IndyCar: Top 5 replacement candidates for Mikhail Aleshin

By Asher Fair | Aug 16, 2017

FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Mikhail Aleshin, driver of the #7 SMP Racing Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda, practices for the Verizon IndyCar Series Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

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Santiago Urrutia

Santiago Urrutia, 20, is an up-and-coming Indy Lights star. He currently sits in 3rd place in the championship standings with seven podium finishes in 14 races so far this season, including a recent victory at Mid-Ohio, driving for Belardi Auto Racing.

Last season, Urrutia made his debut in Indy Lights for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, so that team knows just how good he is behind the wheel of an open-wheel race car. He won four races and added three 2nd place finishes en route to finishing in 2nd place in the championship standings just two points behind Ed Jones, the 3rd place finisher in this year’s Indianapolis 500.

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Urrutia recently claimed that he was close to an IndyCar deal for the 2018 season, so getting some time behind the wheel of the #7 Honda would certainly not hurt, especially since he drove for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports last season.

"“I have a preliminary contract to race in IndyCar in 2018. We are in negotiations with three IndyCar teams to race next year. We have 70% of the budget, we still have to work in the other 30 percent but we are on it. That 70 percent is confirmed.”"

Urrutia did not specify which three teams he was referring to, although he did say “three very winning teams.” If Schmidt Peterson Motorsports is one of them, which may very well be the case seeing as how they are arguably the best two-car team in the sport, the fact that the seat of the #7 Honda is open this very moment could play into Urrutia’s hands.