IndyCar: Kyle Kaiser to drive four races for Juncos Racing in 2018

2017 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kaiser is set to race in four events in the 2018 IndyCar season with Juncos Racing, including the Indianapolis 500.

Kyle Kaiser, 21, is set to make his IndyCar debut in the 2018 IndyCar season driving for Juncos Racing thanks to the $1 million scholarship he earned by winning this past season’s Indy Lights championship after winning three races and finishing on the podium in five more events.

Kaiser will not drive the full schedule next season like last year’s Indy Lights champion Ed Jones did this past season for Dale Coyne Racing. He will instead drive in four of the season’s 17 races, which is similar to what 2015 Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot had planned for the 2016 IndyCar season when Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing signed him for three races.

Pigot, who also won his Indy Lights championship driving for Juncos Racing, ended up driving in 10 total races in 2016, as after his three races driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in St. Petersburg, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, he was hired as the road and street course specialist at Ed Carpenter Racing.

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The four races in which Kaiser will drive next season have not yet been completely determined. However, we do know that two of them will be the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on Saturday, May 12th, 2018 and the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 27th, 2018. The remaining two events will be announced at a later date.

Here is what Kaiser had to say about his opportunity to drive in the highest level of American open-wheel racing for Juncos Racing.

"“I’m very excited to be moving up to the Verizon IndyCar Series with Juncos Racing. Juncos has been a huge part of my recent success in the Mazda Road to Indy. I have the utmost confidence in Ricardo’s program moving forward and I’m very thankful to everyone involved for making this possible, especially Dan Andersen for his investment into the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system which will allow me to take the final step towards a career in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Now, I’m just anxious to get behind the wheel as soon as possible!”"

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The 2018 IndyCar season is set to begin on Sunday, March 11th with the annual running of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Could this race be added as one of Kaiser’s four events next year?