Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar Correspondent
Arrow McLaren let him go, now the 22-year-old is set to race alongside Rinus VeeKay in 2027. It only becomes official once Brad Hollinger has taken full control of the team.
In July, Nolan Siegel‘s situation was clear and uncomfortable: Arrow McLaren would not renew, leaving the Californian without a 2027 seat after two and a half years with the team. Four months later, he appears to have found his way back onto the grid. As RACER reported on November 9, citing multiple sources, Siegel is expected to take over the second car at Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2027, alongside Rinus VeeKay. Nothing has been signed or announced yet. What is holding it up has nothing to do with the driver. It comes down to the owners.
First the sale, then the announcement
Team founder Ricardo Juncos is selling his stake to Brad Hollinger, who will then run the operation on his own. The sale is expected to close before the end of the year, and only then does the team plan to unveil Siegel officially. The new owner also brings a new look: going forward, only Hollinger’s name is set to appear on the team, with a new logo and new colors.
The split has not been entirely smooth, though. On November 7, Brazilian outlet Grande Prêmio reported a legal dispute between the two partners over the team’s future and its two charters. Each charter guarantees a car a starting spot at every race except the Indianapolis 500. According to that report, the owners also had different favorites for the second seat: Juncos wanted Siegel, Hollinger preferred Caio Collet. Two days later, RACER named Siegel as the winner of the race for the seat, ahead of Collet, Callum Ilott and other candidates. Whether the dispute is fully settled is not clear from either report.
A road with plenty of detours
Siegel turned 22 on November 8 and has already taken an unusually winding path. In 2023 he finished third in Indy NXT and was the top rookie. In 2024 he started out as a part-time driver at Dale Coyne Racing. He failed to qualify for the Indy 500 after crashing on his final attempt. At Road America he stood in for Agustín Canapino at Juncos Hollinger, and in June Arrow McLaren signed him to replace Théo Pourchaire. That same month he won the LMP2 class on his Le Mans debut.
The breakthrough never came at McLaren. He finished 22nd in 2025 and 20th in 2026, with 259 points and three top-10 finishes. The best of them came just as his future was already in doubt: sixth on the streets of Washington, D.C., his best IndyCar result to date. A street circuit punishes almost every mistake. A sixth place there does not just fall into your lap.
According to Grande Prêmio, Siegel also brings around $12 million in backing. So far, though, that figure comes from that one outlet only.
A fresh start for both sides
For the team, 2027 marks a new beginning. VeeKay is set to stay; he finished tenth in the 2026 championship, including a third place in the first Milwaukee race. The No. 77 was driven this season by Sting Ray Robb, whom Siegel is expected to replace. Whether the technical partnership with Arrow McLaren, the subject of months of speculation, will happen remains open.
In October, Siegel still sounded cautious when speaking to Motorsport.com. “I’m not done with that dream yet,” he said of IndyCar, adding that nothing was done yet. If Hollinger completes the purchase before the end of the year as planned, that should change, in time for the season opener on March 7 in St. Petersburg.
