Tag: Romain Grosjean

Coyne Tabs Grosjean to Complete the Grid

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From Dale Coyne Racing:

Romain Grosjean Named First Global Brand Ambassador for Bitcoin MAX; Returns to Dale Coyne Racing For 2026

Romain Grosjean - INDYCAR Sebring Test - Day 1 - By_ Chris Owens_Ref Image Without Waterma

PLAINFIELD, Ill. – February 13, 2026 – Dale Coyne Racing today announced a new partnership with global financial brands OnlyBulls and Bitcoin MAX for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The agreement strengthens the team’s expanding partner portfolio while ushering in the return of several key elements from its past. The partnership coincides with the global launch of OnlyBulls, a next-generation finance super app, and Bitcoin MAX, a Swiss-based Bitcoin trust launching next month. Bitcoin MAX is structured to enable holders to spend the value of their crypto more easily and leverage bitcoins potential.

Romain Grosjean has been named the first Global Brand Ambassador for Bitcoin MAX and will return to Dale Coyne Racing to drive the No. 18 Honda in 2026. The season marks a homecoming for Grosjean, who delivered his strongest INDYCAR campaign with the team in 2021, earning his first series pole and a podium finish at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

A veteran of Formula One (2009–2020) and INDYCAR competition from 2021–2024, Grosjean most recently competed in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.

“I cannot tell you how excited we are to welcome Romain Grosjean both to the race team and to Bitcoin MAX as the first global brand ambassador,” said Milton ‘Todd’ Ault. “Romain is the perfect global representative for the brand. His story and professionalism embody what we stand for.”

The 2026 season also highlights the continued presence of the iconic No. 19 entry, a number closely tied to the team’s identity and famously driven by team owner Dale Coyne during his driving career, now being driven by INDY NXT Champion, Dennis Hauger for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Veteran engineer Bill Pappas also returns to the organization. Pappas was instrumental in delivering Dale Coyne Racing’s first INDYCAR victory and first oval win alongside Justin Wilson, milestones that helped establish the team as a consistent competitor in the series.

OnlyBulls and Bitcoin MAX join existing partners askROI, Bitnile.com, Ault Blockchain, and Seismic Media Partners as part of the 2026 program. Grosjean’s entry will also feature support from neuro.IO and DNSFilter.

Previously announced rookie Dennis Hauger will pilot the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda in 2026 with primary sponsorship from AULT Blockchain. Additional partners on the No. 19 include NAMMO, Valpak, RentalGroup, Blåkläder, Team Verksted, HTB Racing, and Refuel.

Team owner Dale Coyne added, “Pairing an exceptional rookie in Dennis with a proven veteran like Romain gives us a strong competitive foundation. Bringing back key pieces of our history while building new global partnerships positions us well for 2026.”

The partnership provides OnlyBulls and Bitcoin MAX with a global platform to engage INDYCAR’s international audience while supporting Dale Coyne Racing’s continued pursuit of performance and innovation.

Sebring Weekend Thoughts

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Life got in the way last week as I sent my 19 year old cat Gracie to the Rainbow Bridge. Two days later I left for Sebring and the 72nd running of the12 hour race. I needed this weekend badly.

Sebring was my first sports car endurance race, and it is my favorite. This feeling may be subject to change after Jaune.

I camped again with my friend George Butz and his crew. We had a great time. Thanks again, George.

Some random thoughts on the weekend:

My first impression upon arrival was that the place seemed rather crowded for Thursday. I had the same thought Friday and Saturday. I have never seen Sebring so packed. Theer was not room for another vehicle inside the track.

The track could use a couple of more video boards on the back side of the track.

9:40 am is awfully early to start a race. Not only does it make the morning rushed, it also deprives the fans of an hour of night racing. The early part of the race is fun, but when the sun goes down things get interesting.

It doesn’t seem to matter if someone is running away from the field, Sebring always seems to come through with a dramatic ending.

Derani Crash

The Pipo Derani crash was frightening. I was not in turn 9 at the time, but I went there later and talked to a couple of my friends who witnessed the accident. Tires were bouncing everywhere. Fortunately no spectators were injured. There is a walking path next to the track which fortunately was not busy at the time.

My friends said that track and IMSA officials appeared quickly and interviewed many fans about what they saw.

My friends are concerned that a catch fence may be erected at this spot, which would spoil a great view of one of the highest speed portions of the track.

