IndyCar: Possible Dale Coyne Racing driver ruled out for 2024

Following A.J. Foyt Enterprises' confirmation of Santino Ferrucci behind the wheel of the No. 14 Chevrolet for the 2024 IndyCar season, Dale Coyne Racing became the only one of 10 teams still needing to confirm drivers.

David Malukas, who had driven the No. 18 Honda through the team's partnership with his father's HMD Motorsports since the 2022 season, left to join Arrow McLaren as the replacement for the Meyer Shank Racing-bound Felix Rosenqvist behind the wheel of the No. 6 Chevrolet.

Sting Ray Robb, who had driven the No. 51 Honda through the team's partnership with Rick Ware Racing as a rookie in 2023, is set to partner Ferrucci at A.J. Foyt Enterprises as the replacement for Benjamin Pedersen behind the wheel of the No. 55-turned-No. 41 Chevrolet, leaving Dale Coyne Racing with not one but two seats to fill.

One of the leading candidates to join Dale Coyne's team for the upcoming 17-race campaign had been Danial Frost, who competed for HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing during the 2022 and 2023 Indy NXT seasons. Frost found victory lane in both seasons with the team after spending the 2021 season with Andretti Autosport.

Danial Frost won't compete in IndyCar in 2024 or 2025

However, the 22-year-old Singaporean driver is instead set to complete two years of required military service for his home country.

According to RACER.com, Frost stated that he is taking a "brief pause" from his racing career and that his goal is still to compete in IndyCar. The earliest season in which he can now do so is 2026.

During his three seasons in Indy Lights/Indy NXT, Frost racked up two victories and six additional podium finishes in 48 starts. He finished in fifth, seventh, and sixth place in the championship standings in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

The 2024 IndyCar season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 10 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, giving Dale Coyne Racing just under two months to fill their two open seats.

Dale Coyne is certainly no stranger to late-offseason driver confirmations, and he still has plenty of drivers to choose from. Regardless of the team's decisions for 2024, hopefully Frost gets his opportunity two years from now.