In 2018, Bourdais returned to the Dale Coyne Racing Team now partnered with investors James "Sulli" Sullivan and former driver Jimmy Vasser as Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan. The team also found steady sponsorship in the form of SealMaster, and SportClips Haircuts. Bourdais started The Firestone St. Petersburg Grand Prix in 14th place. He ended up losing a tire on the opening lap but the misfortunes of Will Power and Tony Kanaan saved him from going a lap down. He went on an off sequence pit strategy and found himself 3rd with a handful of laps to go. On the final restart, Alexander Rossi divebombed the first corner and got his tires locked up on the slick airport runway paint and got into race leader Robert Wickens who had led 67 laps that day and Bourdais snuck by to win. It was his first win since last year at St. Petersburg and his first since the injury. Bourdais was emotional in victory lane and said "he never doubted that he would run in IndyCar again". Bourdais went on to win pole at the very next race in Phoenix, his first on an oval since 2006. Bourdais was also the only driver to lead laps at each of the first four races of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season.