The team renewed Callum Ilott’s deal back in July and revealed its intention to run a second car.
Today, the team confirmed it was moving forward with a two-car program although its choice of second driver “will be announced at a later date”.
Considering the limitations of being a rookie in the series, having no one with whom he can pool data, and driving for a team in its first full year at this level, former Formula 2 ace Ilott has performed a sterling job this year, qualifying inside the top dozen on five occasions, and twice starting seventh.
But Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger had long made it clear that they would be seeking a quality teammate for Ilott as soon as it was financially possible.
“To be able to announce this today and make this a reality is incredible,” said 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 implemented 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 and I planned from the beginning, and to do what is the best in terms of development, technical, marketing, and everything else.”
Hollinger first met Juncos – one of the star team owners in junior open-wheel series – during Juncos’ first foray into IndyCar, at the 2017 Indy 500, and last year joined forces with him as team co-owner.
At today’s announcement, Hollinger said: “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. Pairing him with an accomplished teammate 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 [with Louis Foster], and the team has also won the Indy Lights Series in the past as well.
“Our 2023 game plan is a great step forward towards our ultimate goal of winning NTT IndyCar Series’ team and driver titles.”
JHR has already tested Benjamin Pedersen, who won last weekend’s Indy Lights round at Portland, but there is also a possibility that Felix Rosenqvist could join the team if Arrow McLaren SP manages to lever Alex Palou out of Chip Ganassi Racing.
