PLAINFIELD, Ill. — Indy NXT by Firestone alumni Toby Sowery will take over driving duties of the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR entry for July’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Sowery will be making his first NTT IndyCar Series start at the Ohio track after getting his first taste of IndyCar during a test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing last year at Florida’s Sebring Int’l Raceway.
The British driver is currently racing in the LMP2 class of IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup where he finished second at the 24 Hours of Daytona and was praised for his outstanding performance at the 12 Hours of Sebring in his debut LMP2 season. In addition to competing in the Fanatec GT World Series, he has also raced and won in LMP2 in the Asian Le Mans Series this year.
“Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series is an exciting challenge for anyone and I’m extremely fortunate to be given this opportunity by Dale,” expressed Sowery. “This race adds to an already incredible season for me filled with two amazing programs in IMSA and Fanatec GT world Challenge.
“Dale Coyne has been fundamental to IndyCar in giving drivers opportunities to prove themselves and I am eager for this challenge. It’ll be a difficult step to make having only one day in the car over a year ago as well as adapting to the hybrid system, but I’m up for it!”
Sowery competed in Indy NXT in 2019 and finished third in the championship on the strength of seven podium finishes, including a win at Oregon’s Portland Int’l Raceway. He returned to the series for a partial season in 2021, finishing on the podium three times. After being crowned champion of the inaugural Radical World Finals in 2022, Sowery returned to Indy NXT last year to compete in two rounds of the championship and scored a podium finish at Barber (Ala.) Motorsports Park.
“I’ve been following Toby’s career for quite some time now,” shared Team Owner Dale Coyne. “He’s shown that he can quickly adapt to whatever car he is driving and has a successful track record to prove it. We realize coming into the weekend at Mid-Ohio with no prior testing of the car in its hybrid form might be a steep learning curve, but we’re confident he will get up to speed quickly and we look forward to seeing what he can do.”
Sowery has four starts at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Indy NXT with four top-10 finishes, including a best finish of second.