Juncos Hollinger Racing may look unexpectedly different by the start of the 2025 season as changes continue to be made to benefit the future of the company and the team.
Moving parts at Juncos Hollinger Racing JHR have started and will continue to happen as they respond to the struggles they have faced since the changes within the series, all while striving to establish stability within the organization.
Hybrid era struggles:
July featured the anticipated debut of the hybrid engines at Mid-Ohio. Many drivers were eager to see the impact and changes as the series took that step toward the future. Unfortunately, this change affected teams like JHR because of the cost rise when making the mid-season switch.
More should’ve been done to plan for the expected rise but it wasn’t. It’s important to mention that this isn’t the first time the team has run into trouble as the team sat out the 2020 season, blaming difficulties due to the COVID pandemic.
The struggles came into the spotlight earlier this month when former F1 driver and 2024 JHR driver Romain Grosjean spoke out in an interview with RACER about the financial troubles affecting his ability to sign.
“I think last year was probably one of my best seasons, and I may end up not being in the grid next year, just because the marketing has been horrendous for IndyCar, the hybrid has brought the costs to a level that’s unbearable for teams, and that’s the way it is.”
Both parties want to continue the relationship, but they need to find money for the car. Once that’s all sorted, they could probably continue. The first step of the moving parts at Juncos started with the quest to sign their first driver.
Read More: How the IndyCar Hybrid System Works & How it Affects Drivers
Sting Ray Robb:
Earlier last week it was announced that JHR signed Sting Ray Robb, marking the team’s initial major acquisition for the 2025 season. This is not the first time Robb will see a new environment as this will be his third team in as many years since joining the North American series in 2023.
We’re excited to announce Sting Ray Robb as part of our 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES lineup! Let’s go! #JHR #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/8Bldrx9OHD
— Juncos Hollinger Racing (@juncoshollinger) November 20, 2024
This previous season, he competed with A.J. Foyt Racing. Despite finishing 16th at the Indy 500 and securing his first top-10 finish in St. Louis at the World Wide Technology Raceway, en route to finishing 20th in the championship, his numbers were rather disappointing compared to his teammate Santino Ferrucci.
Since joining in May JHR Team Principal David O’Neill has had the goal of helping the company move forward and form stability within and this signing despite its risk might’ve helped them take those important first steps he told Motorsport.com that Robb.
“Obviously, in order to do that, he (Robb) has brought money. I guess there’s no secret there, but also we have to make the company function correctly. It can’t just be funded by one guy. We’re trying to make it work properly.”
The second driver is still to be determined but O’Neill already has a sight on the kind of driver he wants.
You May Also Like: Driver Evolution: How David Malukas Became The Newest Member of A.J. Foyt Racing
Potential drivers for JHR:
Whoever the second driver signing is will be that cherry on top for the team. The best of both worlds. A driver that can, not only bring in money but also potentially fight at the top and challenge for wins on both street courses and ovals.
There are potentially three or four drivers who could fill the all-important final spot in the JHR lineup. The candidates are Conor Daly, Rinus VeeKay, and Grosjean.
Daly joined JHR for the final five races of the 2024 season after the team parted ways with Agustin Canapino. Those five races included a top-10 and a podium in Milwaukee Race 1 which helped vault the N0. 78 back into the top 22 in the standings and earning $1 million for finishing in the Leaders Circle.
VeeKay joined the list of free agents unexpectedly after leaving Dale Coyne Racing after spending five seasons with the team. This past season he finished 13th in the championship and secured five top-10 finishes in the final eight races.
Grosjean came over to the organization this past season and like he said this was his best IndyCar season to date. He achieved a team record with six top-ten finishes, highlighted by a team-best fourth place at Laguna Seca. On the money side, he says he is still actively trying hard to find partners for the team as he thinks of it as a duty to help them.
The choice of which driver will join Robb on the grid next year and the rest of the future moving parts at Juncos Hollinger will be a stepping stone for the future and stability of the team.
READ NEXT: Shwartzman Completes Prema Lineup
