To hear Tony Kanaan tell it, Nolan Siegel won despite losing last month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kanaan, the winner of the 2013 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge who is now Arrow McLaren’s sporting director, was at Siegel’s side on pit road during the second day of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying at IMS as the rookie driver tried to qualify for the “500.” Siegel’s chance to earn a starting position with Dale Coyne Racing ended when his car bounced off the SAFER Barrier in Turns 1 and 2 in the day’s final qualifying attempt.
Kanaan said he was struck by the 19-year-old driver’s composure throughout Indy’s pressure, and the way he handled himself following the crash spoke volumes.
“I’ve been in that position, and I was seven years older than him,” Kanaan said of trying to earn a starting spot for the first time. “You know how (Indy) is, and that kid showed me how strong he is in the head. That is something you have to have (to be successful).”
After Siegel was checked in the IU Health Emergency Medical Center, Kanaan pulled the driver into a side room to have a chat. Kanaan said Siegel was disappointed, sure, but he held his head high without prompting from 2004 INDYCAR SERIES champion Kanaan.
“He said, ‘I’m going to sleep fine tonight because I went in (Turn 1) flat out and did everything I could to hold (the throttle),’” Kanaan said. “To me, it was (his positive) attitude.”
While impressed with Siegel, Kanaan never expected them to be working together anytime soon. At the time, Siegel was committed to continuing with his INDY NXT by Firestone season with HMD Motorsports, and Arrow McLaren didn’t have a seat to offer. But the dynamics changed June 7 at Road America when Juncos Hollinger Racing invited Siegel to stand in for Agustin Canapino in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America presented by AMR.
Siegel not only accepted the opportunity, he stepped out of his INDY NXT by Firestone ride to focus on preparing himself for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, which had included rides with Dale Coyne’s team in two events earlier in the season. Kanaan took that as a sign.
“When that happened, I came straight to Gavin (Ward, Arrow McLaren’s team principal), and I said: ‘Hey, you’ve got to trust me on this. I’ll put my job on the line, but I know what I’m doing,’” Kanaan said of wanting to have Siegel drive the team’s No. 6 car. “I mean, I believe it, I truly believe it. I don’t need to sit here and try to sell it. I wouldn’t put my reputation (on the line) just because.”
As discussions heated up, Siegel co-drove United Autosport’s LMP2 entry – co-owned by Arrow McLaren CEO Zak Brown – to a class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I think it only helped my case,” Kanaan said, laughing. “See, I wasn’t wrong, and the boss was like, ‘Hmm.’”
Siegel’s multiyear deal with Arrow McLaren was announced two days later. He will be in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Both in physical size and mental approach, Kanaan compared Siegel to a young Scott Dixon, who arrived in the U.S. in the fall of 1998 as an 18-year-old New Zealander pursuing an Indy Lights opportunity with Stefan Johansson’s team. Dixon finished fifth in the series that year, then won the championship in 2000 with PacWest.
Ward said he is pleased not only to have Siegel but also to provide stability to the team’s No. 6 car that was to be David Malukas’ ride until he injured his wrist in a mountain bike accident in February. Callum Ilott and rookie Theo Pourchaire have taken turns driving the car this season.
“Being able to make a multiyear commitment can kind of, hopefully, stop the merry-go-round, and frankly it gives us the first opportunity we’ve had in a while to be proactive rather than reactive in how we go about filling the seat for the 6 car,” Ward said.
Ward called it a “strategic decision” to get Siegel in the car as soon as possible to prepare all parties for a strong start to the 2025 season.
“It's not easy to have the changes that we’ve had,” Ward said. “Frankly, the disruption we’ve had on the back of one little accident on a mountain bike is pretty phenomenal, and we’re looking forward to getting past that and building a better race team and building up a development plan that can set a huge prospect like Nolan up for great success.”
Practice for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca begins Friday at 5 p.m. ET. Sunday’s 95-lap race airs live on USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network at 6 p.m. ET.
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