Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced that Agustin Canapino will return to the team next season, driving the team’s #78 entry.

The Argentinian stock car driver turned open wheel racer completed his rookie season in IndyCar with JHR last year at 33 years old, with his best finishes being a set of 12th place efforts.

There was rumored to be quite a bit of uncertainty around Canapino’s return, with funding being the main concern.

But it appears that the small team has secured enough backing to be able to afford the tenured racer for another season, boosted in part by finishing both cars high enough in the points standings to earn the series’ Leader Circle funding for next year.

Canapino’s return will give him a chance to refine his skills and improve on what was a year spent getting used to cars and tracks that were entirely new to him.

“I am very happy to announce my continuation for 2024 in IndyCar with Juncos Hollinger Racing,” said Canapino. “Many thanks to Ricardo [Juncos] and Brad [Hollinger] for continuing to place their trust in me, and also to Hector Martinez Sosa, the Grupo Empresario Prieto and the INPROTUR for their support.

“After an incredible 2023 season, where we achieved good results, entered the Leaders Circle, and consistently delivered strong performances, all in my first year in a single-seater, I am filled with joy and motivation to have the opportunity to keep growing as a driver and contribute to the continuous and remarkable evolution of the team.

“For 2024, the mindset will be different. What was once filled with doubt and uncertainty will now be a relentless pursuit of improving day by day, seeking results and consistency in each race.

“Of course, we don’t forget that we are still a relatively new team competing against strong competitors, but we approach this challenge with the eagerness and hunger to aim higher every time. See you in St. Petersburg aboard the #78!”

Last season, JHR expanded to two cars for the first time, with Callum Ilott and Canapino behind the wheel of the two entries.

Ilott’s future has not yet been announced, and it is unknown if he will also be returning to JHR in 2024 in the team’s second entry.

The Briton was on the receiving end of a couple rounds of online abuse following racing incidents between him and his team-mate.

Those incidents did not sit well with Ilott, even though his team owner Ricardo Juncos mostly brushed the attacks off as common practice for South American sports fans.

The team will try to put those incidents behind it, however, and will focus on improving in the competitive IndyCar scene.

“Agustin’s incredible achievements on the track have not only exceeded our expectations but have also been a source of pride for our entire team,” said team co-owner Ricardo Juncos.

“His energy, dedication, and sportsmanship have united us and created a sense of camaraderie that is truly exceptional. We look forward to continuing this incredible journey together.”

Callum Ilott is once again the target of fan outrage after he and his team-mate Agustin Canapino touched while fighting for position at Laguna Seca.

The abuse has come from overzealous fans of Canapino, who largely reside the racer’s home country of Argentina, and feel that their favorite driver was wronged by his British team-mate.

Ilott’s social media posts following the season finale were bombarded with cruel and threatening messages, to the point that he made his accounts private to limit the attacks.

Argentinian television also seemed to focus heavily on the incident following the race, inviting more people to question if Ilott was at fault.

Over 24 hours after the race was completed, well after the online comments had spiraled out of control, Juncos Hollinger Racing released a statement acknowledging the abuse and ‘kindly requesting’ no further negative comments.

“Let’s not let yesterday’s on-track incident overshadow all the great accomplishments we’ve achieved as a team this season,” read the team’s statement.

“We kindly request that there are no negative comments directed towards any of our driver, both now and in the future, as these comments do no align with the team’s philosophy.

“Let the collective power of our supporters be a force for good!”

The incident itself involved the two drivers touching while battling for position late in the race, with Canapino’s front wing being knocked askew in the scuffle.

Both were fighting for a top five position at the time of the incident, but Canapino quickly slipped down the order and finished in 14th as his car suffered from a lack of downforce.

Race control did not assign any blame or penalties for the collision, and it was officially deemed to be a racing incident.

This is the second time this season that Ilott has been the target of vicious comments online from Canapino’s supporters, with the first round coming after the race at Long Beach.

The fan’s comments in March also seemed to unfairly assign blame to Ilott, and garnered an official response from IndyCar as well as from JHR.

