The way Nolan Siegel approached last year’s Last Chance Qualifying session for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge left a lasting impression on veteran driver Graham Rahal, even though Siegel crashed and failed to qualify.
Siegel’s commitment to pushing the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda to its limits, even at the risk of failure, resonated with Rahal, who expressed admiration for Siegel’s fearless attitude and bright future in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
In the final qualifying attempt, Siegel lost control in Turn 1, causing the car to spin and crash into the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier.
“Nolan (Siegel) is a young kid,” Rahal said last year. “He has a bright future, and I expect to see him back here and doing great things. He may be a new name to a lot of people, but he’s a name that you are going to become familiar with. He’s won at every level. He’s won at everything he’s done. He’ll be here.”
Siegel, 20, returned this year not just as a participant, but as a contender. Now driving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, he comfortably made the field and will start 24th on the grid, sharing Row 8 with legend Helio Castroneves (No. 06 Cliffs Honda) and Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens Honda), winner of the 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Siegel credits last year’s struggle with making him a better driver.
“That’s helped me this year, for sure,” Siegel said. “I’m a better driver now than I was then. That experience made a difference.”
Last year, Siegel and Dale Coyne Racing knew early that qualifying would be challenging. Despite their best efforts, the car lacked the raw speed needed to compete. The morale drop was steep, and each session was a grind.
“Every outing last year was so much more difficult,” Siegel said. “It just kind of wears on you after a while.”
Siegel believes there’s a stark contrast between the two teams, as Arrow McLaren is one of the series’ power teams and DCR is one of its smallest. Winning is a focus and an expectation, which has given Siegel a mental boost.
“There’s a lot more motivation when everyone around you is here to win,” he said. “It’s just a way different feeling.”
After last year’s “500,” which Siegel said he watched from a suite at IMS, he returned to his INDY NXT by Firestone season with HMD Motorsports June 2 on the streets of Detroit. A week later, he was called into action to substitute for Agustin Canapino with Juncos Hollinger Racing at Road America.
The next week, he was part of the United Autosports entry for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and helped the team, along with drivers Oliver Jarvis and Bijoy Garg, win the LMP2 class.
Siegel then signed with Arrow McLaren in late June to drive the final 10 races of the 2024 season and full time in 2025.
He enters Sunday’s “500” 18th in points but is ascending after a ninth-place finish May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park and finishing 13th in the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 that opened Month of May racing activities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I’m hungry for it after last year,” Siegel said. “I’ve been waiting to come back, and I’ve wanted to be here and not just be here to be in the show. I want to be here to compete and try to win the race. It’s a different feeling now, and I want to show people that I can be competitive here.”