Life is Moving Fast for IndyCar Rookie Nolan Siegel
Photo by Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment
NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie Nolan Siegel isn’t the only driver at this weekend’s Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s who has yet to race at Wisconsin State Fair Park’s 1.015-mile oval.
But for Siegel, it’s not as big of a disadvantage this weekend as it might be at other tracks in the series as only four drivers in the field of 27 have experience at The Mile.
“I think there's definitely an advantage for the guys that have raced here in the past,” Siegel noted, “which is not many, but it's a few. As for the rest of us, I missed a test, so I'm a little bit behind some other people, but for the most part, everyone's going to be learning. So I think that that plays into my favor a little bit.
“The test is what it is. But it was one day that everyone got whereas all these other tracks are, you know, most people have been there many, many times in an IndyCar, and it's my first time. So at least here the difference between my experience and everyone else's is smaller.”
To prepare for this weekend, Siegel spent time watching video, looked at data and worked in the simulator.
“I did everything I could,” Siegel said. “I did it all. I think watching videos all you can really do look at data. So I looked at everything that I possibly could, but nothing really compares to just driving it.”
Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
Siegel is excited to race at Milwaukee. At the most recent oval race, the driver of the No. 6 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished a career best seventh at St. Louis in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
"I'm excited to get back to some short-oval racing in Milwaukee. The ovals have been really strong for us so far and I'm confident that we'll be competitive. I'm hoping to get back to the form we were in at Gateway (St. Louis) and fight for a podium this weekend.”
2024 has been an unbelievable year for Siegel. The goal for the 19-year-old Palo Alto, California was to contend for the INDY NXT by Firestone season championship, with a couple of IndyCar Series starts mixed in.
Driving for Dale Coyne Racing, Siegel failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in, crashing spectacularly on his final qualifying attempt.
Several weeks later in his first attempt, Siegel found himself on the victory podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the winning team in the LMP2 class for United Autosports, a team owned in part by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
A week later, Siegel was signed to the McLaren IndyCar team.
Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
Had someone told him how his year would play out, Siegel wouldn’t have believed it.
“No, absolutely not.
“I mean, in Indy, I obviously knew I was going to Le Mans. Didn't know how that outcome would be, and had no indication that I would end up here (at McLaren). So it has all changed very quickly.”
Suddenly, with one of the best teams in the series, Siegel is going through another period of adjustment.
“I think I'm adjusting well. I feel like I've integrated into the team, and we're all working well together. We've made a ton of progress through the season, and the results are getting better, you know, getting closer to my teammates. Hopefully that continues, and the goal is just to keep making progress every weekend and produce good results.
“I think we have a good chance to do that on those short ovals where we've been strong in the past and doing everything I can.”
In Friday’s lone practice session, Siegel was 15th fastest with a speed of 155.404 mph.