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Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced that it will be a two-car team in next year’s IndyCar Series.
JHR debuted in 2017 as Juncos Racing and went full-time in the competition this year, with Callum Ilott as driver in Car #77.
The former Ferrari Formula 1 test driver’s contract renewal, on a “long-term” basis, was confirmed in July, and he will now have a team-mate next year.
Who that driver will be in the Chevrolet-powered #78 entry is yet to be identified, except to say that he/she will be an “accomplished team-mate”.
“To be able to announce this today and make this a reality is incredible,” said JHR co-owner and team principal Ricardo Juncos.
“We have stood by our words from the beginning that we would continue to grow and expand, and that is what we are doing.
“For us, expanding to a two-car team is very exciting to announce but was also our plan for the past year since we joined the NTT IndyCar Series full-time.
“We wanted to start this year with one car, to start the protocols and procedures for the team.
“Our philosophy that we work with is a little bit different than the standards, so we wanted to make sure we implanted our plan the right way by focusing on one car before we expanded.
“We are doing exactly as we planned and will continue with our two-car team for the foreseeable future starting in 2023.
“We are going to keep building this team the way Brad [Hollinger] and I planned from the beginning, and to do what is the best in terms of development, technical, marketing and everything else.”
Hollinger hailed the benefits of adding a second entry, with the team having been the only full-time single-car squad.
“We are very excited to be entering the next season with our second entry,” he remarked.
“Ricardo, Callum and the entire team have done an exceptional job this year by exceeding the objectives we set for ourselves for the first full year of running in the NTT IndyCar Series.
“Now, we are scheduled to expand the team, which will give us a significant competitive boost for the 2023 campaign.
“Having a second car enables the team to meaningfully enhance our data analytics, as well as test varying track set-ups and race strategies. The advantages of a multiple car team are immense.
“Callum is an exceptional young driver who has exceeded all expectations in only his first year of the NTT IndyCar Series.
“By pairing him with an accomplished team-mate will serve to advance his performance even further.
“Our goal is straightforward, to be at the point of the arrow.
“Clearly, Ricardo has demonstrated his ability to assemble a winning team. This past weekend Juncos Hollinger Racing won the Indy Pro 2000 team championship for the sixth time, and the team has also won in the Indy Lights series in the past, as well.
“Our 2023 game plan is a great step forward toward our ultimate goal of winning NTT IndyCar Series team and drivers’ title.”
Ilott is currently 20th in the series standings after missing the Detroit race due to a hand injury.
The season finale kicks off this Friday (local time) at Laguna Seca, with Practice 2, Qualifying, and the Race itself live and ad-free on Stan Sport.
