IndyCar: How high is the ceiling for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2019?

With a deepened partnership with Arrow, just how high is the ceiling for the newly branded Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team in the 2019 IndyCar season?

Last week, the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports IndyCar team announced a deepened partnership with Arrow Electronics, Inc., making the Denver-based technology company the title sponsor of the newly branded Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

Since James Hinchcliffe arrived at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports ahead of the 2015 season, Arrow has been the primary sponsor of the #5 Honda that he is driven.

Now Arrow is set to sponsor all of the team’s cars, including the #6 Honda, which is ready and available for the injured Robert Wickens when he is able to get back behind the wheel following his nasty accident in last season’s race at Pocono raceway, and the #7 Honda, which is set to be driven by rookie Marcus Ericsson in the 2019 season.

Arrow is also set to provide additional technical expertise and resources to the team. As a result, team co-owner Sam Schmidt has stated that the team no longer have any excuses for underperformance. Here is what he had to say about the matter, according to MSN.

"“There are three boxes – financial resources, technical resources and people – and you have to check all three of those boxes to be successful at this level. And this naming rights deal allows us to do that, allows us to compete at the top level. So we will absolutely positively not be happy with 10th in the points this season.“I knew four years ago that this relationship had the ability to do this, but it had to grow organically, had to pull those B2B pieces together and work our way up to it. But the fact that it all started with just a cold call to drive the Corvette [the semi-autonomous car developed by Arrow with Schmidt] is truly amazing to me.“But it’s not just me, there’s a whole group of people behind the scenes who were raising the bar. I think we saw our true potential last year with Robert [Wickens] and James [Hinchcliffe] running at the front on a regular basis.”"

Just how high is the ceiling for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in the 2019 season?

The wins category doesn’t show it, and Hinchcliffe’s failed attempt to qualify for the 2018 Indianapolis 500 certainly doesn’t show it either. But in several races, perhaps more races than any other team, including Team Penske, Andretti Autosport and Chip Ganassi Racing, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports were the team to beat throughout the 2018 season.

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Simply put, this is masked by the fact that they were beaten more often than not, and as the cliché goes, “No one remembers who came in second.”

Wickens had the season opener on the streets of St. Peterburg, Florida all but won after dominating it until Alexander Rossi spun him out with two laps remaining.

The following race at ISM Raceway, Wickens was passed for the race lead by Josef Newgarden with only four laps remaining. After leading 31 laps of the race at Texas Motor Speedway, Wickens was crashed into by Ed Carpenter.

Hinchcliffe finally broke through to deliver the team their first and only win of the 2018 season by winning the race at Iowa Speedway, but the team whiffed on an opportunity to secure their first double podium finish since Hinchcliffe won the race at NOLA Motorsports Park in the 2015 season with James Jakes finishing two positions behind him in third place.

Wickens was running in third place during the final caution flag period of the race at Iowa Speedway, and he came into the pits for new tires with second place Newgarden while Hinchcliffe, Spencer Pigot and Takuma Sato came out. The race ended up finishing under this caution flag period, so Wickens ended up finishing in fifth.

At the end of the season, Wickens and Hinchcliffe finished in a 10th place tie in the championship standings. This was the case despite the fact that Wickens missed the final three of the 17-race season’s races, including the double points-paying season finale at Sonoma Raceway, and Hinchcliffe missed the double points-paying Indianapolis 500 since he failed to qualify for it.

There is no denying the fact that Schmidt Peterson Motorsports had the speed to compete with Team Penske, Andretti Autosport and Chip Ganassi Racing, the three teams that have had their drivers combine to win the last 16 IndyCar championships, in the 2018 season, which was the first season of the new UAK18 aero kit.

There is also no denying that this should not change in the 2019 season and the team should once again have the speed to compete for race wins on a regular basis and even the championship, especially given their deepened partnership with Arrow.

The big unknowns pertain to the team’s two drivers. First off, Hinchcliffe needs to finish off the season stronger than he has in recent seasons to give himself a legitimate chance to be a championship contender.

The 32-year-old Canadian started off the 2017 season with finishes of ninth, first and sixth place, respectively, but he finished higher than 20th in only six of the season’s final 12 races. He started off the 2018 season with finishes of fourth, sixth, ninth, third and seventh, respectively, but he finished no higher than 14th in any of the season’s final five races.

Secondly, Ericsson is a major wild card as a rookie. The former Formula 1 driver certainly has a racing background that gives many fans a reason to believe that he will succeed in IndyCar, but will he come into the sport and dominate right off the bat like Wickens did? Probably not, but he could visit the podium a few times in his rookie season, perhaps even as a race winner.

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports have the speed to compete with every other team in IndyCar, and they have one veteran driver who could and definitely should improve in the 2019 season along with a 28-year-old rookie who is loaded with potential, especially in this particular series.

With all things considered, there is no reason to believe that the ceiling for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports is not as high as the ceiling for any other team. They have the potential to win several races in the 2019 season, and they may very well have at least one of their two drivers if not both of their drivers in championship contention late in the season.

How many times will James Hinchcliffe and Marcus Ericsson find victory lane in the 2019 IndyCar season? Will they find themselves in championship contention late in the season?

The 17-race season, which is scheduled to last until September, is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 10. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is scheduled to open up the season on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida on that date. For more details pertaining to the 2019 schedule, click here.