Dale Coyne Racing has announced its ninth driver so far this season, in what can best be described as a game of musical chairs at 200 miles per hour. Indy NXT alumnus Hunter McElrea will take the wheel of Dale Coyne’s #18 entry for this weekend’s Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.
McElrea finished runner-up in last year’s Indy NXT season behind current Ed Carpenter Racing driver Christian Rasmussen, scoring two victories and two pole positions. The New Zealander currently drives for TDS Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, coming home second during this year’s 12 Hours of Sebring.
Born in Los Angeles he is the third generation of a New Zealand racing family, with both his grandfather and father being successful on a national level. McElrea began karting at the age of seven before starting his racing career in regional and national Formula Ford series in Australia and New Zealand.
After winning the Australian Formula Ford championship he crossed the Pacific to join the Road To Indy ladder, which sees him eventually rewarded with his IndyCar debut this weekend.
“It’s a dream come true for me to be making my NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut,” McElrea said. “I’ve been working toward this for a long time, and I have to thank Dale [Coyne] for the opportunity. I can’t wait to get to Toronto, which is one of the coolest events of the year. I want to thank JR Smart and Courtesy Corporation for making this possible for me.”
After Nolan Siegel, Colin Braun, Luca Ghiotto and Toby Sowery, McElrea is the fifth rookie that is given an opportunity by Dale Coyne.
“Hunter impressed the team during our test last week at Mid-Ohio,” the team owner Coyne said. “He quickly got up to speed and helped run through our testing plan. I’m excited to see what he can do on the streets of Toronto this weekend.”
