOURCE: Dale Coyne Racing