There Must Be Something in the Water
Yesterday, it was confirmed that Indy NXT veteran Hunter McElrea will make his first start in the NTT IndyCar Series at Toronto this weekend.. In doing so, he will become the ninth driver to drive for Dale Coyne Racing this season.
In the forty-one years that Dale Coyne has been fielding cars in CART/Champ Car/IndyCar – nine different drivers sets the team record, and there are still six races to go. That breaks the old record set in 2015, when eight drivers started at least one race for Coyne. This factoid comes courtesy of Tony DiZinno, one of our racing media friends we have come to know over the years.
For the record, the other eight besides McElrea are: Jack Harvey, Colin Braun, Nolan Siegel, Luca Ghiotto, Katherine Legge, Tristan Vautier, Toby Sowery and Conor Daly. To be fair – the only reason Daly drove for Coyne was to sub for the injured Harvey in Iowa Race Two.
Counting McElrea this weekend, five of those nine drivers are IndyCar rookies. That’s one of the many things I admire about Dale Coyne. He likes to give young drivers a chance. He has been the launching point for many IndyCar careers, including future champion Paul Tracy.
Hunter McElrea brings the credentials. He began driving in Indy Lights (now NXT) for Andretti Autosport in 2022 and finished fourth with five wins, with six additional podiums. In 2023 with Andretti, McElrea improved to second in the NXT championship with two more wins along with four more podiums.
When McElrea joins the grid this weekend it will make four New Zealanders in the same IndyCar field – Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong and now McElrea.
What is it about New Zealand to produce four current IndyCar drivers. Is there something in the water. New Zealand has a population of roughly 5.4 Million people. That’s almost two million less than my home state of Tennessee and we have only produced one (Josef Newgarden) – two if you count Peter Kreis, who drove in six Indianapolis 500s in the 1920s and 30s.
An even more dramatic comparison is that the US has a population of almost 335 Million. Yes, the US has produced more IndyCar drivers than any other country over time; but currently there are only seven drivers in the US that have started every race – and that is counting Newgarden, – who was technically disqualified earlier this season.
Brazil has over 205 Million people, yet they only have one fulltime driver in IndyCar – and this is a country known for developing IndyCar drivers over the past forty years. Sweden is a country with three current IndyCar drivers, Marcus Ericsson, Felix Rosenqvist and Linus Lundqvist. With a population of 10.5 Million, Sweden comes closer to any other country for producing a high amount of IndyCar drivers for their population. But they still don’t match New Zealand’s four drivers from just a little over 5 Million.
Is it the culture? Did Scott Dixon inspire every young driver in his country to become the next Scott Dixon? Is New Zealand that crazy about motorsports, that it is now ingrained into the subconscious of every young boy and girl in the county? I don’t know the answer to this, but it is certainly a strange phenomenon.
Scott Dixon has six championships to his credit and has won fifty-eight IndyCar races in his career. Scott McLaughlin is still young in his career, but he now has six IndyCar wins for his young career. I am proud to say I was present for four of those six – including his first at St. Petersburg in 2022 and his most recent this past Saturday night at Iowa.
Marcus Armstrong showed good pace in his rookie year, but seems to have fallen off just a bit this season. Dale Coyne Racing is not having a good year this season, so I don’t expect a whole lot out of McElrea. So far, Toby Sowery has given Dale Coyne Racing their best result of the season – a thirteenth at Laguna Seca in his only start of the season. If the twenty-four year-old McElrea can top that result at Toronto, he will open a lot of eyes and will certainly get some interest from a few team owners for next season.
There is something about being a Kiwi that makes drivers Kwik. I will be very curious to see if Hunter McElrea can keep this very recent trend going.
George Phillips
Oilpressure 
July 17, 2024 at 4:32 am
I’m not a subscriber to the notion that Dale likes to give young talent a chance. I’m more of a subscriber to the notion that he will place whomever shows him the money. I think DCR 2024 season is a sh@t show. His two entries are in the last two places for the all important Leaders Circle. If we have any sort of pre qualifying in the coming seasons then I see the demise of this proud team and I for one am saddened and disappointed.
July 17, 2024 at 8:34 am
While 8 different drivers got behind the wheel of a Coyne car on a race weekend in 2015, only 7 of them actually started a race for the team. Rocky Moran Jr. was injured in practice at Long Beach and replaced at the last minute by… you guessed it, Conor Daly.
Coyne’s only season where 8 different drivers started a race for him was in 1991, when he had 3 cars at some races. Half of those 8 drivers were competent veterans nearing the end of their careers… two were young drivers who would go on to win many races, a few series championships, and a debatable number of Indianapolis 500s… two (including one of the young eventual winners) would wind up driving pushrod V8s around IMS in 1994… and one was Dennis Vitolo.
One record from that season that McElrea is not breaking is Coyne’s record for most drivers to share a single car, six, which was set in his #39 car in 1991 (the #18 car saw six drivers in 2015, but again, the Moran Jr. situation meant they did not all start). Toby Sowery tied this record at Mid Ohio as the sixth driver to make a start in the #51. Will we see it broken? If Legge has the car for the remaining ovals as seems likely now, that leaves Toronto and Portland as the only chances to see driver number seven in the #51.
July 17, 2024 at 8:38 am
Can’t speak much to the Kiwi thing. Think it’s just a coincidential thing. Remember when Brazil had about six full time drivers at the same time? Now the New Zealanders and Swedes have a bunch.
Wanna piggie back on what Oliver is saying….If IndyCar goes to a charter system next year, how on earth can Dale Coyne Racing be granted charters in its current state? I understand loyalty. I understand appreciating that loyalty. Dale has been racing for decades in IndyCar. That said, this isn’t 2007 Champ Car anymore. People may not want to admit this, because most of us respect Dale Coyne, but this is a bad look for IndyCar. It makes the sport look amateurish when you have a team with different drivers every race. A rag-tag operation. I realize the series isn’t early 1990’s IndyCar strong either, but it’s stronger and healthier than the way it’s currently being represented by Dale Coyne Racing.
I assume the problem is Dale doesn’t have the financial backing he’s had in season’s past. I’d love to see Dale Coyne get this back to where it was a few years ago. Unfortunately, I think the only way that happens is if Dale sells a majority stake in his operation (to say, Henry Malukas for example). I’m certain whoever would buy in would be happy to keep Dale on as a race strategist, and minority owner of course. Obviously it’s his choice, and I don’t think Dale will be selling to anyone. So….the rotating driver circus continues. Who’s next? How ’bout the grand return of Carlos Huertas!!!!!