Photo: Gavin Baker Photography / Road to Indy
Toby Sowery has ended his Indy Lights campaign with Juncos Hollinger Racing with immediate effect, but is still aiming for an IndyCar graduation in 2022.
The Briton finished third in the points as a rookie in Indy Lights in 2019, but his sophomore season hasn’t been as impressive with three podiums from 14 races. He currently sits seventh in the standings.
He will not contest the remaining three rounds of the season, provisionally leaving Juncos fielding only one car for Sting Ray Robb.
“With immediate effect Toby Sowery will end his 2021 Indy Lights season,” read a press release Sowery put out.
“The decision has been made after a dissapointing run of results with Juncos Racing. Toby will now focus on stepping up to a full-time IndyCar programme.”
Juncos itself will be going into IndyCar full-time next year with new partner Brad Hollinger, and will contest the final three races of 2021 as preparation.
Its first season in IndyCar only consisted of the Indianapolis 500, before embarking on an 11-round programme in 2018 with a single car. Juncos then downscaled back to just the Indy 500 and IndyCar Classic in 2019.
If Nikita Lastochkin doesn’t find the budget to return to HMD Motorsports, and Juncos doesn’t find a replacement driver, it will leave the Indy Lights grid down at 11 cars for the next round at Portland International Raceway on September 10-12.
HMD is believed to have a driver lined up to race in Lastochkin’s place, although his car was actually used by Global Racing Group with HMD driver Linus Lundqvist in the most recent race at the Gateway oval after Lundqvish crashed his own following a tyre failure.