With the NTT IndyCar Series silly season bombshell dropped on Monday, July 6, by Arrow McLaren, bringing Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist into the fold, most of the attention has primarily been focused on the two-time winner in 2026 and third driver in the points, Christian Lundgaard.
Lost in the moment is the other driver, losing his seat in the No. 6 Chevrolet, Nolan Siegel, the self-proclaimed project taken on by Team Principal Tony Kanaan.
Siegel’s tenure with Arrow McLaren began halfway through the 2024 IndyCar season and has run through 37 starts with the team. The Palo Alto, Calif., native managed five top 10 finishes, two coming in 2026 and at the most recent race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
His career-best result to date came in his sixth start with the team at Worldwide Technology Raceway at Gateway, securing seventh after avoiding a massive accident on a late restart.
Other than that, Siegel certainly struggled compared to his teammates, Pato O’Ward and Lundgaard, who both have the leg up on him in achieving results.
But with Lundgaard joining Siegel in free agency, Zak Brown, Kanaan and Arrow McLaren made it crystal clear that they want the best lineup for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing with the hiring of former Indy 500 champion Dixon and defending champion Rosenqvist.
Siegel has only managed finishes of 13th in 2025 and 11th in 2026 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and failed to qualify in 2024 for Dale Coyne Racing after sacrificing everything on the track in qualifying.
Regardless, the results didn’t come nearly enough for Siegel in his time with Arrow McLaren, and he now officially has to look elsewhere, but where exactly can the young 21-year-old go for his next step in his future?
Juncos Hollinger Racing
The massive mix-up in free agency could leave a seat or two open at Juncos Hollinger Racing, the team he drove for at Road America in his rookie 2024 season after replacing Augustin Canapino in the No. 78 Chevrolet. Canapino dealt with the consequences of online abuse from the Argentinian fanbase toward Arrow McLaren’s Theo Pourchaire after an incident between the two on the streets of Detroit.
There are two different scenarios that could land Siegel back with JHR.
First, Rinus VeeKay gets tabbed for a competitive ride elsewhere. Assuming Lundgaard is the clear replacement for the No. 9 at Chip Ganassi Racing, the bigger domino to fall will be whoever can get the keys to the No. 66 at Meyer Shank Racing.
While the rumors focus primarily on AJ Foyt Enterprises’ Caio Collet to make the jump to MSR, nothing feels set in stone quite yet for that ride, and after an outstanding drive at Mid-Ohio and a competitive run in this year’s Indy 500, VeeKay can certainly be on the move.
Second, Siegel could outbid Sting Ray Robb for the No. 77.
Robb has only scored one top 10 for the team in 28 races, coming at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2025. Otherwise, his best finish after that is 14th twice.
Robb is at JHR because of the budget he brings to the team and the faithful backing of his partners, but in fewer career starts, Siegel has done better, albeit in better equipment.
It would be difficult to outswing Robb for the seat, but don’t count that possibility out.
Dale Coyne Racing
Depending on the needs of DCR, a reunion with the team Siegel debuted with could still be feasible.
Currently, DCR fields Romain Grosjean and Dennis Hauger.
While Hauger’s status will depend on what happens at technical partner Andretti Global and with Marcus Ericsson, Grosjean is the more interesting situation.
Recall that Grosjean was not confirmed to the team until two weeks before the 2026 season kicked off on the streets of St. Petersburg.
DCR has significant backing from Todd Ault sponsoring both entries this season, and if Siegel truly has a budget he can bring, that could ease the monetary reins for DCR’s partner in 2027, something that was rumored to be a thorn in the side of negotiations with Grosjean.
However, with Andretti’s partnership, one name seems to be very much in the bidding to compete for at least one of the seats for 2027, and that would be one of Andretti’s Indy NXT drivers, Josh Pierson, who brings a hefty budget himself.
Similar to the situation with Robb at JHR, it seems like Siegel will have to outbid another competitor with a big pocketbook for 2027, potentially.
AJ Foyt Enterprises
As mentioned earlier, Collet being a potential moving piece to MSR opens the No. 4 Chevrolet back up for business, and depending on this becoming a reality, Siegel with his budget could play a key factor in the sweepstakes.
Additionally, Santino Ferrucci is in a contract year if, for some reason, Foyt does not want to bring him back, but it seems more likely than not that Ferrucci’s future with the team isn’t in grave danger yet.
So, focusing on the No. 4, who would be Siegel’s competition?
First and foremost, VeeKay could warrant another look at the seat if his performance continues and Foyt wants to take the risk, much like they did with David Malukas in 2025.
Secondly, Conor Daly can possibly make a serious case to return to full-time, like he wants to. It’s not clear if he has enough of a budget to support it, but he was in the running for this seat last season. It is safe to say that with him hanging around the paddock area the last couple of weeks, he’s still assessing the silly season situation.
Third, multi-time Indy NXT by Firestone winner Myles Rowe is under the Penske umbrella, and with the strength he’s shown on ovals, particularly in his last-to-first blitzkrieg at Gateway, he too can try to throw his hat into the ring for this seat. Unfortunately, budget will likely play a factor with Rowe as well if he cannot surmount a charge to the points lead and win the Indy NXT title.
Finally, the last prospect could be the winner of the Indy NXT championship, depending on who it is. Enzo Fittipaldi, Nikita Johnson and Tymek Kucharczyk are all in a major battle to win the title.
HMD Motorsports and Foyt did jointly field an Indy 500 entry with Katherine Legge as well, and if either Fittipaldi or Kucharczyk wins the title at season’s end, their scholarship and guaranteed entry to the Greatest Spectacle of Racing could entice Foyt to pick them up for the year to see what they’ve got in IndyCar.
IMSA/Sports Cars
Finally, maybe nothing does materialize in IndyCar. There are still plenty of opportunities that lie in the sports car realm.
Siegel has shined in the LMP2 category, scoring wins at Circuit de la Sarthe in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as two wins in the category in IMSA.
It will give him opportunities to continue practicing his race craft and fuel the fire to potentially make a return to the open-wheel ranks in the future if a ride does not open for 2027.
Regardless, Siegel still has seven races to make his case and to be around the paddock to make a deal happen, and he not only will bring the budget needed but also professionalism to the team and multiple years of experience for a driver still very young in his racing career.
Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch's primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch's Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt's written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on X @WyattWRacing
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