Beyond the Flag
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IndyCar: 5 possible landing spots for James Hinchcliffe in 2020

By Asher Fair

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: James Hinchcliffe #5 of United States and Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda prepares to drive during practice for the NTT IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 20, 2019 in Monterey, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: James Hinchcliffe #5 of United States and Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda prepares to drive during practice for the NTT IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 20, 2019 in Monterey, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Felix Rosenqvist #10 of Sweden and NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Felix Rosenqvist #10 of Sweden and NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /

Chip Ganassi Racing

Chip Ganassi Racing threw themselves into this discussion when they unexpectedly added a third car for Marcus Ericsson and team owner Chip Ganassi stated that he would sign James Hinchcliffe in a second if he had the necessary sponsorship.

After fielding four cars on a full-time basis in six out of seven seasons from 2011 to 2017, Chip Ganassi Racing scaled back to a two-car team ahead of the 2018 season.

They continued to operate as a two-car team in the 2019 season and were expected to do so once again in the 2020 season with Scott Dixon, who signed a multi-year contract extension in August of 2018, and Felix Rosenqvist, the 2019 Rookie of the Year who the team stated multiple times would be back in 2020 before that news was officially confirmed.

Then they went ahead and brought back the #8 Honda for Ericsson alongside Dixon’s #9 Honda and Rosenqvist’s #10 Honda, and the door is officially open for the rebirth of a four-car operation.

Chip Ganassi Racing most recently fielded four full-time cars in the 2017 season with Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Max Chilton and Charlie Kimball. The #8 Honda and #83 Honda of Chilton and Kimball, respectively, were cut after the season, and both drivers ended up at Carlin. Kanaan was replaced by Ed Jones behind the wheel of the #10 Honda ahead of the 2018 season before Rosenqvist replaced Jones ahead of the 2019 season.

Adding Hinchcliffe into the mix is not out of the question.