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IndyCar: Dale Coyne Racing’s #19 Honda driver schedule confirmed

By Asher Fair

AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 29: Ed Jones of United Arab Emirates, driver of the Dale Coyne Racing Honda drives in the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway on April 29, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 29: Ed Jones of United Arab Emirates, driver of the Dale Coyne Racing Honda drives in the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway on April 29, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The driver schedule of the #19 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2018 IndyCar season has been confirmed for the car’s two drivers.

Dale Coyne Racing finally confirmed that the two drivers of the team’s #19 Honda throughout the 2018 IndyCar season are set to be 19-year-old Zachary Claman DeMelo, a former Indy Lights Series driver, and 21-year-old Pietro Fittipaldi, the grandson of two-time Formula One champion, 1989 CART champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Emerson Fittipaldi.

The schedule for which of these two drivers will drive the #19 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing in each of the IndyCar season’s 17 races has officially been released as well.

The only race in which both drivers might drive is the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. Fittipaldi is set to drive the #19 Honda, and Claman DeMelo may get the opportunity to drive an additional entry in the race. That, however, has not yet been confirmed.

This would essentially turn Dale Coyne Racing, a two-car full-time operation, into a four-car team for this year’s Indianapolis 500, as full-time driver Sebastien Bourdais is set to drive the #18 Honda and Pippa Mann, who is not a full-time driver but has driven in the race for the team every year since 2013, is set to drive the #63 Honda.

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Fittipaldi is set to drive in seven of the 17 races throughout the 2018 season. He is set to drive in four road course races and three oval races. He is set to drive in the Phoenix oval race in April, the Indianapolis road course race in May, the Indianapolis 500 oval race in May, the Texas oval race in June, the Mid-Ohio road course race in July, the Portland road course race in September and the Sonoma road course race in September.

Claman DeMelo is set to drive in 10 of the 17 races throughout the 2018 season. He is set to drive in five street course races, two road course races and three oval races. He is set to drive in the St. Petersburg street course race in March, the Long Beach street course race in April, the Barber road course race in April, the two Belle Isle street course races in June, the Road America road course race in June, the Iowa oval race in July, the Toronto street course race in July, the Pocono oval race in August and the Gateway oval race in August. The Indianapolis 500 oval race in May remains a possibility.

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Which driver will have more success in his part-time role as the driver of the #19 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2018 season: Zachary Claman DeMelo or Pietro Fittipaldi? Be sure to tune in to the season opener and Claman DeMelo’s season debut, the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, on Sunday, March 11th, and Fittipaldi’s season debut, the Phoenix Grand Prix, on Saturday, April 7th.