Juncos Hollinger Racing have split from driver Agustin Canapino, who cut a controversial figure during his season and a half of racing in IndyCar.
The Argentinian once enjoyed a successful touring car career in his native South America, winning 15 national championships, to earn a shot in IndyCar with Juncos.
It marked a big step out of his comfort zone ahead of the 2023 season as Canapino signed up to race in IndyCar alongside Callum Ilott.
But Canapinio then proved a controversial figure for the series as his fanbase regularly caused issues on social media with Ilott and Theo Pourchaire following incidents on the circuit.
Now, the Juncos Hollinger team have even decided to drop Canapino via a mutual separation, despite having five races remaining of the 2024 IndyCar season.
So, with that in mind, Full Oversteer looks at three of Canapino’s best and worst performances in IndyCar at the end of his difficult stint in the series.
The best races of Agustin Canapino’s IndyCar career
PPG 375 (12th place)
After avoiding the carnage at St. Petersburg to finish in 12th place on his IndyCar debut, another strong race followed for Canapino at Texas Motor Speedway.
Before making the switch to IndyCar for 2023, he had never raced on an oval and had only completed a mandatory oval rookie test before racing in Texas.
Yet the Juncos driver qualified in 19th place, just two positions behind his teammate Ilott on the first of four ovals on that year’s calendar.
Canapino made up two places on the opening couple of laps, as well, before Takuma Sato retired on Lap 48 and carnage kicked off in the pit lane just a few laps later.
He would finish ahead of Arrow McLaren drivers Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi, who got caught up in incidents during the second round of the season.
The Argentinian finished a lap down on the race winner, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, in his first race on an oval, a very different type of circuit from the permanent tracks he had previously competed on.
Honda Indy Toronto 2023 (12th place)
IndyCar’s annual trip to Canada saw a superb effort from Canapino to finish 12th during a race of attrition on the streets of Toronto.
He qualified in 18th place behind his teammate Ilott in a difficult qualifying session for frontrunners Alex Palou and Colton Herta, who both missed out on the Firestone Fast 12.
Canapino maintained his position on the opening lap after a caution was brought out after an incident at Turn 1.
He kept out of trouble during the 85-lap event to finish in 12th place and saved enough fuel to make it to the finish. Multiple drivers, including Will Power, were forced into making a late pit stop after misjudging their fuel strategy.
The bumpy streets in Toronto provided a stiff challenge for the Argentinian during his first visit to the circuit but Canapino dealt with all the difficulties to finish just outside the top 10.
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey 2023 (14th place)
Canapino’s debut season in IndyCar had seen its impressive moments with a 12th place on his first oval race to a 14th place on the bumpy streets of Detroit.
The campaign ended at Laguna Seca, and Canapino finished in 14th place after qualifying on the fringes of the Firestone Fast 12 the day before.
The Argentinian qualified in 13th place but was handed a six-position grid penalty for an unapproved engine change, relegating Canapino to 19th on the grid.
He avoided a chaotic opening lap as multiple cars lost ground, including Team Penske’s Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin.
The race was neutralised for six laps under a caution period before the green flags few to restart the event. Canapino had moved up to 10th place after skipping through the chaos before passing Santino Ferrucci at the restart to take P9.
Canapino found himself in third place, passing Romain Grosjean 42 laps into the race during a chaotic race filled with incidents.
The Argentinian and his teammate Ilott made contact at Turn 1, damaging both cars in an incident that sparked fury on social media and caused Ilott to leave the team. The pair finished outside the top 10 in a disappointing end to the season.
The worst races of Agustin Canapino’s IndyCar career
Hy-Vee Homefront 250 and Hy-Vee One Step 250 2024 (25th place and 26th place)
Canapino’s second season in IndyCar suffered a lacklustre weekend on the oval at Iowa. IndyCar had a doubleheader event and the Argentinian failed to finish either race.
During the opening race of the weekend, the Juncos Hollinger Racing driver qualified in 17th place and was caught up in an incident on the first lap.
The incident included David Malukas, as well as Canapino’s Juncos teammate Romain Grosjean, in a clumsy start to the race.
The second race of the weekend saw the Argentinian perform superbly in qualifying, breaking into the top 10 and qualifying in 10th place ahead of Nolan Siegel.
The qualifying format at Iowa saw drivers given just a two-lap run with each lap setting the grid for each of the races.
He made minimal errors in the opening 100 laps before suffering from a mechanical issue, a sad end to the weekend at Iowa.
Grand Prix of Portland 2023 (26th place)
The penultimate round of the 2023 season in Portland saw a difficult round for Canapino as his debut season drew to a close.
He headed to Portland after a run of four race finishes outside the top 20, halting the momentum he had built up after an impressive start.
On his first visit to the circuit, Canapino qualified in 19th place, behind his teammate Grosjean, and kept out of trouble.
The Frenchman fell by the wayside with just 31 laps down after a collision, ending the former Formula 1 driver’s race.
He was one lap down on race leader Palou before his race ended 82 laps into the event after he made a mistake and stalled at the penultimate turn.
The error and non-finish at Portland dented his challenge for the Rookie of the Year award, which was eventually won by Marcus Armstrong at the end of the season.
Honda Indy Toronto 2024 (26th place)
Canapino endured a mixed weekend in Toronto, the race that turned out to be his final race of the 2024 season for Juncos Hollinger Racing.
A brilliant qualifying performance on Saturday was good enough for 10th place on the grid, breaking into the Firestone Fast 12 in Canada.
He secured a higher position on the grid than Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson and two-time IndyCar champion Palou.
His first visit to Toronto was a great weekend for the Argentinian, and it ended in a 12th-place finish. The 2024 season yielded a difficult weekend after retiring after a collision with Scott Dixon.
The race was neutralised on the opening lap after an incident, which bunched up the field on the narrow street circuit.
Canapino drove alongside Dixon at Turn 5 before the pair touched wheels, sending the Juncos driver into the wall, ending his race after a strong start to the weekend.