There is a possibility of Agustin Canapino returning to the IndyCar Series as part of a one-off effort in a third entry with Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) for the 2025 edition of the Indianapolis 500.
The 34-year-old Argentine mutually parted ways with JHR last month after a string of five consecutive finishes of 18th or worse – with the last four results being 22nd or lower – that put the No. 78 Chevrolet entry one spot out of the top 22 of the coveted $1 million Leaders Circle.
The team elected to call on Conor Daly as his replacement for the final five races and has since elevated the entry to 19th in the Leaders Circle standings, with this weekend’s season finale at Nashville Superspeedway the only obstacle to secure the prize money.
It was no secret that the drama followed Canapino, a multi-time touring car champion in his home country, throughout his short tenure in North America’s premier open-wheel championship. Earlier this year, he was at the center of controversy for his actions on social media that included a statement rejecting claims that his supporters threatened rivals, which came in wake of colliding with intermittent Arrow McLaren rookie Theo Pourchaire at the Detroit Grand Prix. That resulted in backlash that left him sitting out of the following round at Road America, with the team citing mental health reasons. The incident with Pourchaire eventually led to a statement by Canapino condemning online abuse.
By then, though, the situation already led to the termination of a strategic alliance between Juncos Hollinger Racing and Arrow McLaren, which was formed in October 2023.
It was the third time a driver flagged social media abuse after a run-in with Canapino, with Callum Ilott sharing his testimony after multiple clashes (Long Beach, Laguna Seca) while the two were teammates during the 2023 season.
Although Canapino scored a best finish of 12th on four occasions (2023 - St. Petersburg, Texas, Toronto; 2024 - Detroit) in 28 career starts, he was in contention for a top 10 – possibly top five outing – at this year’s Indy 500 before it was negated by a speeding violation on the final pit stop on lap 173 of 200.
Considering that performance, the question was posed to JHR co-owner Ricardo Juncos if he would entertain bringing back Canapino as part of a third entry of the Indy 500.
“It's too early for that, but anything can happen,” Juncos told Motorsport.com.
“I always say the same thing: 22 years ago I had nothing in Argentina, I was broke. And look where we are today. In the world and in life, things happen for the better and for the worse. Opportunities appear when you least expect it.
“Clearly, what Agustín did in the 500 miles, both years, he showed extreme speed running alone, he showed technical leadership which is very important to lead the engineer, which is what is needed in the car to be fast when it comes to qualifying as he did this year. And then in the race I think Agustin did everything right. He made the mistake of entering the pits like (Scott) Dixon has, that is, champion drivers have made the same mistake at some point in their sports careers. So we can't blame him for anything either.
“Unfortunately luck was lacking, but Agustín was ready to fight the race.
“Can you imagine that if we could be in the situation of putting together a third car and Agustin was available, eager to race, for my part we are moving forward and one never knows, but well, there is a long way to go. I think we have to go step by step, concentrate on what is coming in the short term and from there see what fate has in store.”
