IndyCar: 5 possible landing spots for James Hinchcliffe in 2020

Dale Coyne Racing

As it usual does, the weight has shifted onto several teams over the course of Silly Season. It struck Dale Coyne Racing in a way that was very much unexpected about a week and a half ago when they cut ties with Sebastien Bourdais, who had previously been under contract to drive the #18 Honda for a fourth consecutive season.

Now instead of having one confirmed driver and a likely soon-to-be-confirmed driver, the two-car Honda team have zero confirmed drivers for the 2020 season.

Santino Ferrucci is still expected to return for a second season behind the wheel of the #19 Honda following in impressive rookie year, but this has not yet been confirmed. Now, however, even if it is, Dale Coyne Racing will still have a seat to fill.

James Hinchcliffe had been mentioned as a possible third driver for Dale Coyne Racing even before the unexpected departure of Bourdais, but team owner Dale Coyne was unwilling to commit to running a third car.

Now he wouldn’t have to.

Upon the confirmation of Bourdais’ release, Coyne stated that this decision had nothing to do with his interest in other possible free agents, including Hinchcliffe, despite the fact that he had previously shown interest in the 32-year-old Canadian.

Make no mistake about it; Coyne is telling the truth.

But that does not mean he has ruled out signing Hinchcliffe, nor that he is no longer interested in him, and the fact that his team is a Honda team makes them one of the few teams at which Hinchcliffe could land and receive significant backing from Honda.