IndyCar: Harding Racing 2018 Review

By Sep 29, 2018, 9:00 AM EDT
Photo: IndyCar
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Editor’s note: Over the next two weeks, MotorSportsTalk will review how each organization in the IndyCar Series performed in 2018 and also taking a look ahead to 2019. We previously featured Juncos Racing, Meyer Shank Racing, and Carlin Racing. We continue with Harding Racing (now called Harding Steinbrenner Racing).

The 2018 season was Harding Racing’s second in the IndyCar Series – they contested three races in 2017 – but their first full-season effort.

They began the year with Gabby Chaves, brought in Conor Daly for three races, brought Chaves back for two races, and then ended the year with Patricio O’Ward and Colton Herta.

A somewhat tumultuous season ended on a high note, though, with O’Ward qualifying fifth and finishing ninth at Sonoma Raceway. What’s more, the revamped team, now called Harding Steinbrenner Racing, with support from Andretti Autosport, heads into 2019 with much better prospects and with a pair of young hot shots in O’Ward and Herta as their drivers.

One of the newest teams in racing – it literally did not exist prior to 2017 –  could be in for a big year in 2019.

Gabby Chaves

Photo: IndyCar

Team: Harding Racing
Years in IndyCar: 4
Career wins and podiums: 0 wins, 0 podiums
2018 final standing: 21st
2018 final stats: 13 starts; 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 top fives; 0 top 10s
2018 best race finish: 13th (Portland)

SEASON WRAPUP: Gabby Chaves remains a top young prospect, though he continues to suffer from a simple lack of breaks. Chaves had finishes of ninth and fifth in two of his three starts with Harding in 2017, and entered 2018 hoping to build on that in the team’s first full season.

Yet, it was tough sledding for the single-car effort, and the combination did not score a top 10 in any of their 13 starts together. Ahead of Toronto, the team opted to evaluate driver options ahead of 2019 and pulled Chaves out of the cockpit, though he remained present within the team.

He started two more races, at Gateway Motorsports Park and Portland International Raceway, before yielding to O’Ward and Herta for Sonoma.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019: Even though O’Ward and Herta are the team’s drivers for next year, Chaves is still under contract with Harding. Although he certainly deserves a spot on the grid, where he lands at this point is completely up in the air.

Quote (following Portland, where he finished 13th): “We had a clean race through the start and I managed to pick up a bunch of positions, running inside the top 10 for a good part of the day. We struggled a bit on the black (Firestone primary) tires, so we lost a few positions on track when we were running our stint. We still managed to be in a good contention for a top-10 finish. On the last restart, I had a good run on TK (Tony Kanaan), he just didn’t give me any room and I ended up in the grass while trying to defend the next position. After that, I had to give up that position, as well. We have been improving the car all weekend and all year, so although 13th is not fantastic, it shows progression, which is good.”

 

Conor Daly

Photo: IndyCar

Team: Harding Racing
Years in IndyCar: 5
Career wins and podiums: 0 wins, 1 podium
2018 final standing: 29th
2018 final stats: 4 starts (**3 with Harding, 1 with Dale Coyne/Thom Burns Racing); 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 top fives; 0 top 10s
2018 best race finish: 13th (Toronto)

SEASON WRAPUP: Conor Daly’s 2018 season became busier than anticipated during the summer when Harding drafted him in for a stretch of three races between Toronto, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and Pocono Raceway.

Jumping in mid-season is a tall task, but Daly held as good of an account for himself as possible, bringing the car home in all three races and helping the team improve.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2019: Daly is back in a familiar place ahead of 2019: looking for sponsorship to keep his career going. Like Chaves, Daly deserves a place on the grid, but whether or not that happens will likely come down to funding.

QUOTE (following Pocono, where he finished 15th): “It was obviously a tough day for us. We had to go into the race with almost no track time, so it was a big guess. At every stop, we put in a lot of front wing. We just kept trying to adjust, but still just struggled with the front of the car. I think by ourselves our pace was good, and we were maintaining a decent spot for where we were on track. I had one chance to pass someone for position and went for it with Ed, but I had no front grip at all and then clipped it. It’s a shame. You hate to end your day like that, thankfully the car wasn’t badly damaged, just small stuff. I would love another shot at it because I think there are some positives to our car and some positives to what we have, I just don’t think we had enough time to evaluate everything.”

 

Patricio O’Ward

Photo: IndyCar

Team: Harding Racing
Years in IndyCar: 1
Career wins and podiums: 0 wins, 0 podiums, 1 top five, 1 top 10
2018 final standing: 31st
2018 final stats: 1 start, 1 top 5, 1 top 10
2018 best race finish: 9th (Sonoma)

SEASON WRAPUP: The 2018 Indy Lights champion served notice at Sonoma Raceway that he means business. O’Ward qualified fifth and finished ninth in his IndyCar debut, and managed to be a shining star on a weekend in which the championship was decided. That he was able to garner such fanfare on a championship-deciding weekend says all you need to know about his potential impact.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019: O’Ward will pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet for Harding Steinbrenner Racing and will look to repeat performances like the one he had at Sonoma.

QUOTE (after Sonoma, where he finished ninth): “It was a really great weekend, we learned a lot. We qualified the car fifth and we ended the race ninth. As a driver, you want to stay in your qualifying position or get better. But I think for a first try, especially with a super long race with three or four pit stops that was a job well done. I’m really satisfied, and I just want to get better for next year.”

 

Colton Herta

Photo: IndyCar

Team: Harding Racing
Years in IndyCar: 1
Career wins and podiums: 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s
2018 final standing: 37th
2018 final stats: 1 start, 0 tops 5s, 0 top 10s
2018 best race finish: 20th (Sonoma)

SEASON WRAPUP: Colton Herta’s lone start at Sonoma did not garner the same fanfare as that of his teammate O’Ward. However, Herta’s effort was no less valuable as he gained great experience in how an IndyCar race weekend operates. The 2018 Indy Lights runnerup, and 2018 Freedom 100 winner, is a bright young prospect and looks to have a long career ahead of him.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019: Herta will be O’Ward’s teammate, piloting the No. 88 Chevrolet for the Harding Steinbrenner outfit.

QUOTE (following Sonoma, where he finished 20th): “This weekend was a good experience. I’m not too happy with the result, but I’m happy with how my debut went and the pace that I showed. There are sure some things that I can work on going into the offseason. I had an amazing time. Thank you to Harding Racing, Mike Harding, Team Chevy and Firestone. Can’t wait to see if we can do it again in St. Pete.”

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Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).