By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter
Juncos Racing announced its intent to compete in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil.
The Powerhouse Mazda Road to Indy team has acquired two Dallara chassis and pit equipment from the defunct KV Racing team in order to make an assault on the May classic.
The squad will be based out of their new shop – the Juncos Technical Center – located just outside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The new 40,000 square foot shop features eight car bays, a paint booth, a simulator room, machine shop and parking for multiple transporters.
For Juncos, this is the fulfillment of a dream he had when he immigrated to America from Argentina in 2002 and started working as a go-kart mechanic.
“I am so happy to officially announce our participation in the Verizon IndyCar Series,” said Juncos. “This is a dream come true for me and my team. It’s been only two months since our grand opening of the new Juncos Technical Center, which was a huge moment for us. Now we are becoming a new team in the Verizon IndyCar Series and will run in ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’ the Indianapolis 500. This is definitely one of the biggest moments in my life.”
The team has made a name for itself in the Mazda Road to Indy, fielding two entries in Indy Lights for Nicolas Dapero and Kyle Kaiser and three entries in Pro Mazda. Their alumni includes two current Verizon IndyCar Series drivers – Conor Daly and Spencer Pigot. Both drivers won the Pro Mazda championship with Juncos and Pigot carried the team to the 2015 Indy Lights championship before making the leap to IndyCar.
A move to IndyCar has been in the cards for the team for many years, but Juncos wanted to make the move when the time was right.
“It’s always hard to identify the right moment and right time to make a big move and make big decisions in motor racing, but I am confident the timing is right and that we will succeed as we did in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder series,” Juncos added.
The team will receive support from former KV Racing co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven, who along with IndyCar vice president Jay Frye, has been instrumental in Juncos’ step up.
“He has been extremely helpful during this transition and, with his continued support and help with all of his experience in racing, we are confident going into this next level.”
Announcements regards sponsors, engine manufacturers and a driver will come at a later date.
