IndyCar: Stefan Wilson likely won’t compete in 2019 Indianapolis 500
By Asher Fair
IndyCar driver Stefan Wilson has announced that he will likely not compete in the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 this May.
The chances of two-time Indianapolis 500 starter Stefan Wilson landing a ride for this year’s running of IndyCar‘s most prestigious race have been getting smaller and smaller with each passing day.
Two of the 36 confirmed cars on the entry list for this year’s Indy 500 do not yet have confirmed drivers. These cars are the #32 Juncos Racing Chevrolet and the #77 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda.
The 29-year-old Briton was never really considered a candidate to drive the #32 Chevrolet, as Kyle Kaiser appears poised to drive that car in the race, but he was considered a candidate to drive the #77 Honda.
But Oriol Servia has been and still is the top candidate to drive the #77 Honda, especially after driving it in the open test session for the race earlier this week.
With all things considered, Wilson has now announced on Twitter that he will likely not compete in the 103rd running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next month.
Here is what Wilson had to say about the matter on Twitter.
Well, barring some kind of miracle, it doesn’t look like I’ll find a way back to the Indy 500 this year. Disappointed not to go back & continue from last year, I worked my absolute butt off, battled harder than I ever thought I could, never gave up, but it just didn’t happen(1/2)
— Stefan Wilson (@stef_wilson) April 26, 2019
Want to thank all of you for the support, means a lot, And want to thank the partners who were behind me and battled with me all the way to try make it possible. Chin is up, but my head will be down as I work towards making it back in 2020. 👍 (2/2)
— Stefan Wilson (@stef_wilson) April 26, 2019
Wilson made his first two starts in the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana in 2016 and 2018.
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In the 100th running of the Indy 500 back in 2016, Wilson drove for KVSH Racing. After starting in 30th place, he finished in 28th, but he was forced to retire on lap 120 as a result of the fact that his #25 Chevrolet was plagued with electrical issues.
In the 102nd running of the Indy 500 last year, Wilson drove for Andretti Autosport. After starting in 23rd place, he took the lead on the race’s final restart with seven laps remaining. But with just over four laps remaining, he drove his #25 Honda into the pits to top off on fuel. He ended up finishing in 15th after falling just over 10 miles short of winning.
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It will certainly be interesting to see whether or not Stefan Wilson can work his way back into the field for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 next season for what would be his third career start in the famed IndyCar race at the Brickyard, and we certainly hope that he can do so.