Dale Coyne Racing

Lore & Background

From 1995 to 2000, the team was known as Payton-Coyne Racing, reflecting a partnership with Chicago Bears great Walter Payton. After the 1988 season, Coyne stepped out of the cockpit and turned his talents to the tutelage of several up-and-coming drivers. Once known for competing on budgets far smaller than most of their competitors, the team earned its maiden victory after 25 years at Watkins Glen International in July 2009 with Justin Wilson. Dale Coyne Racing is also the second oldest and longest-stay tenured partnership with Honda engine since 2008 in IndyCar Series due to other IndyCar teams switched engine partners in the past.

In Their Own Story

The lights are off and the track is empty, but the pit box still hums. A single work light throws a cone of white across the carbon-fibre nose of the car, catching the faint scuff marks from the morning's practice. Dale leans on the wall of the garage, arms crossed, watching a young driver rattle off a list of grip complaints in the flat, tired voice of someone who has been in the seat for three hours. The crew chief nods, scribbles on a clipboard, and calls out a camber adjustment. No video package, no data engineer in a separate room—just a wrench, a feel for the car, and the quiet understanding that tomorrow's race will be won or lost in the next two hours of setup. Outside, the grandstands are dark and the city sleeps, but in this small patch of pit lane, the engine is already being warmed for the next session. This is how it's always been here: small, loud, and entirely their own.

Reader's Guide

The team began in CART in 1984, with Coyne attempting to qualify for each race that year. In 1986, the team raced the Coyne DC-1, a modified 1984 Lola. The team upgraded to 1988 Lola-Cosworth cars in 1989. After Coyne's retirement as a driver at the end of 1988, he continued to contest several races through 1991. In 1990, the team fielded a new Lola for Dean Hall, earning its first start at the Indy 500 and scoring 4 points. The team's first podium finish came with Roberto Moreno at the 1996 U.S. 500. In 2000, Tarso Marques led the team with 17 starts. The team returned to full-time competition in 2003. In 2004, Oriol Servià had the team's best season ever, placing third at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and finishing 10th in the standings. In 2007, Bruno Junqueira recorded back-to-back-to-back podium finishes. In 2008, the team entered the IndyCar Series. The team scored its second win and first-ever oval win with Justin Wilson at Texas Motor Speedway in 2012, and another win in 2013 with Mike Conway in Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix race 1.

Did You Know?

• The team was known as Payton-Coyne Racing from 1995 to 2000.
• Dale Coyne stepped out of the cockpit after the 1988 season.
• The team's first win came in July 2009 at Watkins Glen International with Justin Wilson.
• The team has had a partnership with Honda since 2008.