Nolan Siegel is getting the opportunity of his young lifetime with Arrow McLaren.
The 19-year-old from California, who is stepping into the No. 6 Chevy and just won the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has been signed to a multi-year deal. The development with Siegel in the No. 6 also closes one of the high-profile openings on the grid.
The surprising opportunity comes at the expense of Theo Pourchaire, and after Siegel and the HMD Motorsports Indy NXT team came to terms on ending their season and Siegel’s shot at winning the NXT title, in favor of joining Pato O’Ward and fellow Californian Alexander Rossi starting this weekend at their home race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
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Siegel was scheduled to make one more appearance for Dale Coyne Racing — at Toronto — after driving DCR’s No. 51 Honda at The Thermal Club, Long Beach, and while attempting to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 – but he will pilot the No. 6 Chevy for all 10 remaining races and stay in the car in 2025 and beyond.
“Stability and sustained growth are key to our long-term game plan here, and this is a significant step in that mission,” said team principal Gavin Ward.
“First, I want to thank Theo for his time filling in on the No. 6 car with us in recent weeks. We’ve been working through musical chairs all season, and ultimately, making this change to Nolan now that he’s available gives us the chance to build a foundation for the future. He is a young, talented driver with an immense amount of experience at this stage of his career and we’re excited to continue on the upward journey together.”
Driving for the United Autosports World Endurance Championship team co-owned by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and Richard Dean last weekend on his Le Mans debut in LMP2, Siegel not only won the class, but also made a huge impression on Dean.
Renowned for his ability to identify up-and-coming drivers, Dean found a young Lando Norris who was competing in the Ginetta Junior Championship and introduced him to Brown, who took him to Formula 1 with McLaren. After having Siegel in his prototype all last week in France, Siegel received Dean’s full endorsement as a prodigious talent for Brown to seriously consider in IndyCar.
Under the original plan devised for Siegel in 2024, he would vie for the NXT title while participating in four IndyCar races, which would preserve his Rookie of the Year contender status in 2025. But the recent contretemps at Juncos Hollinger Racing with Agustin Canapino and Siegel’s impromptu substitution for the Argentinian at Road America set a new plan in motion.
Talks between the Siegel family and JHR to stay in the No. 78 Chevy ended when the team opted to continue with Canapino, and with post-Road America outreaches made to other teams to search for a race seat, a pre-existing discussion with Arrow McLaren — one where Siegel was being considered along with other drivers for a race seat in 2025 — was resumed and accelerated to the point of signing of a contract to take over the No. 6 car with immediate effect.
“I’m looking forward to jumping right in with the Arrow McLaren team this week and confirming my place in the NTT IndyCar Series in papaya moving forward,” Siegel said. “This is an unexpected jump, but I’m thrilled to be in this position after a rewarding run in the Indy NXT by Firestone series with HMD Motorsports. I am looking forward to this new journey and learning alongside the entire team starting this weekend in my home state.”