IndyCar: Dale Coyne Racing looking to finalize 2018 drivers by Phoenix test

FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Tristan Vautier, driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda, leads Ed Jones, driver of the #19 Boy Scouts of America Honda, during practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Tristan Vautier, driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda, leads Ed Jones, driver of the #19 Boy Scouts of America Honda, during practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Dale Coyne Racing are looking to finalize their driver lineup for the 2018 IndyCar season by the time the Phoenix test takes place.

IndyCar teams are set to test at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona on Friday, February 9th and Saturday, February 10th in preparation for the 2018 season, which is set to begin on Sunday, March 11th with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

By that time, Dale Coyne Racing expect to know how their driver lineup for the 2018 season will look. We already know that four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais, 38, is set to drive the #18 Honda for the team, but we do not know which drivers will replace Ed Jones, 22, as drivers of the #19 Honda.

Jones left the team in October for Chip Ganassi Racing to replace Tony Kanaan as the driver of the #10 Honda. Kanaan went to A.J. Foyt Enterprises to replace Carlos Munoz as the driver of the #14 Chevrolet.

More from IndyCar

It was initially thought that Brendon Hartley would replace Kanaan, but once he landed a ride with Scuderia Toro Rosso in Formula One, that gave Jones the opportunity to take over Kanaan’s former ride, and that is exactly what he did.

Dale Coyne Racing have confirmed that the #19 Honda will be driven by at least two drivers in the 2018 season. Zachary Claman DeMelo, 19, and Pietro Fittipaldi, 21, both test drove for the team this past week at Sebring International Raceway, and 26-year-old Jack Hawksworth has also been considered one of the front-runners to drive in a few races in the 2018 season for the team.

Here is what Dale Coyne Racing team owner Dale Coyne racing said about his plans to set the team’s driver lineup for the 2018 IndyCar season, according to Racer.com.

"“The test with Pietro and Zach went well, and we want to get everything done before we get to Phoenix for who’ll be in the car. It’s important to us to get things done, get it announced, so we can get ourselves ready for the year. We’re talking to them, but they aren’t the only ones. There are some other names you might hear, but it all depends on what happens here very shortly.”"

Next: Top 10 IndyCar drivers of all-time

Which drivers will end up sharing time behind the wheel of the #19 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2018 IndyCar season? Will Zachary Claman DeMelo, Pietro Fittipaldi and Jack Hawksworth get time driving that car throughout the season? Expect to know the answers to these questions within about two weeks.