Callum Ilott Ends the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Early Due to Contact

Long Beach, California (April 10, 2022) – It was a tough break after a strong start to the weekend for Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) rookie Callum Ilott as he was unable to complete the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach due to contact with the wall late in the race. The No. 77 JHR Chevrolet ended the day on lap-55 to finish 24th
Photo Credit: Patagonia Solutions
The third event of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES kicked off under unseasonable warm conditions on the 1.968 mile, 11-turn temporary street course located in downtown Long Beach, California. Ilott and JHR showed great pace in the first practice session Friday, finishing inside the Top-10 in ninth.

Saturday morning the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to the track for the final practice session. Ilott finished the session 15th overall. That afternoon the day ended with qualifying, where unfortunately the No. 77 would not make it out of the first round and would settle for the 22nd starting position.

The weekend concluded Sunday afternoon with a thrilling 85 laps of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Ilott, who started 21st, looked to move forward, however would maintain his position for most of the race. On lap-55 Ilott made contact with the wall in Turn-8, forcing him to pit. After assessing the damage, the No. 77 Chevrolet was retired for the race, ending the day in 24th.

Callum Ilott, Driver of the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“Unfortunately, our race ended early with a little bit of contact with the wall in Turn-8. We just knocked the rear out and had to retire. Otherwise, it was a weird race, there was so much grip on the track and the rubber was building up massively. It was a real shame to finish like that. We didn’t have a massive amount of pace which is something we need to work on, the different feelings with the tires from reds to blacks. We have a lot to look at after this weekend, some pros and some cons. We have Barber in two weeks, which I believe is a physical one, so I need to train a bit for that one. Overall, Long Beach was a challenge, but we will analyze and look to improve for the next one.”

Ricardo Juncos, Co-Owner and Team Principle of Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“Even though our end result didn’t show what we hoped for, we made a lot of progress since our last visit to Long Beach. We had great pace in practice, but unfortunately, we were not able to move up in qualifying with as tight of a field that we were up against. The race proved to be tough, but the guys did a great job once again in the pits. We will move forward from here and will be ready to be back on track in just a few short weeks in Barber. I want to thank all of team for their hard work and the amazing sponsors who came out to Long Beach to support us this weekend.” 

Brad Hollinger, Co-Owner Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“From where we were at Long Beach in 2021, to where we are now, shows we have made a lot of positive movements in just six months. We have grown a lot as a team, and we were thrilled to have so many there at Long Beach to support us. This wasn’t the result we wanted, but that is a part of growth, and we will continue to move forward. I am looking forward to seeing the No. 77 JHR Chevrolet back on track at Barber.”