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IndyCar: Dale Coyne Racing’s likely #19 Honda drivers revealed

By Asher Fair

FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Ed Jones, driver of the #19 Boy Scouts of America Honda, practices for the Verizon IndyCar Series Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Ed Jones, driver of the #19 Boy Scouts of America Honda, practices for the Verizon IndyCar Series Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /
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The likely drivers of the #19 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2018 IndyCar season have been revealed, and there are two of them.

Dale Coyne Racing team owner Dale Coyne expects to announce the two drivers who will compete in the team’s #19 Honda part-time throughout the 2018 IndyCar season early this week before testing takes place at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona after recently confirming that the #19 Honda would, in fact, have multiple drivers throughout the season.

Coyne confirmed that the two drivers he is set to announce as the part-time drivers of the #19 Honda are 19-year-old Zachary Claman DeMelo and 21-year-old Pietro Fittipaldi. In recent weeks, these two drivers have been the front-runners to get time behind the wheel of the car this season.

Both of these drivers recently tested for Dale Coyne Racing at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida. Claman DeMelo’s test was scheduled, but Fittipaldi’s wasn’t; he only showed up to test an Indy Lights car before Coyne offered him a test in the #18 Honda of Sebastien Bourdais, the team’s lone full-time driver, since Bourdais was in Daytona competing in the Rolex 24.

Here is what Coyne had to say about this situation, according to IndyStar.

"“This is just the situation we’re in because we need funding for that car. But, truthfully, the money is secondary. I think this is a scenario that could work out pretty good for us. Both were equally good (in testing). Pietro, that was the first time we’d seen him in the car because he’s been racing in Europe. But he was professional and put out a good speed, and so did Zach. So we’re very pleased with what both of them did.”"

Claman DeMelo drove in the Indy Lights Series in each of the last two seasons. He secured his first career win in the series driving for Carlin Motorsport last season at Road America en route to a career-high 5th place finish in the championship standings. He made one IndyCar start in the season finale at Sonoma Raceway for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and finished in 17th after starting in 21st.

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Fittipaldi, meanwhile, has never driven in Indy Lights or IndyCar before. He does, however, have plenty of racing experience and has won a number of championships in the several series he has competed in professionally since 2011. He most recently won the World Series Formula V8 3.5 championship last year.

If and when these drivers become confirmed as drivers of the #19 Honda, they still may not know which races they will be driving in, as that decision is still being made based on several factors, including sponsorship and likelihood of each driver having success at particular tracks.

Both drivers might, however, drive in the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 alongside Bourdais and Pippa Mann, who regularly drives in the Indy 500 for the team.

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If the announcement goes down as planned and Zachary Claman DeMelo and Pietro Fittipaldi are confirmed as the two part-time drivers for Dale Coyne Racing’s #19 Honda in the 2018 IndyCar season, which races do you think each driver will drive in, and how do you think they will perform? The season is set to get underway on Sunday, March 11th with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.