The latest incident comes as Ilott enters the offseason without anything officially confirmed for the 2024 season, although signs point to him returning to JHR, especially considering a number of other available seats have been claimed in recent weeks.

Canapino is also thought to be returning to the team for a second season, which would put the two drivers under the same umbrella again.

IndyCar has announced that three drivers will receive grid drops for the Sunday’s season finale race at Laguna Seca.

Each entry was in violation of the series’ engine use rule, which limits the number of engines that can be used over the course of the season.

Agustin Canapino was the first to receive the grid drop, with his Juncos Hollinger Racing team opting to fit a sixth engine before the race weekend got underway.

Juri Vips will also start lower than the qualified after RLL opted to change his Honda motor after Friday’s practice.

Following an engine failure in Saturday morning’s practice session that left his car smoking on the side of the track, Santino Ferrucci will also have to take a grid penalty for Sunday’s race.

All three drivers will start six positions further back than they qualified, with IndyCar’s standard engine use rules being applied in all cases.

After the penalties, Vips will line up from the 13th grid position, Ferrucci from 17th, and Canapino will line up 19th.

A few drivers will get a grid boost on account of the reordering, with Graham Rahal and Colton Herta benefitting the most.

Both drivers will jump past all three penalized men, and will start from 11th and 12th respectively despite qualifying 14th and 15th.

Engines are typically detuned by Honda and Chevy to help them last the required number of races before failure.

With each of the three penalized drivers only needing their power plant to last a single weekend, expect them to have a bit more pace than usual on the straights for Sunday’s race.

Agustin Canapino, a rookie in the NTT IndyCar Series, will return to his native Argentina next month to drive in the Turismo Carretera (ACTC) stock car series for the final six races of the season.

The ACTC series is where Canapino found success as a professional race car driver, winning the driver’s championship on four separate occasions in 2010, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

His success made him one of the most popular drivers in Argentina, and his move to IndyCar with Juncos Hollinger Racing this season grew his following even more.

Canapino will be greeted by many excited fans when he runs the six races in his home country, which conveniently do not conflict with the remainder of the IndyCar season.

“It is a beautiful opportunity to return to the family of Turismo Carretera and see all of the amazing fans once again,” said Canapino.

“Buenos Aires is the ‘cathedral of motorsports’ as we call it, and since the track’s renovations, it will be more than special to race there again.

“It was also the place where I was able to secure my first championship title at the age of 20, back in 2010, and everything changed for me from that day onwards.”

The first race in which Canapino will return will be at the Juan y Oscar Galvez Autodrome in Buenos Aires on August 19-20, which is an off weekend for IndyCar.

Canapino will drive the #78 entry for the event, which will carry a green and black livery that matches JHR’s bold color scheme that it has run this season.

The final five races of the 2023 ACTC season will also have Canapino on the grid, with those rounds being run after IndyCar concludes its season on September 10 at Laguna Seca.

The 33-year-old is still expected to run the 2024 IndyCar season, and he currently has no plans to return to stock car racing full time.

JHR owner Ricardo Juncos, who is proud of his own Argentinian heritage, has given his full support to the races, and likely sees them as another way to demonstrate how successful an IndyCar event in the country would be.

“For Agustin to race again in the TC, being an IndyCar driver, is a priceless opportunity that presented itself very beautifully,” said the JHR team owner.

“It deserves everyone’s support, and that’s why [JHR co-owner] Brad Hollinger and I did not hesitate to allow Agustin to participate in Buenos Aires and at the five TC races that complete the 2023 season.”

The announcement garnered attention from other IndyCar drivers on social media, who began to voice their interest in competing in a round or two alongside Canapino.

Scott McLaughlin, who also has a background in stock car racing in Australia, was the first to volunteer, and received an invitation from the ACTC team owner for the race on August 20.

Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward also noted their interest in trying out a stock car race in Argentina, but no official participation announcements have been made outside of the one for Canapino.

Before Canapino’s trip home, he will first compete in the next IndyCar round on the streets of Nashville for the Music City Grand Prix, which takes place August 4-6.

