INDY NXT by Firestone joint championship leader Nolan Siegel may get a chance to compete in two of the world’s most prestigious auto races in a span of three weeks, as United Autosports named him to the lineup for its No. 22 prototype in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15-16.
Siegel, 19, also is attempting to qualify for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26 in a Dale Coyne Racing entry as part of his partial schedule this season with the team in his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
Bijoy Garg and Oliver Jarvis will join Siegel behind the wheel of United’s No. 22 ORECA 07 that competes in the LMP2 class in the twice-around-the-clock endurance sports car racing classic at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
“I’m extremely excited to join United Autosports for the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Siegel said. “It’s one of the most famous races in the world and to be joining a team with a history of success like United is a huge honor. I’ve known Bijoy since we were kids, so racing with him and Oliver will be a lot of fun. We have all the ingredients to fight for the win.”
California native Siegel has raced in sports cars throughout his rising career in open-wheel machinery. He shared two LMP2 class victories in the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and finished on the podium at the Rolex 24 At Daytona last year in the LMP3 class.
Siegel made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut at the non-points The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge on March 24 and debuted in a points-paying race April 21 at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He finished seventh in his heat race at Thermal, just missing transferring to the main event, and placed 20th at Long Beach.
In INDY NXT competition, Siegel opened the season with a victory from pole at St. Petersburg and finished second behind Jacob Abel at Barber. He and Abel share the championship lead with 95 points.
“I’ve been watching Nolan since he came into LMP2,” United Autosports CEO Richard Dean said. “His progression has been seriously impressive through to INDY NXT and now his INDYCAR testing.”
Siegel will return to his No. 39 HMD Motorsports car for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis INDY NXT by Firestone doubleheader May 10-11 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and then switch to a Dale Coyne entry for the start of Indy 500 practice Tuesday, May 14 on the IMS oval.