This is part 11 in a 12-part series previewing every team set to compete in the 2019 IndyCar season. I will be previewing two teams per week on Push2Pass leading up to the season opener in St. Petersburg on March 10. Today’s team: Juncos Racing
After years of success in the Road to Indy series, Juncos Racing made the decision in 2017 to run two cars at the Indy 500. Spencer Pigot and Sebastien Saavedra put in respectable efforts in the team’s first-ever race in IndyCar by finishing 15th and 18th, but Saavedra’s finish was higher than the team managed in any of their 12 appearances in 2018. Three different drivers rotated throughout the twelve races, as none had the funds or sponsorship to complete a full-time ride.
Ricardo Juncos started his team out in Pro Mazda in 2009, which can be considered the AA equivalent on the IndyCar ladder. Conor Daly, Pigot, Victor Franzoni and Rinus Veekay have all won individual Pro Mazda titles, and the team has three team titles and six runner-up finishes.
The team moved to Indy Lights in a full-time fashion in 2015, with Pigot taking another individual championship before moving onto IndyCar in 2016. Kyle Kaiser ran with the team for three years before finally taking an individual title in 2017.
Drivers
Kyle Kaiser (#32)
Career: Four starts, Best Finish: 16th (Long Beach)
2018: Avg. Qualifying 19.8 (29th), Avg. Finish 21.3 (31st), 30th overall
The 2017 Indy Lights champion was able to secure four races with the team at Phoenix, Long Beach, the Indy GP and the Indy 500 last year. He managed to qualify directly in the middle of the field at 17th for the Indy 500, and his best qualifying effort came in his first race at Phoenix (14th). The Chevy-powered Juncos car just didn’t have much pace throughout the season, and he had the lowest average finish of any driver in a full-time car. Rene Binder and Alfonso Celis Jr., who raced six and two races, respectively, were the bottom three qualifiers and finishers. Kaiser did manage to finish a few spots ahead of his teammates on average in qualifying, but the team was dead last in almost every category in their part-time effort.
Outlook for 2019
Your guess is as good as mine! While other teams have had plans finalized for months, there has been nearly no news out of Juncos for what races and drivers they plan to run this year. At this point, it looks highly doubtful that it would be near a full-season schedule. Kaiser was confirmed for the season’s second race at Circuits of the America after an extended partnership from insurance broker NFP. Anything else is only speculation and TBD for who will be in the no. 32 car.
The Verdict
Unless there is an extreme influx of cash, it seems difficult to expect Juncos to have much success this year. While the team has purchased an extra car for a potential two-car effort this season, the job of finding money to run them and drivers to put in them has seemed to be the challenge. With the decision to run a car as a privateer DPI team in the IMSA series this season, bright plans for IndyCar seem to be on hold. It seems to be a week-to-week approach with the team currently, but hopefully they will be able to have at least one car on track for the St. Petersburg race in less than a month.
Later this week- Preview #12: Andretti Autosports
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