Sting Ray Robb will drive the Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing entry in the 2023 IndyCar Series.
The 21-year-old’s contract means he is the final driver to be confirmed for the season ahead, so far as full-time entries are concerned, and will see him share the DCR stable with David Malukas, who was also born in September 2001.
Robb arrives in the squad after winning the Indy Pro 2000 Championship in 2020 and finishing runner-up in Indy NXT last year.
“This is an opportunity – a dream – that has been long in the making,” said the Idaho native.
“I’m honoured to join forces with Dale Coyne, Rick Ware and the whole organisation. I am excited and grateful to be on the NTT IndyCar Series grid for 2023.
“We had a great first test together in early January and I was very impressed with the efficiency of the DCR with RWR team and how well we worked together on our first day.
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“Dale Coyne Racing has a historically distinguished programme that has seen success with many drivers and most recently, with young, talented drivers.
“I’m looking forward to continuing in that trend and expecting some strong results as we enter my rookie season.”
Robb takes over the #51 Honda-powered Dallara which had been driven by Takuma Sato, who was recently announced as the oval track driver for Chip Ganassi Racing’s #11 entry for the season ahead.
His yardstick will be a driver who impressed many in his Indianapolis 500 debut, and again when finishing second at Gateway, before just missing out on top rookie honours, namely Malukas.
Dale Coyne said, “We’re very excited to have Sting Ray join our team.
“He is coming off a very strong Indy NXT season and he impressed us and performed very well earlier this month at our test.
“I think he and David will make a great pairing. With David continuing where he left off last year, and Sting Ray wanting to do well in his rookie season, we have two young and eager drivers who, I think, are a force to be reckoned with.”
Fellow co-owner Rick Ware added, “Dale and I have spent a lot of the off season testing and discussing driver options.
“Getting Sting Ray Robb on board to compete for the IndyCar Rookie of the Year championship, as well as the Indy 500 Rookie of the Race honours, is pretty incredible. He’s young and already has multiple years in the IndyCar ladder system.
“I am really looking forward to another fresh driver and personality to the #51 team and partnership platforms.
“With Sting Ray’s road course experience, and Dale’s oval-track programme, we are very optimistic.”
The pre-season IndyCar Open Test takes place at The Thermal Club on February 2-3, before the first race event of 2023 on the streets of St Petersburg on March 3-5.
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