IndyCar’s Nolan Siegel Looks To Improve With New Race Boss Kyle Moyer

Young Arrow McLaren IndyCar driver Nolan Siegel admitted last weekend at Road America that he didn’t really know much about his new race strategist Kyle Moyer.

The 20-year-old from Palo Alto, California got to know his new boss during a busy test session at Iowa Speedway on June 25 that featured 21 cars and drivers in a test session that lasted until 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

Siegel looks forward to working with a new voice on the radio calling his race strategy.

As noted last week on Forbes Sports Money, former Team Penske INDYCAR General Manager Kyle Moyer has joined Arrow McLaren as the Director of Operations. He will also work with Siegel as his race strategist.

“I’ve never met Kyle (Moyer),” Siegel said after finishing eighth at Road America on June 22. “I’ve heard of him, and I’ve known of him, and I’m very, very excited to get to work with him.

“I think that’s a huge pleasure and a huge learning opportunity for me. I couldn’t be more excited. So, we’re going to have a really strong group of people on the stand with Scott Harner going to kind of an advisory role. We’re going to have a lot more experience on the stand. And I think it’s going to be great.

“And again, it’s nice to kind of leave this weekend on a high with everyone in good spirits. Kyle’s going to come and in and I think that this could be a turnaround for us for the rest of the year.”

Reunited Again

Digging deeper into Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan’s decision to bring Moyer on board, it was an opportunity Kanaan had to take. It was also a chance for Moyer and Kanaan to be reunited.

The two worked together at what was then known as Andretti Green Racing when Kanaan won the 2004 IndyCar Series title.

Moyer was a key part of that team before he left for Team Penske in 2015.

“Talk about how our history together, it’s unbelievable,” Kanaan told me at Road America. “Everything that I won, that guy was in my car. So that wasn’t something that I was expecting to have.

“And honestly, I’m pretty happy about it. It’s pretty good to see.

“He was my strategist strategy and my team manager at the same time. I think that’s something that what that race has given me for a lot of good friends.

“You know you’ve been around as long as I’ve been but also, He was part of the most successful part of my life, so it’s hard not to go back and he’s still involved.

“I’m still involved to say, ‘Why not try to do it again?’”

Moyer was one of three key Team Penske executives that was dismissed before the Indianapolis 500 because of a technical rules infraction during qualifications. Because it was the second penalty in as many years including the “push to pass scandal” from 2024, team owner Roger Penske dismissed the team’s IndyCar President Tim Cindric, Managing Director Ron Ruzewski and Moyer.

“I’ve never questioned anybody’s integrity,” Kanaan said. “We all know that at the end of the day it takes a team, and not once did it cross my mind because I know Kyle really well so that was never even a debate.”

Different Voice And Strategy

Kanaan has spent much of his time working with young Nolan Siegel at Arrow McLaren. He believes having a different voice to work with the young driver will help his overall development and that is why he thinks Moyer is the right guy for that role.

“One hundred percent and I think Kyle is a way more experienced than me in so many ways,” Kanaan said. “I’m trying to give Nolan as big of a support as I can.

“Obviously, he came in the middle of the season, so it was kind of like a way to put him there to take a look where he didn’t work with Scott Harner as well and give Nolan a little bit of a bump. But as young as this kid is any help he can get it would definitely make him better.”

Another key member of Arrow McLaren that strongly supports bringing Moyer to the team is General Manager Brian Barnhart. He has worked with Moyer in various capacities throughout his career and is impressed with Moyer’s accomplishments and approach.

“Oh, that’s a steal of the century mid-season, that’s for sure, so we’re really happy,” Barnhart told me. “Clearly, we weren’t planning on something like that in season, so you take advantage of that opportunity when it gets presented to you, but Kyle is an exceptional leader, he’s a great delegator, a genuine good person, really good communicator, just got a lot of common sense, so he’ll make this race team better for sure.

“I think if anything it gives TK the ability to focus more on the stuff that he’s doing as team principal and out of the role on the timing stand a little bit, so I think that’s why it’ll probably be helpful.”

Arrow McLaren’s New Chain Of Command

The one area that Barnhart is uncertain about, however, is the chain of command at Arrow McLaren and how a newly created Director of Operations will line up with the current organizational structure.

“It’s one of those things to be honest with you, we don’t wholly know yet, because it’s one of them that you weren’t planning on,” Barnhart said. “It’s not like we had a position, so we’re just going to kind of make it fit and go along as we see what the best fit’s going to be once he gets here.”

As for Siegel’s week, he was reprimanded by the team for unleashing a tirade against Team Penske during a fit of rage at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Worldwide Technology Raceway, that got him a stern lecture from Kanaan and other members at Arrow McLaren.

Siegel accepted the punishment and apologized to all involved last week.

It culminated with a strong eighth-place effort at Road America in IndyCar’s most recent race.

“Nice to move on from everything from last week ended on a high,” Siegel said. “And this has been a much-needed weekend.

“You know, nothing’s gone wrong this weekend. We’ve had a good smooth Saturday. We had a smooth Sunday. Eighth isn’t ultimately, like the end goal, right? But it’s something that we can build off of. And we’ve had a lot of bad weeks where everyone leaves upset, and it’s just not a good feeling, and it’s nice to kind of turn that around. And I think until you have a weekend like this, to turn it around, it’s very hard to get out of that slump.”

Siegel and Arrow McLaren move on to the next race on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule, the July 6 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in Steam Corners, Ohio.

The second-year IndyCar driver is 20^th in points with eight races remaining in the season.

Nolan Siegel and Kyle Moyer are determined to make an improvement in the final half of the 2025 season.