IndyCar: Ed Jones to Pilot New Scuderia Corsa/Ed Carpenter Racing Entry in 2019
The former Chip Ganassi Racing driver will compete in 13 of 17 races next season for the newly formed IndyCar outfit.
Rumors of a Scuderia Corsa IndyCar entry have been confirmed as true. The popular sportscar team will partner with Indianapolis-based Ed Carpenter Racing to run 13 of 17 races in the series next season. Furthermore, the outfit's sole car will be piloted by ex-Ganassi driver Ed Jones, the impressive young driver who partnered with five-time champion Scott Dixon in 2018.
Scuderia Corsa made its IndyCar debut in the 2018 Indianapolis 500 by pairing up with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. There, driver Oriol Servia became a late-race contender for the win, showing promise for the Giacomo Mattioli-led team.
Carpenter, who drives the No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet on oval tracks exclusively, is still seeking a part-time driver to replace the outgoing Jordan King on street and road courses.
“I am very excited to welcome Ed Jones to the ECR family, as well as Scuderia Corsa and Giacomo [Mattioli],” said Carpenter, who qualified on pole at Indy and finished second behind Will Power in May. “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," he concluded.
Jones finished on the podium at Long Beach, just his third race with Chip Ganassi Racing.
As for Jones, he displayed exceptional performance early in his career by winning the 2016 Indy Lights championship. Following his campaign in the feeder series, he ran with Dale Coyne Racing at the 2017 Indy 500 and finished in the top-three as a rookie. His subsequent signing with Chip Ganassi Racing showed his status within the sport and he looks to uphold that reputation at Scuderia Corsa/ECR.
"Joining Ed Carpenter Racing and Scuderia Corsa for the 2019 IndyCar Series is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of,” the Briton explained. "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 added.