IndyCar: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports likely to run three cars in Indianapolis 500
By Asher Fair
The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports IndyCar team will likely enter three cars in the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 this May.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports are set to be a two-car full-time operation once again in the 2018 IndyCar season, with James Hinchcliffe, 31, set to return to the team for the fourth consecutive season as the driver of the #5 Honda, and Robert Wickens, 28, set to make his debut in the series for the team as the driver of the #6 Honda.
The team are also likely set to run a third car in the Indianapolis 500 once again, with this being in addition to the #60 Honda that Jack Harvey is set to drive in the race thanks to a partnership between Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and Michael Shank Racing.
According to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports co-owner Sam Schmidt, the team are really getting close to confirming that they will indeed enter three cars in the race, with the third car being the #7 Honda as opposed to the #77 Honda like it has been in years past since Wickens is set to drive the #6 Honda full-time as opposed to the #7 Honda, which has been used in full-time competition for the team in recent seasons.
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Here is what Schmidt had to say about the matter, according to Racer.com.
"“If we’re talking percentage likelihood, I’d say we’re at 90 with the third car. We’re planning on having the Nos. 5, 6, and 7, and our arrangement with Michael Shank and his No.60 car is more of a technical partnership.”"
The team had originally intended to run the #77 Honda in a partnership with Didier Calmels with 39-year-old Tristan Gommendy as the driver, but that deal fell through in early December. The deal fell through largely due to the fact that Calmels murdered his wife and went to prison for it, so Schmidt Peterson Motorsports received tons of backlash for doing business with him. Many felt that the initial deal proved that they were “only in it for the money”.
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Will Schmidt Peterson Motorsports end up running the #7 Honda in the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 this May? If so, which driver will end up behind the wheel of the car for the race? With more than three months until the scheduled race date, which is Sunday, May 27th, the time frame in regard to when these questions will likely be answered is still unknown.