Dale Coyne Racing has confirmed its driver lineup for the NTT IndyCar Series season opener with seven-year IndyCar veteran Jack Harvey in the No. 18 Honda and rookie Colin Braun in the No. 51 Honda in St. Petersburg. Several drivers will use both cars all year round.
Harvey is expected to compete in 14 races in the #18 and will share the car with Nolan Siegel, who will take the wheel for The Thermal Club, Long Beach, the Indianapolis 500 and Toronto.
Braun, who will race at St. Petersburg and Thermal, is among the oldest IndyCar newcomers in some time, as the 35-year-old comes to the series having led racing and championship programs since his youth in Grand-Am. NASCAR and IMSA.
His official IndyCar debut in St. Petersburg will come with a single day of experience to draw from after his eye-opening test for Coyne on Tuesday at Sebring International Raceway inspired the team to bring in the son of renowned race engineer Jeff Braun Committing to his second entry at the start of the year.
“It has been a busy offseason and we are extremely pleased with our driver lineup for the 2024 season,” said Coyne. “I think we have a great combination of drivers who will work well together, as they showed in our testing at Homestead and Sebring. Jack brings a lot of experience to the team and immediately fit in with us during testing. Like Jack, Nolan is a joy to work with. He impressed us during the Homestead test with how quickly he got up to speed in the car for the first time. We look forward to seeing what they both do this season aboard our 18-year-old car.
“We already know what Colin Braun can do in a sports car and it was great to see him step into our IndyCar last week. He’s jumping in at the deep end and has limited time aboard one of these cars before his first race, but we have confidence in his abilities and can’t wait to see him back in the car in St. Petersburg this weekend.”
For Harvey, the chance with Coyne is a chance for the 30-year-old to restart his IndyCar career, which ended prematurely when his two-year stint with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was cut short and left three races on the schedule last year.
Of all the drivers expected to drive for Coyne in 2024, Harvey – a pole sitter and strong performer during his five years with Meyer Shank Racing – will be the benchmark and mentor for most of those who will contest parts of the calendar in Coyne Cars.
Beyond the first two races, it is unclear how many more races Braun will compete in the No. 51.
IndyCar and sports car veteran Katherine Legge is rumored to be the team's choice for the Indy 500 and other oval races in the car, but there are still many races left to complete in the 18-race season.