My friend Shannon Roe took these photos of some the debris field left by the Cadillac. Thanks, Shannon.

The fan walking path is to the left of the fence on the bottom left.

The rest of the field did not seem to have anything for the 31 Cadillac. The Ganassi Cadillac was the only that could keep pace, and they ended up finishing second.

Another Great Day for Indycar Drivers

Colton Herta was a driver on the winning team from Wayne Taylor/Andretti Racing. Herta drove the penultimate shift, and put the car in position to win. Louis Delatraz finished the race with a brilliant drive.

Scott Dixon drove for the second place Cadillac team with teammate Sebastien Bourdais.

Kyle Kirkwood drove for the GTD Pro winning Vasser/Sullivan Lexus entry,

Romain Grosjean’s Lamborghini finished seventh overall in the team;s first IMSA race. Grosjean had a couple of nice stints for the team, who’s goal to just finish the race.

Romain Grosjean in the Lamborghini GTP.

Tomorrow begins coverage of the Thermal Indycar event. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this, which I will talk about as the week goes on,.

Is Juncos a Better Fit for Grosjean?

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Romain Grosjean’s move to Juncos Hollinger Racing could turn out to be a good thing for his Indycar career. At the media availability last Thursday, Grosjean expressed tempered optimism with modest, reasonable goals while praising the achievements of the team and their rookie driver, Agustin Canapino.

He admits that there are challenges on the small two car team. Grosjean will drive a Chevrolet after three years of Honda power. He has to learn the dynamics of a new team and an owner with a different management style than former boss michael Andretti has.. Grosjean joins Juncos Hollinger as the most experienced driver and team leader by default.

Grosjean thins the introduction of hybrid system may help level the field a bit in 2024, since it is new to everyone. he thinks the team can be competitive as they were at the end of this past year.

There are some things we won’t know until the new season gets underway. How will he handle a disagreement with Ricardo Juncos? How will Canapino’s fans react should the teammates have an on track incident? Will the team show Grosjean support should a clash occur?

While we have to see how the year goes, and whether the team can regain some of the good will they had with many fans before the end of 2023, I still think overall, that this ride may be the best fit Grosjean has had in Indycar.

The size of the team should increase his comfort level. I got the feeling he didn’t like driving for a team the size of Andretti, who had four drivers plus an affiliation with the two drivers at Meyer Shank Racing. Grosjean was impressive as a rookie at Dale Coyne Racing at a team similar in size to Juncos Hollinger Racing. I think this is the size of team that suits him best.

Grosjean said his goals are to get the team closer to the top ten if not into the top ten. I believe that is a reasonable goal. If the team dynamic factors align, Grojean and JHR could have a decent 2024 season.

JHR Signs Grosjean

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To the surprise of no one, Juncos Hollinger Racing announced today that Romain Grosjean will drive the 77 car in the NTT Indycar Series in 2024. A sponsor was not named.

The announcement comes just a week after the team and driver Callum Ilott parted ways.

Grosjean and team principals will have a news conference at 2 pm Eastern time today. Look for more about this story later.

The brief announcement from the team:

Juncos Hollinger Racing announces new addition to 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES line-up
Indianapolis, November 2 2023: Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) is thrilled to announce the addition of Romain Grosjean to its 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES roster. He will drive the team’s #77 Dallara-Chevrolet – a proven machine on the racing circuit.

A seasoned competitor joins JHRRomain is no stranger to high-speed competition, having completed the 2023 season at 13th place in the INDYCAR points standings. His standout performances included consecutive second-place finishes at both the Long Beach and Alabama circuits.
A new challenge for an industry veteranWith nearly a decade of consecutive Formula One racing seasons under his belt, Romain took the INDYCAR scene by storm in 2021. At 37, he sees the transition to JHR as an exciting new chapter in his already illustrious career.
“I’ve been closely following JHR’s ascension in the past few seasons. The team has showcased significant growth and I am eager to contribute my experience as we aim for a strong 2024 season,” he said.
Leadership’s perspectiveRicardo Juncos, JHR co-owner and team principal, said: “Romain brings an unparalleled pedigree in motorsports. His leadership and experience are precisely what we need to propel JHR to new heights in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.”
Brad Hollinger, JHR co-owner, added: “Romain has a history of competing at the pinnacle of motorsports. His expertise will be invaluable as we strive to redefine our performance metrics, both on and off the track.”
Looking ahead to 2024The team is set to kick off its 18-round NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign on the Streets of St. Petersburg on March 10, 2024. With the addition of Romain, JHR solidifies its commitment to achieving new milestones in the upcoming season.

