IndyCar: Santino Ferrucci returning to Dale Coyne Racing for final two races in 2018
By Asher Fair
Santino Ferrucci is set to return to Dale Coyne Racing for the final two races of the 2018 IndyCar season at Portland and Sonoma.
After making his IndyCar debut earlier this season in early June in the first race of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit on the streets of Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan and driving in the second race of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit as well, 20-year-old Santino Ferrucci is set to return to IndyCar.
The Haas Formula 1 development driver is set to return to IndyCar for the final two races of the 17-race 2018 season, the Grand Prix of Portland and the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma.
The Grand Prix of Portland is the 16th race of the season, and it is scheduled to be held on Sunday, September 2, and it is scheduled to be broadcast live from Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon on NBC Sports Network starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.
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The IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma is the 17th and final race of the season, and it is scheduled to be held on Sunday, September 16, and it is scheduled to be broadcast live from Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California on NBC Sports Network starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Ferrucci drove the #19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda as the team’s second driver in the two races of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, but he is set to drive the #39 Honda for the team as their third driver in the season’s final two races with sponsorship from Cly-Del Manufacturing.
Here is what Ferrucci had to say about getting the opportunity to return to Dale Coyne Racing in the final two races of the 2018 season, according to Dale Coyne Racing.
"“I am extremely grateful to Dale (Coyne) and everyone at Dale Coyne Racing for giving me this opportunity to get back behind the wheel of an Indy car in Portland and Sonoma. I’m also excited to be bringing my long-time sponsor Cly-Del on board and introducing them to the world of IndyCar racing. I truly enjoyed my time with Dale Coyne Racing in Detroit earlier this season and I couldn’t be more excited to be back with them for a couple more races as I look to the future and enter the next chapter of my career.”"
Here is what Dale Coyne Racing team owner Dale Coyne Racing had to say about Ferrucci being set to make his return to IndyCar with the team in these two races, according to Dale Coyne Racing.
"“We were very impressed with Santino at Detroit this year, and not just by his performance behind the wheel, but also by his professionalism and maturity outside of the race car. We’ve had lengthy discussions with Santino in the past few months and we’re excited to have him back for the final two rounds of the season. We look forward to seeing what he will do with this opportunity as he gets back behind the wheel of an Indy Car. We’re also happy to welcome Cly-Del to our ever-growing family of sponsors.”"
Here is what Cly-Del Manufacturing CEO Bob Garthwait Jr. had to say about sponsoring Ferrucci and Dale Coyne Racing in these two races, according to Dale Coyne Racing.
"“We are very excited to sponsor Santino Ferrucci and Dale Coyne Racing at the Portland & Sonoma IndyCar races. Excellence in motorsport requires strong teamwork, precision engineering, and quality execution. These have been our core values at Cly-Del for the last 79 years, making this partnership an outstanding fit. We wish the team well and hope to see more great racing from the series.”"
Ferrucci failed to finish the first race of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit and was officially scored in 22nd place after he was involved in a crash with Carlin Motorsport’s Charlie Kimball on lap 56 of the 70-lap race, and he finished in 20th in the second race of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, one lap off the lead.
Since then, Ferrucci has been involved in a lot of controversy. He was driving for Trident in his first full season as a Formula 2 driver until he was fired by the team after the races at Silverstone Circuit after he crashed into his teammate, Arjun Maini, following the sprint race at the track.
Ferrucci was initially suspended from four Formula 2 races, and he was disqualified from the sprint race results at Silverstone Circuit for a separate incident during which he forced Maini off the track. On top of that, he was found to have driven his car from the support race paddock to the pits while he was holding a mobile phone and wearing just one glove.
Trident fired Ferrucci for his behavior, and in doing so, they also made reference to the fact that he had not paid the money to the team that was required by his contract. Instead, he made this money available for his two IndyCar races back in June.
Be sure not to miss the Grand Prix of Portland or the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma to see whether or not Santino Ferrucci can improve upon the results that he recorded in the two Chevrolet Dual in Detroit races earlier this season as well as whether or not he has matured over the last several weeks.