Leadership of the NTT IndyCar Series continues to work behind the scenes to see if an international race can feasibly added to the calendar for 2024.

One of the most likely options is an event at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina, which hosted a demonstration run during the last off season and has expressed considerable interest in putting on a race.

With the popular Argentinian rookie Agustin Canapino racing in IndyCar for Juncos Hollinger Racing this year, and the team itself having close ties to Argentina, the country has worked its way to the top of the list of possibilities for an international event.

Speaking to the IndyStar on Sunday, Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles said that conversations continue to move forward for the prospective event, and that it is one of the best options at the moment.

“Argentina is a developing conversation that could be promising. We get a lot of ‘incoming,’ but a lot of them don’t make sense for us, when you think about our current thought that [such an international race] ought not to be during the championship.

“And when you take, say Europe, when does it work in which western European countries, weather-wise?

“Never does six months go by that somebody or someone on behalf of somebody doesn’t reach out [from a new entity looking to host a race].”

Despite popular Mexican driver Pato O’Ward insisting that any international IndyCar round must be part of the championship, the continued word from IndyCar leadership is that any future international races would be run as exhibition events.

The only current international round on the schedule is the race held on the streets of Toronto, Canada. That race is a points-paying round of the championship, but it is also very close to the US border and feels more like a typical venue than anything in South America would be.

Countries other than Argentina have also been floated to possibly host an IndyCar race, including Mexico and Brazil. Both countries have popular drivers in the series as well, and would likely provide large crowds for any events within their borders.

At this time, however, Argentina appears to be the country that has held the most advanced talks with series leadership.

“I wouldn’t say we’re in a [far along conversation] with Brazil like we are with Argentina,” continued Miles, talking to the IndyStar. “It may be because we just haven’t really connected yet, but we have not engaged in any substantive conversations there.

“There may be yet another more promising prospect, and we may be choosing between the two for next year, or it could be just the one, or none.”

The last time IndyCar held an exhibition event that didn’t count towards the championship was 2008, when Surfers Paradise, Australia hosted the series for the final time.

Juncos Hollinger Racing has unveiled a special sport-crossing livery for Agustin Canapino’s car for this year’s Indianapolis 500.

Instead of the black and green design seen the majority of the season, the #78 will sport a white and blue livery reminiscent of the classic Argentinean Football Association design.

The stripes down the car are in the same style as the jerseys worn by the Argentina national football team in tournaments around the world, including the World Cup.

There are even three gold stars for the AFA’s three world cup wins and the AFA logo on the car, giving the entry a proper authentic look.

Canapino’s car is sponsored by the Visit Argentina travel bureau this season, the support of which helped the team expand to two cars this season.

With team owner Ricardo Juncos and Canapino both hailing from Argentina, fan support from the South American country is quite strong.

“As an Argentinean, I am proud to have the colors of my country and the Argentinean Football Association with us for this edition of the Indy 500 race,” said Ricardo Juncos.

“To be able to bring together the two greatest passions of Argentines, together with the AFA and Agustin Canapino, in the most important and oldest event in the history of world motorsport, the 500, is a dream come true.

“I believe it will undoubtedly be a historic event for the sport in our country, which beyond any result will remain in everyone’s memory.”

Canapino is currently in his rookie IndyCar season, moving over to the series after an incredibly successful career running stock car series in Argentina.

The 33-year-old has held his own while competing in an open wheel series for the first time, even finishing in the top half of the field at Texas Motor Speedway, which was the first oval race of his career.

Canapino’s presence in IndyCar, along with the bevy of international fans he has brought with him, has further fueled conversations about IndyCar holding an international event to tap into other markets.

IndyCar management recently visited the Termas de Rio hondo circuit in Argentina to evaluate the feasibility of holding an event at the venue, but no further announcements have been made.

Canapino’s special livery will first see the track on Tuesday, May 16, and will be seen by many millions of people worldwide for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28.

The NTT IndyCar Series has released a statement relating to the online abuse and threats that Callum Ilott received following last weekend’s race at Long Beach.

