INDY 500 - Rookies and Near-Rookies
THE ROOKIES and NEAR-ROOKIES at INDY
Stefano Coletti
#4 KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
Monaco, Monaco
KV Racing Technology
Monaco resident Coletti comes to IndyCar as a veteran of the Formula 1 support series, GP2. In 2014, he finished 6th in GP2, with 2 wins and six podiums. The year before, he finished the season 5th in points, with three wins and a pole position. Prior to GP2, Coletti competed in GP3, Formula Renault, and Formula 3 Euro Series.
Gabby Chaves
#98 Bowers & Wilkins/Curb Mtrsprts Honda
Bogota, Columbia
Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian
Indy Lights veteran Chaves was the 2014 Indy Lights champion, with four wins - Long Beach, Barber, Pocono, and the Freedom 100 here at Indy. Chaves is also a veteran of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, having driven the Ben Bowlby-designed DeltaWing sports car last season, as well as competing the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
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Sage Karam
#8 Comfort Revolution/Big Machine Records Chevrolet
Nazareth, Pennsylvania
Chip Ganassi Racing
Long-time Indy car fans know that the Nazareth, Pennsylvania area has been fertile ground for Indy car. The Andrettis - Mario, Michael, Jeff, and Marco - call it home, as does talented sophomore Sage Karam. As the winner of the 2010 USF200 championship and the 2013 Indy Lights title (and Rookie of the Year), Karam earned the Mazda Road to Indy Scholarship. It led to last year’s rookie appearance in the 98th running of the Indy 500 - a race that saw him rise spectacularly from a 31st-place start to a 9th-place finish. (He lost Indy Rookie of the Year to NASCAR superstar Kurt Busch.) Earlier that year, he had driven for Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates at both the Rolex 24 and the Sebring 12-Hours.
Carlos Huertas
#18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Bogota, Colombia
Dale Coyne Racing
Huertas started last year’s Indy 500 with Dale Coyne Racing. He qualified 21st, and finished 17th overall. He went on that season to become an IndyCar winner in the first of the two races at Houston, ending the season 20th in points. He competed in the 2012 and 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, in which he took his first victory in Spain in 2013. He is also a veteran of the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series.
James Davison (*Tristan Vautier qualified the car)
#19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Melbourne, Australia
This will be Davison’s second Indy 500 start. Last year, he started 28th and finished 16th driving for KV Racing Technology. Before IndyCar, the 28-year old Australian was runner-up in the 2009 Indy Lights Championship and the 2007 Pro Mazda series championship.
Conor Daly
#43 FUELED by BACON Special, powered by Honda
Noblesville, Indiana
Son of former Formula 1 and Indy car driver Derek Daly, Conor Daly’s career has been a model of diversity for someone so young. The 23-year old finished third in his first Star Mazda season in 2009, with one one, one pole, and six podiums. He won that championship the next year, and moved on in 2011 to compete in GP3 (earning a fifth place at Hungary) and winning the Indy Lights race at Long Beach. In 2012, he tested for the Force India Formula 1 team, tested an Indy car with AJ Foyt, and finished sixth in the GP3 championships following a win at Barcelona. He made his first Indy 500 bow in 2013, starting 31st and finishing 22nd.
Brian Clauson
#88 Jonathan Byrd’s/Cancer Treatment Centers Chevrolet
Carmichael, California
While a relative newcomer to IndyCar racing, Clauson’s background reflects the background of 99% of the drivers who competed at Indy prior to 1975 - American short oval racing. He made his first Indy 500 in 2012, where started 31st, finished 30th racing with Sarah Fisher Hartman/Curb-Agajanian. In 2014, Clauson not only won the prestigious Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, he took the checkered flag at 22 USAC sprint car and midget features. The California native won the 2012 and 2013 USAC sprint car championships (the youngest-ever winner), and was runner-up in the USAC national midget championship. Clauson competed in the Indy Lights during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
Jack Hawksworth
#41 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing
Bradford, England
A karting and Formula Renault U.K. veteran, this 24-year old Brit won the Star Mazda championship in only his second season, and moved up to Indy Lights in 2013, where he won three races that season, finishing 4th in the championship. He tested an Indy car at the end of that season with Dale Coyne and Rahal Letterman Lanigan.
Tom Beeler
Tom has been a contributor to RIS since 1992. He was invited to join the staff as a full-time reporter/editor in 1995, and has covered IndyCar, Formula 1, NASCAR, Grand-Am, ALMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to his RIS work, Tom has been a contributor for General Motors, Nissan, Toyota and the ACO.