IndyCar: If not Dale Coyne Racing, where will Santino Ferrucci end up in 2020?

Santino Ferrucci is set to return to IndyCar in the 2020 season. But if he does not return to Dale Coyne Racing, for which team will he drive?

Dale Coyne Racing rookie Santino Ferrucci recently confirmed that he has the option to return to Dale Coyne Racing on a contract extension for the 2020 IndyCar season, but he has stated that he is leaving his other options open.

Ferrucci sits in 13th place in the championship standings through the first 13 races of the 17-race 2019 season driving the #19 Honda, and he has completed all but four of the 1,521 laps that have been contested so far this year. Nobody in the field has completed more laps than he has.

His career-high finish is his fourth place finish in the race at Texas Motor Speedway, and he was named the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after his impressive seventh place finish in his first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was also his first career oval race.

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These two results coupled with his 12th place finish in the race at Iowa Speedway have him in a fourth place tie in the oval championship standings with two oval races remaining on the 2019 schedule.

But if the 21-year-old Woodbury, Connecticut native does not opt to re-sign with Dale Coyne Racing, where else might he end up?

It doesn’t look likely that he will end up driving for any of the sport’s top three teams. Team Penske president Tim Cindric has ruled out the team fielding more than three cars, and Andretti Autosport’s four-car lineup is slated to remain the same following the re-signing of Alexander Rossi.

Even if the latter does end up experiencing a change, it would likely involve Harding Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta, whose contract with his current team binds him to Andretti Technologies. Such a change is only likely to happen if Harding Steinbrenner Racing cannot come up with the funding to field the #88 Honda for the 19-year-old phenom in the 2020 season.

Meanwhile, Chip Ganassi Racing have no plans to expand from a two-car team. Five-time champion Scott Dixon is under contract through at least the 2020 season, and rookie Felix Rosenqvist is heavily favored to return as his teammate next year.

As for his other options, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports stand out.

However, the latter have confirmed that they will only run two cars next year, and James Hinchcliffe is already under contract to drive one. Even if this changes via their rumored switch to Chevrolet amid a potential partnership with McLaren, Ferrucci still really hasn’t even entered the discussion. Rookie Marcus Ericsson could very well return to the team as well, and former Formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr recently tested for the team.

As a result, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing would seem to be the top option for Ferrucci if he decides to leave Dale Coyne Racing.

Team co-owner Bobby Rahal has stated that the team are close to fielding three cars on a full-time basis next year, which would mark the first time that they have done so since the 2006 season, and based on some of his comments as well as the team’s current veteran lineup of his son, Graham Rahal, and Takuma Sato, it is clear that he wants the team to get younger.

Rahal also made the specific comment that the team are close to securing the funding for a third car. With Ferrucci, they would most definitely secure it. He is tied to long-time sponsor Cly-Del Manufacturing, and they have served as the primary sponsor of his #19 Honda throughout his rookie season.

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If Santino Ferrucci remains in IndyCar for the 2020 season but he does not return to Dale Coyne Racing, for which team will he end up driving? Is Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing his best option?