Ilott made it known after the race that he had been the target of multiple threatening messages on social media, presumably from fans of his new team-mate Agustin Canapino.

Despite the drivers not colliding while competing against each other on track, some fans felt that close racing between the two hurt the rookie’s result and directed their anger towards Ilott.

IndyCar released a statement late Monday condemning the abuse and calling for support and appreciation for everyone in the paddock.

“Over the last 24 hours, some of our drivers have been the target of disrespectful and inappropriate online abuse,” read the statement. “There is no place for this behavior in our sport.

“While fierce competition and rivalry will always be a mainstay of IndyCar racing, it’s important to showcase and celebrate these attributes with ultimate respect and concern for the well-being of our competitors.

“IndyCar is a community that should always strive to build upward with support and appreciation for one another.”

There were no reports of any physical violence or threats made in person, but the aggression shared online was above and beyond typical fan favoritism.

Both drivers involved race for Juncos Hollinger Racing, and the team released their own statement which echoed the views of the series.

“After the events of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach our drivers and team have faced an exponential amount of disrespectful online abuse. This is beyond inappropriate and we as a team are very disappointed in the behavior of everyone involved. There is no place for that on our team and there is no place for that in our sport.

“Our drivers will always have respect for each other on and off the track. No matter what happens, we are in a sport where split second decision make or break the weekend. We learn, forgive, and forget.

“We as a team are grateful to have fans as passionate as we do, but we need to remember that our community is built on respect for everyone on our team and in the series. We will see you all in Barber.”

IndyCar will be back on track for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park on April 30.

Callum Ilott has revealed through social media that he has been the focus of abuse and death threats online following Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Ilott detailed that the messages were delivered in Spanish, hinting that fans of his new IndyCar team-mate Agustin Canapino may be to blame.

Canapino brings a large following of fans with him from his native Argentina, and is a rookie racing with Juncos Hollinger Racing this season.

Although Ilott didn’t go into many specifics with his posts, it appears that the hateful words directed his way were on account of his close racing moment with his team-mate Canapino.

Canapino was at the front of the field for a mid-race restart after his crew decided to try a bold strategy and left him on track while most of the rest of the field pitted for new tires. Just as the race went green, Ilott came out of the pits himself and was on track directly in front of his team-mate.

The two came close to each other with the rest of the field breathing down their necks, but television cameras did not show any contact between the drivers.

Canapino did drop through the field rather quickly, presumably from contact with one of the other drivers that were rushing past on fresh Firestone rubber. He later spent some time in the garage area while repairs were made to his JHR Chevy.

Following the race, Ilott made a few posts that made it clear he was not pleased with the threats he received, and that they went beyond the normal level of fan favoritism that athletes are subject to.

“Genuinely impressed by the amount of death threats and abuse I’ve received,” Ilott posted. “Definitely a new record by far, really appreciate the effort to help me learn all these new Spanish words.”

On Monday, he followed that message up with more details about the incident and thanked people for their support.

“On another note, it’s an important reminder to all new and old fans/people. Respect goes both ways. Although I have thick skin and am used to this behaviour occasionally. One day it will go too far to someone who can’t deal with it as well as others.

“It’s unacceptable on any level and those who encourage it should have a real think about the consequences of their actions. But I would like to thank everyone who has supported me, it means a lot.”

Ilott also sent a public message to an Argentinian sports commentator about the incident, reminding him that “professionalism is needed when you hold a microphone that sends a message to 100k+ people.”

Canapino posted his own message to social media, which appears to be related to the fan reactions he witnessed following the race.

“Unfortunately we had to retire due to a race situation,” read the translated message. “To clarify that [Callum Ilott] did not do anything on purpose or with intention, it simply happened that way due to circumstances, we make a good team and I am very grateful for that.”

Update: IndyCar and Juncos Hollinger Racing each released a statement condemning the abuse and calling for respect towards everyone in the sport.

Agustin Canapino was the biggest wildcard among IndyCar’s three full time rookie drivers this season, coming into the season with precious little open wheel experience.

