IndyCar: Harding Racing's lengthy history of bamboozling drivers

Harding Racing have competed full-time in IndyCar for just one season. But their history of bamboozling drivers has already become quite lengthy.

Before forming a partnership with Steinbrenner Racing following the conclusion of the 2018 IndyCar season, Harding Steinbrenner Racing were simply Harding Racing, and they had competed in IndyCar since the 2017 season.

The 2018 season was Harding Racing’s first season as a full-time team after fielding one car in three races throughout the 2017 season.

After being confirmed as one of Harding Steinbrenner Racing’s two full-time drivers for the 2019 season shortly after the 2018 season concluded, Patricio O’Ward and the team parted ways since they could not piece together the funding to field two cars on a full-time basis.

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But while the team have only fielded a total of 21 cars in 20 IndyCar races throughout their entire history, their history of bamboozling drivers does not start with O’Ward.

In fact, the departure of the 19-year-old Mexican from the team is only a fraction of what has already become a lengthy history of the team parting ways with drivers who were promised full-time rides before those drivers got the opportunity to compete full-time for the team when they were promised to.

Prior to the 2018 season, Harding Racing reportedly promised Santiago Urrutia that he would be the team’s full-time driver in the 2018 season. Gabby Chaves ended up being the team’s full-time driver for the 2018 season, and even that statement might be a bit of a stretch.

Here is part of what Urrutia had to say about the matter in a fantastic and lengthy interview with Open-Wheels, which you can read in its entirety here.

"“At the time, they told me they were going to give me $100,000 to race in Indy Lights with Belardi [Auto Racing] because I wasn’t having a lot of money to race for Belardi. Then they gave me a contract.“I had a contract, I have everything that says that they’re going to give me $100,000 to race in Indy Lights and I would be the second driver for Harding. If I won the championship, I would be a full driver for next season. They never gave me the $100,000, and they never gave me the ride in IndyCar.“I know [team manager] Larry Curry [who was Urrutia’s initial connection with Harding Racing] then left the team and it was [team president] Brian Barnhart, but Brian called me many times to say, ‘Santi, no worries. Everything is done. You’re going to be in the team.’“So it was [team owner] Mike Harding and Brian Barnhart saying to me, ‘you are going to be full-time,’ but they never do anything. They just lied with me every time. I spent a lot of money with the hotels and flying from Uruguay to Indy for nothing. I mean it’s just ridiculous.”"

But even Chaves ended up being bamboozled by the team. He competed in the first 11 races of the 17-race season before the team replaced him with Conor Daly for the Honda Indy Toronto. However, Harding Racing team president Brian Barnhart stated that Chaves was still going to be a part of the team throughout the rest of the 2018 season and through the 2019 season as well.

Here is what Barnhart had to say about the team’s future when Daly was announced as Chaves’s replacement for this race, according to Motorsport.

"“At this point, we are focusing all our attention on the 2019 season. If we can expand to a two-car team, all remaining races and testing will offer driver evaluation opportunities to determine who will become Gabby’s teammate in 2019. Gabby is still fully employed and still under contract with Harding for the remainder of this year and in 2019.”"

Chaves ended up competing in two of the 2018 season’s final five races while Daly did as well. O’Ward and Colton Herta, who is still set to drive full-time for Harding Steinbrenner Racing this season, both competed in the other, the season finale at Sonoma Raceway.

Meanwhile, Chaves does not have a contract to drive for Harding Steinbrenner Racing or for any other team in the 2019 season.

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

As of right now, Harding Racing/Harding Steinbrenner Racing have bamboozled three times as many drivers as the number of full-time IndyCar seasons in which they have competed. Will this culture ever change? Will Colton Herta actually end up competing in all 17 races for the team on the 2019 schedule? We will have to wait and see.

IndyCar: Harding Racing’s lengthy history of bamboozling drivers

By Asher Fair | Feb 13, 2019

Harding Racing have competed full-time in IndyCar for just one season. But their history of bamboozling drivers has already become quite lengthy.