Grosjean Continues Andretti Pole Dominance

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Romain Grosjean too the pole for tomorrow’s Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park, turning a lap of 1:05. 8396. Grosjean edged Alex Palou by 0.0734 seconds in winning his second pole of 2023 and third career pole position.

Andretti Autosport has won three of the four poles this season. Kyle Kirkwood won the pole at Long Beach.

Five teams put cars in the Fast Six. Only Chip Ganassi Racing had two cars in the final round.

Quick Thoughts

Is tomorrow the day Grosjean finally converts a good starting spot into a victory? St. Pete was in his grasp until the incident with Scott McLaughlin.

Pato O’Ward has qualified in the top six of every race in 2023.

If Kyle Kirkwood can stay on track during qualifying, he will win a ton of poles. His spin today was the secon incident in qualifying this year.

Nice to see some success for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Christian Lundgaard will start sixth.

Despite a strong team showing in practice, Scott McLaughlin was the only Team Penske car in the Fast Six.

All time career pole winner Will Power has an average starting spot of 10.5 this season.

Today’s crowd was good, although it seemed a bit down from previous Barber Saturdays.

Grosjean on Pole for St. Pete

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Romain Grosjean survived a crash filled fast Six to win the pole for tomorrow’s Firestone Grand Prtix of St. Petersburg. It is his second career pole. Grosjwean led a trio of Andretti Autosport cars in the Fast Six. Teammate Colton Herta will start second. Kyle Kirkwood will start sixth after a crash early in the final round.

The top six:

Romain Grosjean 59.5532 seconds

Colton Herta 59.96871::

Pato O’Ward 1:00.163

Marcus Ericsson !:00,4435

Scott McLaughlin No Time

Kyle Kirkwood No Time

Notes

The second round featured three cars from Andretti, three from Arrow Mclaremand three from Ganassi. Team Penske had just two cars advance- McLaughlin and Will Power.

Kyle Kirkwood had a great weekend going until he locked up the brakes and hit the wall on the first lap of the Fast Six. I still think he will have a strong race tomorrow.

We may be seeing the beginning of a rivalry between Arrow McLaren and Andretti. The teams have had the strongest cars all weekend. Whar=t a great story to dollow this year.

Grosjean’s pole is the 50th for the Andretti organization.

I tried following qualifying on the updated Indycar app. There are still some bugs to work out. The session time always started at 15:00 minutes and didn’t correct until about four minutes remained. The positions updated slowly, with a driver listed twice as his spot changed.

The new qualifying procedure did not profuce a radical change from the past.

The lineup sopuld make for a very interesting race tomorrow. Tire strategy and how the cautions fall-and there will be cautions- will determine the outcome.

Rinus VeeKay felt his lap was hindered and cost him a chanc to advance. He will start 24th. Veekay was in the top six early in his round 1 group and poised for a final run.

Indycar Season Preview-2023 Breakthroughs and Hot Seats

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Today is the first in a series of preview articles as we head into the 2023 NTT Indycar Series season. Let’s take a look at four drivers who I think are going to have much improved years. Three are rookies from last year, and one young veteran I think is about to hit his stride. We will also look at some drivers who may be fighting for their jobs this year.

Drivers to Watch

Kyle Kirkwood

Kirkwood seems to be enjoying his new team. he has been quick in testing, as have his Andretti teammates. What remains to be seen is if his racecraft has improved. Last year Kirkwood sometimes tried too hard to overcome equipment deficits. the result was a lot of unforced errors and a 24th place finish in the final standings. He has the equipment and the team behind him to succeed this year. i expect to see a lot of the Kirkwood we saw on the Road to Indy in 2023. Will he win a race? I think that is possible, but not likely this season.

Christian Lundgaard

Lundgaard quietly earned Rookie of the Year in 2022, and showed steady improvement as the season went on. He earned seven Top 10 finishes, including two Top Fives and one podium. A year’s experience, backing by Hy-Vee, and an improving RLLteam should combine to see even better results for Lundgaard in 2023. I see him ending up in the TopTen at the end of the year.

