IndyCar: Colton Herta now the biggest 2020 Silly Season puzzle piece?

By Asher Fair | Jul 26, 2019

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 08: Colton Herta of the United States, driver of the #88 GESS Capstone Honda, walks during the NTT IndyCar Series DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 08, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Alexander Rossi has been rumored to return to Andretti Autosport for the 2020 IndyCar season. Does that make Colton Herta the biggest Silly Season puzzle piece?

With Alexander Rossi poised to return to Andretti Autosport for the 2020 IndyCar season despite the fact that there has not yet been any official confirmation from him or the team about the matter, has the biggest puzzle piece of the 2020 Silly Season become Harding Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta?

In just his third career IndyCar start and second of his rookie season, Herta became the youngest race winner in IndyCar history by winning the race at Circuit of the Americas. While consistency has not been his strong suit, he has shown exceptional speed throughout the season driving for the one-car Honda-powered team.

His average starting position is 7.50, which is the fifth best average starting position among all drivers, and he is the only driver aside of Rossi who has qualified outside of the top 11 on only one occasion through the first 12 races of the 17-race 2019 season.

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But Harding Steinbrenner Racing team co-owner George Michael Steinbrenner IV and his stepfather, Sean Jones, reportedly stated that they do not have a deal in place with team co-owner Mike Harding for the 2020 season, and team principal Brian Barnhart has stated that the team will need to find an additional investor or more sponsorship for a deal to come to fruition.

Harding Steinbrenner Racing formed a technical alliance with Andretti Autosport ahead of the 2019 season, and they use Andretti Technologies as their competition partner. Steinbrenner IV previously partnered with Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti to field an entry for Herta in the 2017 and 2018 Indy Lights seasons, so their relationship with one another goes back several years.

Andretti did not have much to say about the current situation at Harding Steinbrenner Racing, but he confirmed that he is involved in it and monitoring it. Here is what he had to say about the matter, according to NBC Sports.

"“There are a lot of things going on right now that we can’t talk about, but I’m very much involved in that and monitoring it.”"

So where will Herta end up next year?

The driver lineup for Andretti Autosport, meanwhile, is set, assuming Rossi returns to the team. The contracts of Ryan Hunter-Reay and Zach Veach don’t expire until after the 2020 season, and Marco Andretti is now a partner in his Andretti Herta Autosport entry.

Of course, if Rossi does make the surprise move to Team Penske, it would make sense for Herta to replace him behind the wheel of the #27 Honda. But with all things considered, that whole scenario looks less and less likely by the day.

If Harding Steinbrenner Racing can’t come up with the funds to continue running the #88 Honda on a full-time basis, Andretti would probably have to fund Herta’s ride with the team for him to remain connected within the organization.

Whether or not that would be a full-time ride is anybody’s guess. They were prepared to do something similar after Harding Steinbrenner Racing were forced to cut ties with Patricio O’Ward before the 2019 season began, but that was only slated to be an eight-race deal had O’Ward accepted their offer. The 20-year-old Mexican won the 2018 Indy Lights championship driving for Andretti Autosport.

Another rumored destination for Herta has been Team Penske. However, if Team Penske don’t sign Rossi, they likely won’t sign Herta. Team president Tim Cindric has been against the idea of becoming a four-car team as it is, and none of the team’s three drivers are going anywhere.

Will Power is the only Team Penske driver whose situation may be questionable, as he is in the midst of his worst season driving for the team, but his “down” year still features him in fifth place in the championship standings. Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud are staying put, no questions asked.

Team Penske reportedly have plans to run four cars in next year’s Indianapolis 500, so the addition of a fourth full-time driver would likely put them at five cars for that race. Helio Castroneves has been rumored to make his 20th start in the race for the team next year, so the team entering the race with four full-time drivers and no one-offs doesn’t even seem like a scenario worth considering at this point.

Where would that leave Herta?

There has been interest in the 19-year-old Valencia, California native from Europe, and that is the route that O’Ward took by signing with the Red Bull Junior Team.

But on the IndyCar side, where else might he sign?

Chip Ganassi Racing will likely retain their two-car driver lineup, as will Dale Coyne Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, so an entry with any of those three teams would make Herta their third driver.

As for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, there is a chance that Marcus Ericsson could leave the team after only one season, perhaps to rejoin Formula 1, which would leave a second seat open. Additionally, a third car may not be out of the question for them, either.

Ed Carpenter Racing will likely re-sign Spencer Pigot as their full-time driver, but if that doesn’t happen, they could also be an option for Herta as far as a full-time ride is concerned. However, him signing as their road and street course race-only driver is highly doubtful.

At this point, it’s all still anybody’s guess, and that’s assuming Rossi re-signs with Andretti Autosport like he is expected to.

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When the 2020 IndyCar season rolls around, will Colton Herta be competing in the series? If so, for which team will he be driving? If not, where will he be? There are many questions to be answered about his future, and the first one will likely be answered once we know Alexander Rossi’s official plans for next year.