Juncos Hollinger Racing Bio
Juncos Hollinger Racing is an Argentine-American team competing in open-wheel motor racing, best known for its IndyCar Series and Indy NXT programs. Founded by Ricardo Juncos in 1997 and now co-owned by Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger, the organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and focuses on technical development and driver advancement through feeder series into top-level American open-wheel competition.
Early Life and Background
Juncos Hollinger Racing began in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1997 as Juncos Racing under the leadership of Ricardo Juncos. The operation ran in South American junior formula categories including Formula Renault 1600 and Formula Renault 2000 and later the National Sport Prototype Championship of Argentina through 2003.
Limited opportunities in Argentina prompted a move to the United States in 2003, first to Miami for karting activities and later to Indiana as the organization expanded into formula open-wheel racing. The team established a permanent presence near Indianapolis and invested in a dedicated facility known as the Juncos Technical Center to support its growth and technical programs.
Path to MotorSports
From its karting roots the operation developed into a full-service formula racing team that stepped into North American ladder series. The team entered the Star Mazda series in 2009 and progressively built programs across Pro Mazda, Indy Pro 2000, and Indy Lights, cultivating drivers and technical expertise in open-wheel machinery.
Juncos Racing built a reputation for advancing young drivers and claiming championships in feeder categories, creating a pathway that would enable graduates of the program to pursue IndyCar opportunities. Investments in personnel and infrastructure in Indiana were central to that progression and to the team’s eventual move into the IndyCar Series.
Juncos Hollinger Racing Career
Early Career (1997–2014)
Between 1997 and the early 2010s the team focused on regional and national formula categories and karting in the United States after leaving Argentina. The organization recorded numerous karting titles and became competitive in Star Mazda, where it finished strongly in team and driver standings in its initial seasons.
In 2010 Juncos drivers captured the Star Mazda/Indy Pro 2000 drivers’ championship with Conor Daly, and the team continued to be a front-runner in the series through the mid-2010s. By 2014 the team fielded multiple cars and achieved success in winter and regular-season championships, demonstrating the program’s depth and driver-development capacity.
Indy Pro/Star Mazda Breakthrough (2009–2020)
Juncos Racing established itself as a consistent winner in the Star Mazda/Pro Mazda/Indy Pro 2000 ladder, producing multiple drivers’ champions across the 2010s. Notable driver titles associated with the team include Conor Daly in 2010 and Spencer Pigot in 2014, while later seasons added further championship credentials and team-level success in the rebranded Indy Pro 2000 era.
The team’s feeder-series triumphs created a track record that drew attention from sponsors and drivers seeking advancement. Juncos’ performance in these series underpinned its ability to graduate talent into Indy Lights and to assemble the technical resources required for IndyCar competition.
Indy Lights / Indy NXT Breakthrough (2012–2017)
Juncos stepped into Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) on a larger scale in the mid-2010s and produced championship-winning campaigns. Spencer Pigot won the 2015 Indy Lights title after a string of podiums and multiple race victories, and Kyle Kaiser captured the 2017 championship, achievements that established the team as a premier development operation in American open-wheel racing.
Kaiser’s 2017 title carried the additional prize of a scholarship to advance toward IndyCar competition, illustrating the ladder-system role Juncos played in moving drivers to the top level. The Indy Lights success reinforced Juncos’ reputation for racecraft development and season-long program management.
IndyCar Series Era (2017–Present)
Juncos made its IndyCar Series debut at the 2017 Indianapolis 500, fielding entries that marked the team’s arrival on the sport’s biggest stage. The initial IndyCar programs grew into periodic and then full-season participation: the organization returned to the series following a brief absence and progressively increased its presence and scale.
Key moments in the IndyCar era include qualifying efforts that garnered attention at the Indianapolis 500 and a notable 2019 qualifying performance that altered the starting lineup in a high-profile manner. The team paused IndyCar entries for the 2020 season due to COVID-19 challenges, then reemerged with new investment and a rebrand following Brad Hollinger’s partnership in 2021, operating under the Juncos Hollinger Racing name and expanding back toward full-time competition thereafter.
Driving Style and Strengths
Juncos Hollinger Racing’s strengths are technical development, driver coaching, and program continuity across ladder series into IndyCar. The team’s investment in a dedicated technical center and emphasis on engineering support and chassis preparation have been central to its strategy, alongside relationships with manufacturers and technical partners that inform race setup and strategy.
Notable Events and Milestones
Milestones for the organization include the 2015 announcement and construction of the Juncos Technical Center in Speedway, Indiana, the team’s Indy Lights championships in 2015 and 2017, and the high-profile 2019 Indianapolis 500 qualifying campaign. The 2021 investment and rebranding to Juncos Hollinger Racing marked a turning point in ownership structure and ambitions for sustained IndyCar competition.
Juncos Hollinger Racing Career Wins
Across feeder series the organization has produced multiple drivers’ championships and race victories that reflect consistent competitiveness in Pro Mazda, Indy Pro 2000, and Indy Lights/Indy NXT. While the team’s recorded IndyCar race victories remain absent, its championship pedigree in development categories is a defining feature of its record.
Indy NXT Highlights
The team captured the Indy Lights/Indy NXT drivers’ championship with Spencer Pigot in 2015 and with Kyle Kaiser in 2017, campaigns characterized by multiple race wins and podiums. Those titles underscored Juncos’ ability to prepare drivers for advancement to the IndyCar level.
Other Wins & Perfromances
Before focusing on open-wheel formula cars in the United States, Juncos accumulated regional, national, and local karting honors after relocating to Miami in 2003, and it continued to claim race wins and team championship success in the Pro Mazda/Indy Pro 2000 ladder through the 2010s.
Juncos Hollinger Racing Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
The team’s origins trace to Ricardo Juncos, a second-generation driver who began in karting and moved through Formula Renault in South America before founding the racing operation. Ricardo Juncos’ experience as a driver and engineer shaped the team’s technical approach and commitment to driver development.
Personal Life
Ownership and leadership are public: the team is co-owned by Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger and lists Dave O’Neill in a senior management role. The organization operates from Indianapolis and fields entries under Chevrolet power, carrying car numbers that have included 77 and 78 in recent seasons.
2025 Season Performance
For 2025 the team shifted focus to prioritize IndyCar competition. An initial plan to field two Indy NXT cars for 2025 was altered when the organization announced an indefinite pause of its Indy NXT program in February 2025 to concentrate resources on IndyCar operations, a decision that affected signed Indy NXT drivers.
Juncos Hollinger Racing’s immediate 2025 outlook centers on stabilizing its IndyCar program and integrating recent roster and technical adjustments made over the prior two seasons. Continued emphasis on engineering, driver advancement, and targeted race results will shape the team’s short-term objectives.