Nolan Siegel has Break Through at Barber: Fast 6 in Quali and Top 10 Race Finish

It was an overdue result this past Sunday for one of Indycar’s hardest working youngsters. Nolan Siegel cracked the top 10 in his #6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for the first time in 2025 and only second time in his time in IndyCar, gaining much needed momentum in his first full time Indycar campaign. The Californian had been put on the hot seat ever since replacing Theo Pourchaire last summer, and finally was able to showcase the speed that he’s had each week throughout an entire race weekend at the Alabama Rollercoaster.

Siegel’s Stomping Ground

Regular viewers of the Indy NXT by Firestone series likely weren’t shocked by Siegel’s strong performance in his first Barber appearance as a McLaren pilot. In his pair of Indy NXT starts at the track, Siegel finished a close 2nd on both occasions to fellow Indycar drivers Christian Rasmussen and Jacob Abel.  

One of Indycar’s most physically demanding tracks, Barber can be a difficult circuit to get the hang of, yet Nolan had already seemingly mastered it by age 18.  Siegel performed well not only in the feeder series leading up to Indycar, but also in an offseason test at the twisty road course, further boosting his confidence. Going into the weekend, Siegel was aware that he already possessed everything needed to succeed – it was simply a matter of combining all the pieces together at once.

“We just need to put it all together this weekend,” Siegel said in an interview with Frontstretch.  “It doesn’t matter where we are, the execution just needs to come, and I think that we have all the ingredients to make a good weekend.”

Swift Saturday

Going into the weekend, all focus was on the recent performance of Siegel’s newest teammate, Christian Lundgaard, who gave team leader Pato O’Ward some fierce competition en route to 2 podiums in the last 2 races. The battle between Lundgaard in O’Ward may have stolen the spotlight in the weeks leading up to qualifying, but once it became time to put down hot laps, it would be Siegel who snatched the attention away from both of them.

After all 3 Arrow McLaren Chevrolets would smoothly transfer into the Fast 12, it would be only Siegel to make it into the final stage, eventually qualifying 6th for the race, and setting a new career best starting position. Siegel was satisfied with his performance after the session concluded.

“It feels like we belong now.  We’re competitive every weekend, and it’s nice to feel like we’re a front-running car, and the goal is to stay there through the Month of May certainly, and then for the rest of the season,” Siegel said.

Arrow McLaren’s newly promoted Team Principal, Tony Kanaan, played a massive role in introducing Siegel to the Papaya outfit’s Indycar program last summer. Despite the questions raised when this move was first made, Kanaan never doubted Siegel’s ability for a moment, and didn’t hesitate to praise the Palo Alto native after his strong Saturday.

“It’s a lot of pressure under the Arrow McLaren badge, with the teammates he has,” Kanaan told Frontstretch’s Christopher DeHarde.  “I was really proud of him.”

A Sign of Things to Come

Though Siegel would go on to finish behind his 2 teammates come Sunday’s grand prix, he was still punching arguably well above his weight going up against more experienced drivers in the top 10. Despite an issue on an early pit stop, Siegel would rally for a strong ninth place finish.  

As he heads into the Month of May, repeating such performances will be a must, as he and his crew work towards the Greatest Spectacle in Racing- a race that Arrow McLaren has come so close yet so far from winning in each of the past 4 years. For both Arrow McLaren, as well as Siegel, who was bumped from the Indianapolis 500 field in dramatic style a year ago, there is much to prove in the coming 3 weeks.  However, the Le Mans champion (class winner in 2024) has proved many times already in his young racing career that he has the work ethic and raw talent to face any and every challenge that comes his way. It wasn’t the fiery start to the season that Siegel had hoped for, but now that he’s found his rhythm, there’s no telling what the ceiling will be for one of Indycar’s superstars of tomorrow.

written by Owen White / Media Credit: Penske Entertainment