IndyCar: Several unknowns remain regarding 2019 driver lineup

By Asher Fair | Jan 6, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 25: Jack Harvey, driver of the #60 AutoNation / SiriusXM MSR w/SPM Honda, practices during Carb Day for the 102nd Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 25, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

The 2019 IndyCar season is scheduled to get underway in just over two months, but several unknowns still remain regarding the driver lineup.

The 2019 IndyCar season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 10 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

While the driver lineup for the 17-race season is nearly set, there are still several unknown factors regarding the driver lineup that remain as the offseason between the 2018 and 2019 seasons approaches the two-thirds mark.

First of all and most notably, Carlin have not yet confirmed who their second full-time driver will be for the 2019 season. Max Chilton is set to drive the #59 Chevrolet for the second consecutive season and Charlie Kimball has been tipped to return as his teammate and the driver of the #23 Chevrolet, but this has not yet been confirmed.

More from IndyCar

Regarding the full-time driver lineup, there have also been rumors that Carlin and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will field three full-time cars each in the 2019 season, but not much has been said about either of these situations recently.

With Carlin having yet to confirm who their second full-time driver will be, it is unlikely that they will field a third full-time car, especially given the fact that the 2019 season is only set to be their second season of IndyCar competition. However, they still may field a third car on a part-time basis.

Meanwhile, Rahal Letterman Lanigan have already confirmed that Jordan King will drive the team’s third car as a teammate to Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato in the Indianapolis 500, so the option to field a third car in additional races exists, but it may only happen on a part-time basis.

Even if the team field a third car a full-time basis, there likely wouldn’t be a full-time driver driving this car unless that driver ends up being King, which is extremely unlikely at this point.

Meyer Shank Racing are set to return to IndyCar on a part-time basis in the 2019 season, and Jack Harvey is set to be their driver like he was when they partnered with Andretti Autosport for the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and when they partnered with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for the 2018 season.

They are aiming to compete in 10 of the 17 races on the 2019 schedule after competing in six races in the 2018 season, but their schedule has not yet been confirmed. They are obligated to compete in a minimum of six races in the 2019 season, and they are set to continue their partnership with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

Finally, Juncos Racing are aiming to field two cars in the 2019 season, but this is all we know about this situation. We do not know in which races these cars would compete, and we do not know which drivers would drive them. We also do not know if they would hire only part-time drivers like they did in the 2018 season or if they would hire one or more full-time drivers.

Juncos Racing made their IndyCar debut in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 as a two-car team. They returned to IndyCar on a part-time basis in the 2018 season and fielded one car, which was driven by a total of three drivers in 12 of the season’s 17 races.

dark. Next. Top 10 IndyCar drivers of all-time

When will the 2019 IndyCar driver lineup be finalized? With the offseason set to end and the 2019 season scheduled to begin in just over two months, expect more confirmations regarding the driver lineup to be made in the near future. That said, expect the driver situations of some teams to change throughout the season, primarily when it comes to the teams with part-time drivers.