Dale Coyne Racing has announced that Hunter McElrea will be behind the wheel of the team’s #18 entry for the upcoming race on the streets of Toronto.
McElrea is a veteran of the IndyNXT series, finishing fourth and second in the championship during the 2022 and 2023 seasons respectively.
He has been searching for a seat in IndyCar since that time, and has been contesting a few IMSA LMP2 events in the meantime.
The 24-year-old now has a chance to show his skills in the premiere series this upcoming weekend, and hopes the debut can lead to more races in the future.
“It’s a dream come true for me to be making my NTT IndyCar Series debut,” McElrea said. “I’ve been working toward this for a long time, and I have to thank Dale [Coyne] for the opportunity.
“I can’t wait to get to Toronto, which is one of the coolest events of the year. I want to thank JR Smart and Courtesy Corporation for making this possible for me.”
The announcement comes as Jack Harvey, the car’s primary driver, continues to recover from neck and back pain.
Harvey qualified for the dual races in Iowa this past weekend, but was only able to complete a few laps of the first race Saturday night before being forced to retire from the race due to the pain.
Conor Daly stepped in for the second race on Sunday, but only drove just past the halfway mark before mechanical issues put a stop to his substitute effort.
At this time, the team has not announced who will be piloting the #51 entry alongside McElrea in Toronto.