David Malukas

A rough start to 2022 probably cost Malukas the Rookie of the Year title. He lost to Lundgaard by only 18 points. A driver who showed increasing maturity as the year progressed, Malukas drive to a brilliant second place at World Wide Technology Raceway. Malukas had one other top 10, at Iowa. He was the highest finishing rookie at the Indianapolis 500, but his lack of NASCAR titles cost him Indy Rookie of the Year. Of the three sophomores, I think Malukas is the most probable to eke out a win in 2023. Dale Coyne Racing doesn’t have the best equipment, but they know how to play the rules, and I think a race will fall his way.

Rinus VeeKay

It’s time for Rinus to stop teasing us. The potential is there for a breakout season. We have been waiting for the ECR driver to put together a solid, consistent season. VeeKay won the pole at Barber and finished third after a slow out lap following his second pit stop. He had a decent year in 2022 with six Top Tens and three Top Fives, but just one podium. Maybe we expect too much of VeeKay. I look for a top ten season finish and more regular top five appearances. A win is possible.

Hot Seats

Three drivers need to have really good seasons if they wish to stay in Indycar in 2024. One will be leaving his current team after the season, and this year is an audition for all the other teams. The other two have to show significant improvement in 2023.

Jack Harvey

We still aren’t sure what kind of a driver Jack Harvey is. Harvey had just one Top ten in 2022. That will not be good enough this coming season., I hoped for better results since he joined the series. For 2023, a different sponsor, different car number, and new crew may help Harvey rise to the level that fans have expected of him. I’m not expecting a win, but a final spot in the top 15 would be a significant improvement.

Romain Grosjean

I don’t know Grosjean’s contract status, but I thought when he joined Andretti, he would be a consistent contender for podiums and wins, 2022 was not a good year for Andretti overall, but I thought the former F1 driver would enhance their program. It didn’t happen. Grosjean has been quick in testing during the preseason, and he seems to feel the team has a better baseline heading into 2023. A win is possible, but more top five and top ten finishes are needed.

Felix Rosenqvist

Rosenqvist will depart Arrow McLaren at the end of 2023. In 2022,he had to fight to keep his job, and he showed himself to be up to the task. In 2023 his objective si to show the other teams that he belongs in Indycar. I think he does, and I have no doubt Rosenqvist will show well this season. A win will be tough given his teammates and the competition from other teams,but look for Rosenqvist to have a deal in place with a new team for 2024 before the season ends.

Grosjean Sees Stronger Season for Himself, Andretti

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Romain Grosjean came away from the Spring Training tests at The Thermal Club optimistic about the upcoming NTT Indycar season. I spoke with at the St. Pete track build, where the driver of the number 28 DH car for Andretti Autosport represented the series.

He enjoyed his time with Lamborghini at Daytona, but is now fully focused on having his best Indycar season.

About Thermal Club, Grosjean found it “different or better than what we expected really. The facility was amazing , the track was actually pretty good for testing so we actually learned a fair bit of stuff from the two days of of testing.”

Grosjean at Long Beach last year. He finished second.

Grosjean said the team left California ahead of where they were at this point in 2022.

“We have a better baseline that we had last year,” Grosjean said. “We have one more test in Sebring before coming here. We’re going to work on our street setup. Last year we were quite competitive. We should have won Long Beach, almost had the pole in Nashville, so we know on street courses we’re pretty good.”

The team’s dynamic is “pretty good I like Kirkwood andColton as well as Devlin. We’re good, we’ve got a good team. I’m excited to get the season going.”

Grosjean hopes to score his first Indycar win in 2023, but admits it is going to be tough with 27 cars.

Grosjean Leads Practice as Track Record Demolished- Update with Time Sheet

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Romain Grosjean led an Andretti/Meyer Shank attack on the track record in morning practice for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The top six were below the track record.

Andretti Autosport cars took three of the top four spots. Meyer Shank Racing has a technical alliance with Andretti.

I would still not discount pole chances for Will Power or Marcus Ericsson.

The session ran clean for the first 30 minutes. Jimmie Johnson had another wall contact bringing out the red flag. Johnson was3 cleared to drive this morning and is still eligible to qualify.

Graham Rahal brought out a red flag for contact. With six minutes remaining, David Malukas hD contact with the outer wall just past the fountain.

This morning ‘s session was the first instance of Indycar’s new practice policy. The schedule allowed 60 min for the 45 minute practice. The clock stopped on the red flags and drivers had the full 45 minutes of green flag running.

Qualifying will be interesting. I will have qualifying groups up in a bit

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