Ed Carpenter Racing and Scuderia Corsa have announced that they will join forces in the 2019 IndyCar Series. Ed Jones has been announced as the driver of the newly renamed #20 Ed Carpenter Scuderia Corsa Racing Chevrolet for the road course and street circuits of the calendar, with Ed Carpenter himself once again getting behind the wheel for the oval races.
The #20 of Jones and Carpenter will once again partner the #21 ECR Chevrolet of Spencer Pigot, who will compete full-time but will not be a part of the Scuderia Corsa tie-in.
It was also announced today that the outfit will field a third car for the Indianapolis 500 for Ed Jones so that he has a shot at competing in the biggest race of the season.
“Joining Ed Carpenter Racing and Scuderia Corsa for the 2019 IndyCar Series is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of!” Jones said. “Both ECR and Scuderia Corsa have been successful in their respective series, and I feel the combination of forces will be greatly beneficial. I’m extremely excited to get underway!”
Jones entered IndyCar off of the back of taking the Indy Lights championship in 2016. He drove for Dale Coyne Racing in 2017 and duly took the rookie of the year honours after a decent season that saw him score his maiden podium at the 2017 Indianapolis 500.
For 2018, Jones made the move to Chip Ganassi Racing to partner the eventual champion Scott Dixon. Whilst he took another two podiums with a further six top ten finishes, he finished way down in the points in thirteenth place; a long way off his team-mate who took the crown.
Post-season, there had been some doubt as to whether or not Jones would be kept on at Chip Ganassi Racing. Those fears for Ed were eventually realised when it was announced at the end of September that Felix Rosenqvist would be taking Ed’s spot at Ganassi for 2019, leaving Jones out of a drive.
Thankfully, Jones has found a lifeline in Ed Carpenter Racing and Scuderia Corsa. Jones will take the place of Jordan King in the #20 Chevrolet, racing in all of the road course and street circuit races, whilst his boss Ed Carpenter takes the reigns for the ovals.
What’s more, Ed Carpenter Scuderia Corsa Racing also confirmed today that they will field an extra car, the #64 Chevrolet, for the Indianapolis 500 so that Jones can have another chance to drive in the famous race. Jones said today that he was “really grateful” to be racing at the Brickyard again, especially given the team’s great record at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the past:
“Ed Carpenter Racing has shown amazing speed the last few years at the Indianapolis 500. You can always expect the ECR cars to be at the front,” said Jones. “I am really grateful for this chance and will do everything I can to make sure we, as a team, make the most of it!”
Credit: Chris Jones / Courtesy of IndyCar
In today’s announcement, Ed Carpenter himself admitted that he was “excited” to be bringing Jones on board for 2019 and that he was “very surprised” when he found out that Jones was a free agent following his replacement at Ganassi.
“I am very excited to welcome Ed Jones to the ECR family, as well as Scuderia Corsa and Giacomo,” stated Carpenter. “I was very surprised when Ed became available at the end of the season. I look forward to working together to get ECR back in Victory Lane!”
One of the key players in bringing Jones to Ed Carpenter Racing was Scuderia Corsa. The team, major players in endurance racing series such as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, made their IndyCar debut in this year’s Indianapolis 500 and came within a few drops of fuel of having a chance at victory with Oriol Servia behind the wheel.
After the team’s great performance in their alliance with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Scuderia Corsa’s team principal, Giacomo Mattioli, made it no secret that he wished to expand into a full-time IndyCar entry at some point in the future. Today’s announcement of the deal with Ed Carpenter Racing will make those wishes come true, with Mattioli stating today that he is “thrilled” to be uniting with ECR.
“As we expand our racing efforts in the IndyCar Series, I couldn’t think of anyone better than Ed Jones and Ed Carpenter Racing,” said Mattioli. “We are thrilled to join them!”
Today’s announcement confirms yesterday’s reports that both Oriol Servia and Jordan King are out of a drive as of now for the 2019 IndyCar Season. Servia commented earlier in the week that he was looking for another ride for the Indy 500, whilst King admitted that he was searching for an opportunity to remain competitive, even if that opportunity meant that he had to step away from IndyCar.
The 2019 IndyCar season will kick-off with the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 10.
