Written by Archie O’Reilly
Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced it has “mutually decided to part ways” with Agustin Canapino, driver of its No.78 Chevy, after almost two years of their partnership. He will not complete the 2024 IndyCar season.
The entry piloted by Argentinian sophomore driver Canapino, who is a multiple champion and legend of his native touring car championship, currently sits one place and five points outside the Leaders’ Circle. Obtaining one of 22 Leaders’ Circle contracts and its monetary benefit is imperative for IndyCar’s lower-funded outfits.
“We commend Agustin for taking the leap into open wheel racing with us over the last year and a half, not only learning a completely new style of racing from his impressive and storied career, but also moving to the US and learning the language to join our series,” the team’s statement read.
“Both Agustin and the team have worked tirelessly to learn, grow, and succeed throughout his time at JHR, and we are extremely proud of what we have achieved together. We thank Agustin for his time at Juncos Hollinger Racing and will be cheering him on as he continues his journey.”
Canapino recorded a season-best finish of 12th in Detroit, though he has only twice finished inside the top 20 since the first two races of the season. He qualified 10th for each of the last two races - the second Iowa Speedway race and in Toronto - only to be put out of contention through mistakes in both events.
Factoring in recent struggles for execution in races and missing the Road America weekend following events on social media in the wake of a collision with Arrow McLaren’s Theo Pourchaire in Detroit, Canapino sits 23rd in the driver standings.
Showcasing the team’s potential, Romain Grosjean is 16th in the No.77 Chevy after five top-10 results in the first 12 races of his first year with the team. A fourth-place finish at Laguna Seca was a best-ever finish for a Juncos driver.
Canapino impressed in his first year with the team having never driven an open-wheel car before. He finished 12th in his first two races on the streets of St. Petersburg and at Texas Motor Speedway before again finishing 12th later in the season in Toronto. A 21st-place championship finish placed him second in Rookie of the Year honours.
Unfortunately, he has struggled to build on this first-year potential. He was replaced by now-renowned IndyCar ‘super sub’ and oval specialist Conor Daly in a recent test at World Wide Technology Raceway ahead of the first race back from the three-weekend Olympic break. And that appears to have sealed Canapino’s fate.
One of the stories of 2023 is to come to a premature end in 2024.
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