Ed Carpenter Racing have their seats for the upcoming Verizon IndyCar Series all occupied.
As tradition dictates, team owner Ed Carpenter himself will drive one of the cars, but only on the ovals throughout the season. So the other half of the season will be run by another driver on the road- and street circuits.
For the 2018 season we will see Jordan King driving the Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet #20 alongside Carpenter.
King arrives to the team after three seasons in the GP2/Formula 2 series, where he has a total of six podium finishes to his name.
But we have to look as far back as 2013 to find the most recent successful season for the 23 year-old racing driver. That was the year that he won the British Formula 3 Championship ahead of drivers like Antonio Giovinazzi and William Buller. He has had two seasons as development and Friday test driver for the Manor team, before they closed down.
But it was like the gas went out of the balloon after his Formula 3 Championship. With championship positions in 7th, 12th, 7th and 12th in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, GP2 and Formula 2, he has been far away from the championship trophies.
Photo: Ed Carpenter Racing
Now he’s giving it a try in the USA, where many drivers who had reached a dead end on the European ladder, has had great success in a switch to IndyCar.
The proof that a “half-season” seat can lead onto something bigger, is proven in the #21 ECR car. Spencer Pigot drove together with Carpenter in the #20 for the last two seasons, but he has been upgraded to a full season driver for the team now.
Jordan King will have his first taste of the new car on 5 February, when Ed Carpenter Racing will run a test day at the Sonoma Raceway. The season will start of 11 March on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
