IndyCar: Patricio O’Ward to drive for Harding Racing at Sonoma

Patricio O’Ward is set to make his IndyCar debut driving for Harding Racing at Sonoma Raceway in the 2018 season finale, the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma.

Patricio O’Ward is set to make his IndyCar debut following a successful Indy Lights season during which he drove for Andretti Autosport and won the championship after securing nine victories, 13 podium finishes and nine pole positions in 17 races.

O’Ward, 19, is set to make his IndyCar debut in the final race of the 17-race 2018 season, the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma, at Sonoma Raceway driving for Harding Racing. This race is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 16.

The Mexican driver has never competed in a race at the 12-turn, 2.385-mile (3.838-kilometer) Sonoma Raceway road course in Sonoma, California during his time in the Mazda Road to Indy.

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O’Ward’s 2018 Indy Lights season was his first season as a full-time Indy Lights driver, although he did drive in four races for Team Pelfrey in the series last year. Prior to last year, he spent two seasons competing in the Pro Mazda Championship for Team Pelfrey.

In the 2015 Pro Mazda Championship season, O’Ward secured three podium finishes in 16 races, including a season-high second place finish, en route to a sixth place finish in the championship standings. In the 2016 season, he secured seven victories and nine podium finishes in 16 races en route to a second place finish in the standings.

Other racing series in which O’Ward has competed over the course of his career include the Pacific Formula F2000 Championship, the Formula Renault 1.6 Northern European Cup Championship, the Latam Formula 2000 Championship, the French F4 Championship, the NACAM Formula 4 Championship, the Mazda Prototype Lites, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the North American Endurance Cup.

Harding Racing have never fielded two cars in a race before, which is what they are set to do in the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma, as Colton Herta, the Andretti Steinbrenner Racing driver who finished in second place in this year’s Indy Lights championship standings behind O’Ward, is set to drive for the team alongside O’Ward in this race.

In each of the 19 IndyCar races in which they have competed, including all 16 races that have been contested so far this season, Harding Racing have fielded just one car, the #88 Chevrolet.

Gabby Chaves drove the #88 Harding Chevrolet in the three races that the team entered last season, and he drove it in the first 11 races and 13 of the first 16 races of this season, which is the team’s first full season in IndyCar. Conor Daly drove it in the other three.

How will Patricio O’Ward perform in his IndyCar debut? Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 16 for the live broadcast of the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma to find out.