IndyCar rookies bring strong resumes, loads of promise

IndyCar 2022 rookies: No. 2 – Callum Ilott

Callum Ilott brings the most actual IndyCar experience of the 2022 rookie class: a whopping three races to close out last season. But the 23-year-old British karting legend – he won seven different titles from 2012 to 2014 – will race for backmarker Juncos Hollinger Racing, which sprouted from Indy Lights powerhouse Juncos Racing.

Ilott finished at or near the back of the field in the three races that concluded last season, but he has now had a winter of testing and simulator work to help him build on his budding familiarity with the IndyCar machinery.

Ilott does have more open-wheel experience that any of his IndyCar rookie classmates except for Tatiana Calderon, with six full seasons in Formula 3 and Formula 2. He has also served as a test driver for the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team since 2019, and he is a member of the Ferrari Driving Academy.

But he’ll be in the weakest machine among his rookie counterparts and racing without the benefit of a teammate. He also joins the least stable team situation, with Juncos Hollinger Racing running a full-time effort for the first time.

If they can bring the success they’ve enjoyed in Indy Lights, perhaps this entry will be a pleasant surprise, but expect Ilott to outdrive his car on most Sundays.