IndyCar: DragonSpeed to compete part-time in the 2019 season

DragonSpeed are set to enter IndyCar for the first time in the 2019 season, and they are set to do so on a part-time basis.

As speculated in mid-July, DragonSpeed are set to field a part-time IndyCar entry in the 2019 season for the first time. While they are only set to compete on a part-time basis next year, they are set to do so with their eyes on becoming a full-time team in the 2020 season.

The Jupiter, Florida-based team are set to compete in five races on next year’s 17-race schedule, and they are set to do so with Chevrolet engines. Of these five races, one is an oval track race, one is a street course race and three are road course races.

DragonSpeed, which currently compete in the European Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship, are set to make their IndyCar debut in the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida before competing in the season’s third race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

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The team are then set to make their Indianapolis 500 debut in the 103rd running of the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, which is set to be the sixth race of the season. They are set to return to action for the 10th race of the season at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin before wrapping up their season in the season’s 13th race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

Ben Hanley, the 33-year-old Briton who is currently the lead driver for DragonSpeed’s prototype racing, is set to be the team’s driver in the five IndyCar races in which they are set to compete next season. This was also speculated in mid-July. He is set to drive the #81 Chevrolet.

Here is what DragonSpeed team principal Elton Julian, who founded the team in 2007, had to say about the team entering IndyCar on a part-time basis in the 2019 season, according to IndyCar.

"“INDYCAR is enjoying a major upswing thanks to the quality of the racing produced by the current regulations. The fans see it, the teams see it, the manufacturers and sponsors see it, and I think NBC saw it when they decided to take on the (exclusive) television coverage. With so much interest from new entrants, we’re also grateful for INDYCAR’s support of our bid to join the series and to Chevy for making room for us in their engine program.“For the team, it’s a matter of our growing experience catching up to our ambitions. The last few seasons of endurance racing have given us an intensive platform for developing our preparation, race engineering, pit stop and strategy skills. There are some impressive open-wheel credentials up and down the team, and Ben’s pace and exceptional detail feel for setup and tires should be a great asset.“None of this is to underplay the difficulty of the challenge ahead, because INDYCAR is the toughest series we’ve ever contested, with the world’s biggest race as its centrepiece. On the other hand, we didn’t go from club racing a decade ago to a Pirelli World Challenge title in 2015 to prototypes at Le Mans without climbing a few mountains, and I take a lot of confidence from the talent and spirit of the people we’ve put together for the next summit.”"

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How will DragonSpeed perform in their first five races competing in IndyCar in the 2019 season? The team are set to make their IndyCar debut in the season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. This race is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 10, 2019 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, so be sure not to miss it. Be sure not to miss any of the other four races in which the team are set to compete in 2019, either.