Nolan Siegel is unfazed by the stress to carry out coming into a contract 12 months with Arrow McLaren.
The California native was positioned on the new seat by Arrow McLaren Crew Principal Tony Kanaan, who, in an unique interview with Motorsport.com in late December, shared the factors Siegel must hit if he hopes to proceed within the No. 6 Chevrolet past 2026.
“Yeah, he was fairly frank about that within the media,” stated Siegel, 21.
“To me it would not actually change something. The aim for me is at all times to complete as far up the grid as I presumably can and carry out at my finest on a regular basis. So I present up each weekend, I am pushing myself so far as I can and attempting to carry out the most effective that I presumably can.
“It isn’t like if the aim is to complete within the prime 5, I am like, ‘Oh, okay, I am going to push a bit of more durable to get there,’ I do not need to end seventh, I need to end fifth. I need to end as far up as I presumably can each weekend. That does not change for 2026.
“Regardless of the expectation is, I am nonetheless going to be doing the identical factor.”
Though the 2 have but to speak since Kanaan made his feedback, Siegel isn’t involved. If something, he’s understanding of it since Kanaan is a former driver.
“Him having been a driver, I believe he is aware of precisely the way it feels,” Siegel stated. “He is aware of we’re pushing as arduous as we are able to and are doing our greatest each weekend. I believe he sees it from that facet, as effectively.”
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
The climb to attain the specified outcomes has been steep for Siegel. It’s been a troublesome adjustment for Siegel ever since abandoning the 2024 season in Indy NXT – whereas main the championship – and switching to IndyCar. And with restricted testing obtainable within the sequence, he’s regarded into different routes to achieve invaluable seat time, similar to spending this offseason competing within the Asian Le Mans Sequence, together with an look in IMSA’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.
“Apart from being within the sim, I have not actually pushed an Indy automobile in any respect,” Siegel stated. “However simply being in endurance racing is useful for me. Personally I really feel like if I do not drive a race automobile for a very long time… Final low season was the primary time I actually hadn’t. I believed I’d spend a bunch of time with the crew, go to the sim, spend time within the store. That was nice to get to know everybody.
“Now I do know everybody. We gel effectively. For me, from a driving standpoint, the most effective factor was to be in a race automobile despite the fact that it is not an Indy automobile. Going into Sebring (for testing) being contemporary off the Daytona, Asian Le Mans, all these LMP3 races is a pleasant refresher slightly than entering into chilly and being rusty.”
Maybe a very powerful factor for Siegel, although, was the flexibility to hit the reset button after what was undoubtedly an emotionally and mentally taxing 2025 season that featured simply two prime 10s in 16 races, together with one missed begin because of a crash (Iowa, Race 2).
“For me, simply getting away and taking a while away from racing typically was a extremely good factor,” Siegel stated. “I did not actually do any racing aside from IndyCar final 12 months, which I believe was an excellent factor in some senses to only concentrate on it. In different methods I believe doing endurance racing and going to LMP2, doing it with previous associates I grew up racing with, actually sort of racing – it is nonetheless clearly critical and we need to win, nevertheless it’s extra for enjoyable in a manner – jogged my memory of why I fell in love with the game.
“It has actually made me take a step again and notice how cool it’s to be within the place I am in and once I was doing that full-time and never racing in IndyCar, I’d have accomplished something to be within the place I am in now.
“That is been sort of the psychological reset. Generally you get so targeted on what is going on fallacious that you do not actually admire the scenario you are in, how particular it’s to be right here. Going again to endurance racing, taking a step away from IndyCar, has made me very grateful for the place I am in. Undoubtedly jogged my memory how a lot I need to succeed right here.”
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