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IndyCar: Danica Patrick or J.R. Hildebrand for Ed Carpenter Racing?

By Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 29: The field drives down the frontstretch on a parade lap prior to the IZOD IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 29, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 29: The field drives down the frontstretch on a parade lap prior to the IZOD IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 29, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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If it comes down to Danica Patrick or J.R. Hildebrand for IndyCar team Ed Carpenter Racing, who should they choose to drive in the Indianapolis 500?

With GoDaddy set to return to Danica Patrick for her final two career races, the 2018 Daytona 500 in the NASCAR Cup Series and the 2018 Indianapolis 500 in IndyCar, her odds of landing rides in both of those races have skyrocketed. What is still left to determine is which teams she will be driving for in those races.

With this article focused on the Indianapolis 500, let’s discuss one possible IndyCar team that could field an entry for her. Several teams are now considered the front-runners to field an entry for her in the 102nd edition of the race this may, including Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Harding Racing.

But the possibility one team in particular fielding her presents a very interesting scenario. That team is Ed Carpenter Racing, and that interesting scenario includes 2011 Indianapolis 500 runner-up — an unconventional runner-up finish, but a runner-up finish nevertheless — J.R. Hildebrand.

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In three of the last four seasons, including 2015 when they were known as CFH Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing have fielded an Indianapolis 500-only entry for J.R. Hildebrand in addition to their regular entries for the race.

Those three seasons were the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons. Hildebrand did not have a full-time ride in IndyCar in any of those three seasons. However, in 2017, he landed a full-time ride with the team after not driving full-time in the sport since 2012.

As a result, the team did not field a third entry, an Indianapolis 500-only entry, in the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2017. With Hildebrand not likely to land a full-time ride for the 2018 season, how will this play out with Ed Carpenter Racing in the Indianapolis 500, especially with Danica Patrick in the mix?

If Patrick ends up not landing a ride with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing or Harding Racing for this year’s Indianapolis 500, this scenario becomes extremely interesting. Who should Ed Carpenter Racing pick as their third driver for the race: Patrick or Hildebrand?

Seeing as how he has driving in six of his seven Indianapolis 500 races since Patrick left IndyCar, Hildebrand would bethe easy answer, as Patrick hasn’t driven in IndyCar in seven seasons. But do the statistics back that up?

Let’s have a look at their statistics in their respective Indianapolis 500 careers.

Danica PatrickJ.R. Hildebrand
Races77
Finishes66
Top 10’s64
Top 5’s21
Podiums11
Top finish3rd place2nd place
Average finish8.7112.71

As you can see in this chart, the statistics favor Patrick, albeit only slightly. But would Ed Carpenter Racing really ditch Hildebrand, who might still have a future in the sport as a full-time driver, for Patrick, who is retiring from racing the second her Indianapolis 500 run, regardless of which team she is driving for in it, ends?

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If it came down to a decision between Danica Patrick and J.R. Hildebrand to be the third driver in the 2018 Indianapolis 500 for Ed Carpenter Racing, who should the team go with? Hopefully Dreyer & Reinbold Racing or Harding Racing can get a deal done with Patrick for the race so we don’t have to deal with this situation and both Patrick and Hildebrand can drive.