Rinus VeeKay took third at Milwaukee, Juncos Hollinger Racing’s second IndyCar podium. Photo: Juncos Hollinger Racing
Juncos Hollinger Racing just posted the best championship result in its IndyCar history. Then it went quiet. There is no announced 2027 lineup, no confirmation that its lead driver is coming back, and when I checked, the team’s own news page had nothing newer than its Laguna Seca season recap from Sept. 6. A legal fight over who owns the team is reportedly the reason. The fight itself matters less than what the silence is costing: in a driver market this loose, a midfield team’s most valuable asset is timing, and JHR is spending its best year’s worth of goodwill waiting.
What is confirmed, and what is not
On Sept. 30, IndyCar.com’s Curt Cavin wrote that Rinus VeeKay is expected to stay at JHR but that the deal is not official, adding that he expects an announcement once team ownership details are finalized. The series’ Oct. 30 lineup update still listed VeeKay as expected rather than confirmed, with the second car marked “to be announced.” Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger are both listed as co-owners on the team’s own site.
What I have not seen is a court filing, or a statement from either owner, the team or IndyCar describing a lawsuit. So the delay is documented, and the cause is reported but unverified. Everything below that touches the dispute is analysis built on that delay.
Peak value, parked
Consider what JHR has to sell. VeeKay finished tenth in the 2026 championship, nine points clear of the next driver, up from a previous team best of 16th. At Milwaukee he started 24th after a nine-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change and finished third, his first oval podium and only the team’s second ever. The first was Conor Daly’s third from 25th in 2024. He also logged three fourth-place finishes, and at the Laguna Seca finale he set the fastest lap while recovering to 16th from 19th on the grid.
That’s a pitch for sponsors and for every driver manager with a client who needs a seat. It also has a shelf life. Cavin’s October update counts ten of the 25 seats changing hands, up from seven a year ago, and the open names are all in play at once. Nolan Siegel had no ride, Dale Coyne Racing had two seats unannounced, and JHR, Foyt and Coyne were all chasing Indy NXT champion Nikita Johnson as of Sept. 30. Foyt has since locked in Josh Pierson on a multiyear deal. In a market that moves this fast, the team that cannot sign anyone is not standing still; it is losing ground.
The second car is the tell
JHR’s breakthrough was a one-car story. Sting Ray Robb’s No. 77 ended the finale 23rd after Turn 6 contact, and the team’s own recap says it did not earn a Leader’s Circle place for 2027. Robb’s season included the lap-one collision that took out Dennis Hauger at Laguna Seca. Robb is now heading to the Asian Le Mans Series with United Autosports, and as we noted when that was announced, the programme says nothing about his IndyCar plans and doesn’t clash on dates.
The empty second seat is where an ownership problem shows up first. A driver bringing budget wants a counterparty who can sign and honour a contract, and a driver bringing talent wants to know the team will exist in the same shape in March. Until JHR can answer both, the best candidates can reasonably look elsewhere. That is analysis, not reporting, but it is what the calendar implies.
What to watch
The cleanest signal is VeeKay’s confirmation. Cavin tied it to ownership details being settled, so an announcement is the best public proxy for the dispute easing. After that, watch whether the second seat goes to a funded driver, which would suggest the team is hedging against uncertainty, and whether the team’s news feed starts moving again. Whoever ends up in control inherits a team at its highest point, with its lead driver not yet publicly confirmed for next season. That is a lot of value to leave exposed.
If you managed VeeKay, would you wait out the ownership mess or take the first good offer?
Lead image credit: Rinus VeeKay on the Milwaukee podium. Photo: Juncos Hollinger Racing.
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