This is part two in a 12-part series previewing every team set to compete in the 2019 IndyCar season. I will be previewing two teams per week on Push2Pass leading up to the season opener in St. Petersburg on March 10. Today’s team: Ed Carpenter Racing
The kings of short ovals. The team of “oh so close.” There are plenty of ways to describe Ed Carpenter Racing, but the two words that haven’t been able to describe them the past two years: race winner.
ECR has been close though, securing four podium finishes in the past two seasons, including three runner-ups. Their last win was in 2016 when Josef Newgarden led 282 of 300 laps to win at Iowa in a season that produced six top-five finishes. However, Newgarden’s title the following year with series-leading Penske shows that he might have gotten more out of the car than should be expected from the small Indianapolis-based team.
The Drivers
Ed Carpenter (#20)
Career: 176 starts, 3 wins, 4 poles, 7 podiums, 48 top-10 finishes
2018: Avg. Qualifying 11.3 (10th), Avg. Finish 10.2 (9th), six races, 20th overall
Ed is a veteran presence on the IndyCar grid and has particpated in eight partial seasons and eight full seasons as a driver since 2003. Carpenter was still a full-time driver in 2012 and 2013 when he started his own team and was a single-car entry. He put together four top-four finishes in those two seasons, including a win at Fontana in 2012. He switched to his current role of only racing on oval tracks in 2014, which seemed to be the right move when he took pole for the second-consecutive year at the Indy 500. He followed up that performance by winning in Texas, which was his last victory. The series also stopped going to Fontana after 2014, a track where he was on the podium three consecutive years.
His team merged with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing in 2015 to become CFH Racing, but he returned to the familiar Ed Carpenter Racing team name the following year. Carpenter struggled from 2015-17, only picking up two top-10 finishes in 17 appearances. Last season was much stronger for Carpenter as he finished in the top-10 in four of his six races. This included his third pole at the Indy 500 and a hard-fought runner-up finish, his best result to date at his hometown race.
Spencer Pigot (#21)
Career: 39 starts, 1 podium, 10 top-10 finishes
2018: Avg. Qualifying 14.8 (17th), Avg. Finish 13.6 (15th), 14th overall
Pigot had a career year in 2018, putting in his best two performances to date with a runner-up finish in Iowa and a fourth place finish in Portland. It was his first year as a full-time driver after running the road courses in Carpenter’s car for 2016 and 2017. His four top-eight finishes in the final eight races of the season may give hope that 2019 can be a breakthrough year for Pigot.
He also qualified a career-best sixth at the Indy 500, a track where ECR seemed to have the perfect setup as all three of their cars qualified in the top-nine. Pigot has shown the ability to make up huge deficits during races, climbing 13 spots from his qualifying position in Portland and 16 positions in Iowa.
Pigot narrowly finished better than his teammate in nine of the 17 races, whether it was Ed Carpenter or road course specialist Jordan King. However, he only qualified better than his teammate in five of the 17 races.
Ed Jones (#20)
Career: 34 starts, 3 podiums, 13 top-10 finishes
2018: Avg. Qualifying 13.1 (13th), Avg. Finish 13.2 (14th), 13th overall
Jones will take over the role of driving the road courses for Carpenter’s no. 20 car from Jordan King last season. Jones has had two decent seasons in IndyCar so far, finishing third at the Indy 500 in 2017 with Dale Coyne Racing and finishing on two podiums at Long Beach and Detroit with the mighty Chip Ganassi team last season. Those two races were the only appearances where Jones finished ahead of his teammate and series champion Scott Dixon. Jones didn’t take full advantage of the strong car he was in last season and finished 13th in the championship standings, one spot ahead of Pigot. He has partnered with Scuderia Corsa to race with ECR this season.
Outlook for 2019
After knocking on the door for the last few seasons, it seems like it’s finally time for the Chevy-powered team to pick up a race victory. With Phoenix off of the IndyCar schedule this season, the only short ovals will be at Iowa on July 20 and Gateway on August 24. Phoenix could serve as a warm-up for drivers in past seasons for ovals, but the Indy 500 is the first oval on this year’s calendar. No Chevy-powered team besides Penske has picked up a race victory since Newgarden in 2016. The team also hasn’t seemed to improve much on road courses the past few years besides an occasional strong finish.
The Verdict
Carpenter will be focused on the Indy 500 like usual, and he needs to take some risks during the race to avoid a repeat of last season. I expect Pigot to take a step forward this year and appear on an extra podium or two, but he needs to improve his qualifying pace. He’s shown he can carve his way through the field the last few seasons, but starting closer to the top-10 would make consistent results more manageable. He only qualified within the top-10 twice last season. It’s been tough for drivers to thrive in the road course role Jones will occupy this season, but I think he will put in some nice performances to secure a full-time ride with a different team next season. Road courses will be a struggle at times for this small team, but I think I can see an end to their winless streak with a victory for Pigot in Iowa this season.
Next week- Preview #3: Dale Coyne Racing
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