2017 Indy Lights Champion Kyle Kaiser will attempt to qualify for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 for Juncos Racing, the team announced in a press release issued on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Californian will drive the No. 32 Chevrolet for the team, which he took to an 18th-place finish at the inaugural IndyCar Classic at Circuit of the Americas this past March.
Kaiser made his first Indy 500 appearance last year with Juncos, qualifying 17th but finishing 29th in the race due to a mechanical failure.
“The team and myself have been working very hard to make this happen, so I’m extremely grateful to everyone who has helped make this possible,” Kaiser said in the release. “It will be great to build off what we accomplished last year, having qualified 17th as a single car effort was incredible. With this knowledge and experience, I am confident we will have another strong showing. I can’t wait to get back on track and get back to work preparing the No. 32 Chevrolet for the biggest race of the year.”
Kaiser has been driving for Juncos Racing since his second Indy Pro 2000 (formerly Pro Mazda) season in 2014.
“We have a lot of history with Kyle,” team owner Ricardo Juncos said in the release. “He has been with this team for six years and has gone through our major transitions from Pro Mazda, to winning the Indy Lights Championship and moving up to IndyCar and even in our new IMSA program. We are excited to have the opportunity to continue our work with him for one of the biggest events of the year and look forward to a great month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”
The 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 will be run Sunday, May 26, with live race coverage beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on NBC.