Carpenter, Hinchcliffe Weigh In On Newgarden's Future

Ed Carpenter and James Hinchcliffe are making public their thoughts on whether or not Josef Newgarden will stay with Ed Carpenter Racing in 2017.

Ed Carpenter has heard the scuttlebutt about Josef Newgarden leaving his race team for Penske or Ganassi, and now he’s speaking out on IndyCar’s hottest topic.

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For the second year in a row rumors are circulating that Newgarden may depart the No. 21 car to fill an open seat at one of the two big teams. Penske’s contract with Juan Pablo Montoya is also up, while Scott Dixon seems to be the only lock at Ganassi. Meanwhile, Newgarden’s stock keeps rising, as he’s a championship contender yet again.

What does Carpenter think of potentially losing his driver? Here’s what he said to IndyCar.com on Wednesday:

"The way I look at it, if Roger really wants to hire someone, he’s going to go hire them. I don’t know if Chip is exactly the same way or not. If Roger has a driver he wants to go get, it’s going to be hard for me to keep him from getting what he wants.At the same time, I’m just trying to do a good job. I think Josef and the team work well together. If it’s somewhere he wants to stay, we’d be glad to have him. If he wants to move on, we’d move on as well.We have some rights within our current agreement, but it’s one of those things where it’s really hard to focus on it right now in the heat of the battle. My approach with Josef that we’ve had and that we continue to have is just try to do the best job we can and show him we’re capable of giving him the same opportunity he could get anywhere."

But if you ask Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver James Hinchcliffe, a close friend of Newgarden, it sounds like the Tennessee native is as good as gone. Hinchcliffe told IndyCar that Newgarden’s eye has always been on a move upward.

"There’s a reason Josef does one-year deals every single season. Josef has turned down multiple-year deals, which in this sport, you don’t do. He knows the interest is there. That’s why he keeps doing those deals. He’s waiting for the call."

Hinchcliffe believes that Newgarden’s most likely opportunity may not be with Penske, but with Ganassi:

"Dixon has got a car as long as he wants it. The No. 10 car is interesting. It’ll be interesting to see what happens."

The No. 10 is currently piloted by Tony Kanaan, who has been dogged by the same retirement questions as Montoya. Like Montoya, Kanaan has said he’s not thinking about hanging up his helmet. He’s been with Ganassi since 2004 and sits a comfortable sixth in the title race – just behind Newgarden.

Kanaan, Montoya and Helio Castroneves are all veteran drivers who remain competitive and they should be able to choose when they’re done.

But what’s in front of them – as well as Penske and Ganassi – is a business decision, the same one that plagues every major sports team. Do you stick with the experienced, proven veteran or do you take a gamble, and jettison them in order to lock up the rising star whom you could build a team around in the future?

Another option for Newgarden might be the No. 8 car currently driven by Max Chilton. Not that there’s anything wrong with Chilton either, but Ganassi hasn’t had a driver in that car for more than one season since Ryan Briscoe in 2013-2014. Newgarden would give that fourth entry some stability.

It’s pretty clear at this point that Newgarden holds all the cards as far as where he wants to drive in 2017. All we don’t know is how many options he’ll have to choose from.

The bigger question is what’s going to happen to ECR. Will Carpenter try and pursue someone else for the No. 21, or downsize his team and focus strictly on the No. 20?

There are some good drivers who are and may be looking for seats – like Gabby Chaves, or Carlos Munoz (whose contract with Andretti is also expiring), or Chilton if he were to get bumped by Newgarden.

But sometimes it’s best for the future of a small team just to focus on one car; ask KVSH Racing, which dropped its second entry this year to put all its resources behind Sebastien Bourdais.

Wherever Newgarden lands it’s safe to say his move will have a big impact not just for him but on the entire landscape of IndyCar. His career is on the rise and no matter what team he’s driving for, he’s going to find success.

Where do you think Josef Newgarden will be driving in 2017?

Carpenter, Hinchcliffe Weigh In On Newgarden’s Future

By Brittany Frederick | Aug 18, 2016

Ed Carpenter and James Hinchcliffe are making public their thoughts on whether or not Josef Newgarden will stay with Ed Carpenter Racing in 2017.