Zachary Claman DeMelo is set to test for Dale Coyne Racing at Sebring on Wednesday in an attempt to land a ride in the 2018 IndyCar season.
Zachary Claman DeMelo, 19, is set to test for Dale Coyne Racing on Wednesday at Sebring International Raceway in an attempt to land a ride for the 2018 IndyCar season in the team’s second car alongside four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais, 38.
Claman DeMelo drove full-time in Indy Lights in the 2017 season before making his IndyCar debut in the season finale at Sonoma for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Claman DeMelo drove the #13 Honda to a 17th place finish after starting back in 21st.
In the 2017 Indy Lights season, which was Claman DeMelo’s second career season in the sport, he finished in 5th place in the drivers standings after racking up 14 top 10 finishes in 16 races. He finished in the top 5 in seven races and finishing on the podium in four of them. He won his first career Indy Lights race in the second race at Road America.
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We conducted an interview with Claman DeMelo shortly before he made his IndyCar debut this past September. You can read that interview here.
The seat open at Dale Coyne Racing for the 2018 IndyCar season is the #19 Honda, which was driven by Ed Jones, a rookie, last season. The team’s other car, the #18 Honda, is set to be driven by Sebastien Bourdais for the second straight season.
Jones, the 3rd place finisher in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and the 2017 Rookie of the Year, is set to replace Tony Kanaan at Chip Ganassi Racing in the #10 Honda this season, leaving the seat of the #19 Honda open. Kanaan is set to replace Carlos Munoz at A.J. Foyt Enterprises in the #14 Chevrolet. Munoz is set to drive the #29 Andretti Autosport Honda in the Indianapolis 500.
Here is what Claman DeMelo, who just signed with driver manager Stefan Johansson, had to say about testing for Dale Coyne Racing, according to Racer.com.
"“I’m doing the test with Coyne and it’s also looking more like I’ll be racing with them this year, but nothing’s done.”"
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Will Zachary Claman DeMelo end up landing the ride in the #19 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2018 IndyCar season? If so, will he be the final full-time driver confirmed on the 2018 driver lineup, or will Harding Racing end up as a two-car team as well? With the season approaching in just over two months, the picture is becoming increasingly clearer.