The Argentinian had only been behind the wheel of an IndyCar a couple times before Ricardo Juncos tipped him for a demonstration run in their home country late last year, which was followed by an announcement that he would be filling the Juncos Hollinger team’s second entry for the 2023 season.

Canapino knew that his task would be a tough one, but so far is proving that his years of racing experience in stock cars in Argentina are a solid enough background to hold his own in open wheel racing.

The result of a lot of hard work behind the scenes, he has finished in the top half of the field in both races this year.

When Canapino was asked by Motorsportweek.com if he would categorize his IndyCar running so far as difficult or fun, he pivoted to saying that he still needs more experience to show his true potential.

“Both probably. Both,” said Canapino. “I am doing a big, big sacrifice because the change is really big. At the same time, I am really happy with this situation and this opportunity.

“I need more experience. I need more laps. I am still far from the mid-pack. This is my goal, the mid-pack. I’m still far, but I am working really hard to try to catch them.

“[This has been] was my first experience in open wheel cars. And IndyCar is the most competitive series in the world. Really good start for us.”

Though Canapino feels that he is still behind other mid-pack drivers, the results so far show that’s not necessarily the case.

He has finished 12th in both races this season, placing him 12th in the points overall, and has showed remarkable poise to stay out of trouble in two races that featured copious amounts of on track incidents.

Even more impressive given that the two races were run on vastly different types of tracks, and the only oval running he had done in his career came at a short test session one week ahead of the Texas race.

The other rookies this season, Sting Ray Robb and Benjamin Pedersen, have each failed to finish one of their races and sit considerably further down the order than Canapino.

At the very least, he is meeting his goal of running as many laps as possible by staying out of trouble right through the checkered flag.

The season is still young, and there is still plenty for the 33-year-old driver to learn, but early indications seem to point to him being quite the valuable asset for the JHR team.

Callum Ilott is entering his second season as a driver in the NTT IndyCar Series, and this year he will have the benefit of a team-mate to help him get the best results each weekend.

Agustin Canapino is a rookie, however, and will be spending much of his time learning from Ilott the tips and tricks needed to get the most out of his Juncos Hollinger Racing #78.

This season will be Canapino’s first real foray into open wheel racing, having come from Argentina’s stock car scene, and will need some time to get accustomed to the different driving style required.

Ilott was asked in what ways he and Canapino can help each other during the upcoming season with neither having a lot of experience in the competitive series.

“It’s a tough one because of the position that he’s in,” said Ilott of his new team-mate. “It’s a bit of an unknown for me, for the team, for the championship, because for sure he’s quick. But again, it’s a real really tough thing to jump into.

“So I really — I’m a bit nervous for him, and I admire the jump because it’s not easy to do. Obviously Scott McLaughlin has done it in, shall we say, a different environment, but he’s done it, and Agustin has that background but from Argentina.

“It’s more I have to wait and see where we’re at and what we’re doing because it could be more of a data thing or it could be really something that we can work together as a team and build off of. But I know it’s definitely not easy as a rookie.

“But then taking my own experience, we worked really well together as a one-car operation compared to big four-, five-car operations, and sometimes we kick their ass. But that gives me the confidence that no matter what, I can kind of work with what we’ve got and do a good job with it.”

Ilott was heavily involved in the quest to find a second driver for JHR during the latter part of last year, with the Briton relating that he was on the lookout for someone that could help the team to grow quickly.

Despite that, the team chose to bring in a rookie with very little open wheel experience, seemingly weighing heavily the opportunity to have a driver from team owner Ricardo Juncos’ home country of Argentina.

Canapino certainly brings a lot of attention and potential sponsorship opportunities with him, but he also lacks the ability to jump in and provide feedback in the same way that an IndyCar veteran would have.

“Obviously the closer he can get to what I’m doing and the more similar he’s, shall we say, reenacting what I’m doing, because hopefully I am the baseline in that sense, the better, because that can help us,” continued Ilott.

“Obviously he is a racing driver. He has done many years of it. For sure when we try something, he should be able to feel it. If he feels it in a slightly different way, that’s still feedback for the team. It’s still good.”