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.”

There will be another team partnership in IndyCar for the 2024 season, with Juncos Hollinger Racing and Arrow McLaren teaming up to provide additional support to each other.

The two teams will work together in a strategic alliance that will see a joint effort take shape for much of the behind-the-scenes operation of the organizations.

According to the release, the alliance will begin with a focus on commercial and strategic initiatives and may evolve to include other areas over time.

Both teams will also ‘consider this alliance as a talent development opportunity, with the potential for engineers, mechanics and drivers to build their experience.’

“We’re continually working to strengthen all areas of our team,” said Arrow McLaren Team Principal Gavin Ward.

“And a strategic alliance with Juncos Hollinger Racing helps both of us in leveraging our commercial and marketing power and the McLaren Racing brand in a new way.”

Absent from the announcement is a promise of any sort of technical alliance, which would have seen the two teams work together on car setup and performance.

Other alliances on the IndyCar grid, such as the recently-revealed partnership between Team Penske and AJ Foyt Racing, a focused more on car performance and include more technical aspects to their information sharing.

JHR has been one of the few teams on the grid without any sort of support from a larger entity, with the team having only two full IndyCar seasons under its belt and having no assistance in getting its two cars up to speed.

The team’s two drivers finished 16th and 21st in the championship this past year, and this new alliance with the more formidable Arrow McLaren should help them move upwards in the coming years.

“Our two teams have a lot of similarities in how we’re attracting partners and building a fanbase,” said JHR co-owner Ricardo Juncos. “We’re starting out with a strategic alliance and we’ll see how that may evolve from here.”

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.

Juncos Hollinger Racing is competing in its second full IndyCar season this year, and continues to find that the top teams have a distinct advantage due to their many years competing in the series.

Juncos has had the benefit of two drivers throughout the season, allowing it to more quickly adapt throughout the course of the race weekend compared to last year when it fielded Callum Ilott alone as a rookie.

But the pace that the top teams have improved, specifically in relation to last season, is making it so that the small team is seemingly always starting each weekend on the back foot.

Ilott started this year with a pair of top 10 finishes, but has struggled to get that far up the field for the remaining part of the season.

“I think we overachieved a bit at the beginning of the year, which created some higher expectations,” said Ilott, speaking to motorsportweek.com.

“I think the positive is, I am the biggest mover by far. So I made up the most positions from my starting point, which shows we’ve got good race pace, good strategies, we just need to improve the qualifying.

“The tougher thing is that we have the baselines from last year. The problem is when those aren’t competitive anymore, when everyone else has improved drastically and you’re like ‘Ok well, we can try. But we’re just missing a bit.’

“We’ve added onto the choices we can do, and the options we have. The problem everyone else is pushing at a rate that is tough to catch up with. Which shows maybe this year there’s a bigger disparity between midfield teams and the top teams.

“You just have to work harder and get the most out of it. You’ve got 20 years’ worth of experience [in the top teams] vs two. It’s a no brainer. For them, it’s going to be a massive difference.”

Ilott also related that his plans for next season are ‘unconfirmed,’ and that he’s been talking with various teams throughout the season in order to try to get something lined up.

“No,” he said flatly when asked if he has a deal for next season. “I thought I would know three months ago, but I haven’t. It’s IndyCar. I don’t know what’s going on. All I can say is that it’s unconfirmed.”

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 started Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg all the way down in 22nd position, but was able to steadily move up through the field as others around him made mistakes.

The main contributor to his rise through the field was his avoidance of the many wrecks that happened in front of him, which alone allowed him to gain quite a few positions.

By time half of the race had passed, Ilott was already in eighth position, and he gained a few more in the latter half of the 100-lap event to earn his first top 5 result of his young career.

After the race he described that his cool demeanor helped vault him and the Juncos Hollinger Team well ahead of where they were at the start of the season last year.

“Honestly, we improved throughout the weekend and managed to put down a good race today,” said Ilott in television interviews after the race. “I forgot I started 22nd, so I came from a long way back.

“Honestly, kept it cool. I lost out a little bit because I was playing it on the safe side, but those restarts were so slippy. Losing a couple places, but when people were overdoing it, that was when I was able to capitalize.

“What a race, what a day, what a start! Big thank you to everyone, and obviously all our sponsors as well. It’s great. We’ll work hard. Texas is next, quite a bit of a change.

“This was one of our weakest weekends last year, so able to come in with a top 5 is not what I expected. I think that sets a good start for the year.”

Ilott’s rookie team-mate Agustin Canapino also did remarkably well in his IndyCar debut, staying on the lead lap and earning a 12th place finish.

Together both drivers hope to be able to work together to produce consistent results and give their fledgling team more and more respect as each race goes by.