In the latter stages of Sunday's inaugural NTT IndyCar Series race on the streets of Marham, Ontario, it looked like Romain Grosjean might be on his way to his first career victory, specifically after holding off a late challenge from championship leader Alex Palou.
But Marcus Ericsson, who himself hadn't won since March 2023, drove through the field on an alternate tire strategy and forced Grosjean to settle for his sixth career runner-up finish, still seeking his first victory of any kind in 15 years.
Despite the heartbreak, however, Grosjean achieved something that most if not all IndyCar fans can appreciate by extending one of the series' most underrated streaks.
Dale Coyne Racing podium streak lives on
Every year since 2012 in which Dale Coyne Racing have had at least one full-time driver, they have finished at least one race on the podium (even though it hasn't always been the full-time driver who has pulled it off).
That's good for 13 of those 15 years, and they are now officially 13-for-13.
It's a streak that, going into every year in which they have at least one full-time driver, never actually seems like they're going to find a way to extend.
Every year, they prove us wrong.
In 2015 and 2024, they did not have any full-time drivers. They did not finish on the podium in either year. But let's explore the other 12 years, aside from 2026, that have played a part in this incredibly underappreciated run.
In 2012, the late Justin Wilson won at Texas Motor Speedway, before scoring four more podium finishes in 2013. Mike Conway also scored two podium finishes in 2013, including a win in Detroit, despite not competing full-time.
In 2014, Carlos Huertas scored what remains, by most accounts, the biggest upset of the DW12 era, when he led a 1-2-3 Colombian sweep of the podium on the streets of Houston, Texas.
The 2016 season saw Conor Daly finish second in Detroit, and the 2017 season saw Sebastien Bourdais open up the year with back-to-back top two finishes, including a win on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. He won there again in 2018 before adding another podium finish later that season, plus another one in 2019.
The 2020 season was Alex Palou's rookie year, and in only his second career road course start, he lifted Dale Coyne Racing onto the podium at Road America. In 2021, Grosjean's rookie season, he was not a full-time driver, but the team did have a full-timer in Ed Jones competing alongside him. Grosjean scored three podiums that year.
In 2022, David Malukas' rookie season, he finished runner-up at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, and he scored another podium finish at the same track in 2023.
Then in 2025, despite having been confirmed by the team just weeks before the season began, Rinus VeeKay went on to finish second on the old Canadian street circuit in Toronto.
Dale Coyne Racing's lineup is not set for 2027, although it is rumored that Grosjean can return if he so pleases. He now has four podium finishes with the team, despite having yet to complete an entire full-time season with the organization.
Will he achieve similar success in the series' next inaugural race this coming weekend on the streets of Washington, D.C.? The Freedom 250 Grand Prix is set to be shown live on Fox beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 23. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!
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