Dalton Kellett to drive full time for AJ Foyt Racing in 2021 - MotorSportsTalk

Dalton Kellett will drive full time for AJ Foyt Racing in 2021 with K-Line Insulators USA as the primary sponsor.

The 2020 rookie contender shared driving duties in the No. 14 last year with Tony Kanaan and Sebastien Bourdais with a primary focus on road courses. Kellett also ran in the Indianapolis 500 in a third Foyt entry (and was eliminated in a Lap 81 accident).

“I couldn’t be more excited to be back with AJ Foyt Racing for the 2021 season,” Kellett said in a release. “Securing a full-time ride is a big boost heading into my sophomore year in IndyCar. Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19 in 2020, A.J., Larry, and the Foyt team continued to develop their car and elevate the program, while standing by their employees and partners.

“That’s the kind of team I’m proud to both race for and be a part of. Being paired with Sebastien will be a great opportunity to continue to learn from one of the most experienced veterans in the field. I can’t wait to get back on the track for off-season testing and back behind the wheel in 2021.”

Bourdais will return to drive the No. 14 Chevrolet full time.

The 2020 season was difficult for rookies with abbreviated schedules at many tracks due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. Kellett’s season best in eight starts was a pair of 20ths in the Road America doubleheader in July.

Despite the challenges of Kellett’s rookie season taking place during a pandemic that sharply curtailed the normal track activity, he displayed a keen ability to stay focused and adapt, which factored into Foyt’s decision to retain Kellett for 2021.

“We are very happy to have Dalton back with the team and more importantly that he will be driving full time,” team president Larry Foyt said. “With the limited track time in 2020, it was a tough year to be a rookie, but he jumped in with a great attitude and adjusted to the Indy car quite well.

“He was getting quicker with each event and had a great test at Barber [Motorsports Park] recently. I think Dalton will truly benefit from having four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais there full-time. I’m really looking forward to seeing how our team progresses in 2021.”

Coming off his best Supercross season to date, Enzo Lopes has re-signed with Muc-Off / ClubMX Yamaha and will race for the team in 2024. The deal is for Supercross only.

*Enzo Lopes won his heat race in Denver and finished fourth in the Main. – Feld Motor Sports*

Lopes debuted in the Supercross series in 2019 on a Suzuki and scored his first top-10 finishes in his last two starts of that season. Showing consistent improvement, he earned six top-10s in eight Main events the following year and finished fifth in the 250 East standings. In 2022, he scored his first top-five at Daytona and finished in the top five in points again.

“I am happy to be returning to ClubMX for another season,” Lopes said in a press release. “It is like family to me there and that is very important. Although I had many options, staying where I am makes the most sense for many reasons. The bikes are great, the people are great, the tracks are amazing, and I am surrounded by people that care about me. We all want to win and together we will get there.”

While he improved his season-best performance by only one position this year, it was nevertheless a breakout season. Lopes barely missed the podium three times in 2023 with fourth-place finishes at San Diego, Seattle, and Denver.

His strong performance him rumored to be speaking with factory teams.

“We could see the growth from Enzo every time he gets on the bike,” said team owner Brandon Haas. “We all knew it was just a matter of time before he would be noticed by everyone, and we are proud of him on many levels. He had some heat race wins and qualified fastest at three events this season. It would be hard not to be noticed going that fast. He had a big decision to make and we are glad he chose to stay with us at ClubMX.”

Lopes had three podium finishes in heat races this year, including a win preceding his fourth-place finish in Denver.

Lopes will join Jeremy Martin, Phil Nicoletti and Garrett Marchbanks, who announced a two-year extension with the team in January, at the ClubMX team.

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