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| The 2019 season saw a drastic career shift for Max Chilton |
Max Chilton
It was another tough year for Max Chilton and his second year with Carlin seemed to be a breaking point for him. After missing the Indianapolis 500, Chilton scaled back his operation, stepping away from ovals but returning for road and street courses.What objectively was his best race?
It was at Portland, where Chilton finished 11th. This result came after a slew of retirements. Chilton started 20th and when six cars ahead of you on the grid are taken out in the span of three green flag laps, he had his work cut out for him but he still kept his nose clean and got a much needed good result.
What subjectively was his best race?
There were not many race that stood out for Chilton but the one that deserves recognition is Laguna Seca. Chilton made the second round of qualifying and he ended up 12th on the grid. He spent the race on the edge of the top ten and he finished 13th. It wasn't the greatest day in the world but in what has been a rough two seasons for Chilton he really just needed a day where he was in the middle of the pack and mixing it up with some notable names instead of languishing in the back.
What objectively was his worst race?
I think objectively we have to say the worst thing to happen to Chilton in 2019 was missing the Indianapolis 500. Chilton never had the speed. It was a case of he was going into the Last Row Shootout and had not been in the top 33 all week. He seemed to be the one driver we could chalk in as one of the drivers that would not be on the final row. To make it worse, Chilton got out of the car and said it was comfortable. He was a mile per hour off the final spot each qualifying day.
It was tough to see because Chilton is not a horrendous driver. He is not a hazard on the racetrack and he has done respectable on ovals.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Putting Indianapolis aside, his subjective worst race is his worst finish, 21st at Austin because he started 13th and it appeared this was going to be a race where Chilton was going to be in position for a fantastic result. Chilton lost a lap early and was never a factor for a top ten finish.
Max Chilton's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: 22nd (184 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 18.083
Average Finish: 16.083
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| Conor Daly had plenty of reasons to be happy in 2019 |
Daly ran for three teams in 2019 but his most starts were with Carlin, unexpectedly. Daly ran four races, all ovals for the team, in place of Chilton. He also made two starts for Andretti Autosport, the double-point races at Indianapolis and Laguna Seca, and he was substitute for Marcus Ericsson at Portland as the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver had a conflict with his duties as Alfa Romeo F1's reserve driver.
What objectively was his best race?
Daly put on a stunning drive at Gateway and got a sixth place finish. Daly was running with the big boys and this wasn't the guess of him getting a top ten because he didn't make a pit stop before a caution. It is realistic to think if Sébastien Bourdais does not spin and Takuma Sato, Tony Kanaan and Ed Carpenter all made green flag pit stops that Daly could have been competing for a podium finish.
What subjectively was his best race?
Gateway was Daly's best race in 2019 but I think every oval race he was in because in each race he was fighting and not backing down.
At Indianapolis, Daly kept up with his Andretti Autosport teammates and he got a top ten finish but he could have done better than that. If that final caution for Graham Rahal and Bourdais getting together doesn't happen, I think Daly finishes at least sixth.
At Texas, thrown in the car somewhat last minutes because Chilton had made the decision to step away from ovals, Daly improved with each lap and we was running ahead of Will Power, Marco Andretti, Felix Rosenqvist and Ed Carpenter for a good portion of that night. That is a night where he finished 11th but he could have been a top ten finisher.
At Iowa, Daly kept his nose clean and finished 13th, not his greatest night but an important one because as a substitute if he cannot win the best thing he can do is bring his car home in one piece.
What objectively was his worst race?
Daly's worst two races were the final two races and the worst result was 22nd at Laguna Seca. Daly was running about 11th to 15th and he spun when trying to pass Marco Andretti in the hairpin. Daly stopped on the curbs, brought out the caution, lost a lap and he could overcome that one mistake.
It is important to mention Portland because he was taken out in turn one by Graham Rahal. The results will say 21st but he qualified ninth and it could have been a fantastic substitute performance again.
What subjectively was his worst race?
The season didn't ended the way he would have liked at Portland and Laguna Seca but even with his spin at Laguna Seca this is a case where Daly really didn't put a wheel wrong and if anyone passed the audition in 2019 it is Daly. He has made 49 starts in his career, which is a lot of starts, but Daly is ready for a breakthrough and he appears to be a driver that could take a team to the next level.
Conor Daly's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: 24th (149 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 1
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 14.333
Average Finish: 13.429
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| Charlie Kimball did Charlie Kimball things in 2019 |
The 2019 season was a step back for Kimball. After eight full seasons, Kimball was part-time in 2019 and he made seven starts, two more than he was anticipated in making.
What objectively was his best race?
Kimball had finishes of tenth on two occasions, Pocono and Portland.
What subjectively was his best race?
This is hard because in both races where Kimball finished tenth a significant number of cars were taken out ahead of him. I am actually going to say his best race was the Indianapolis 500 because he was in the top ten and was caught in the Rahal-Bourdais accident. He had nowhere to go and the damage put him four laps down.
Kimball was the one Carlin driver to make the Indianapolis 500 and it was not a case of he got in by the skin of his teeth and it was not possible for all Carlin drivers to miss the race. Kimball qualified 20th and he improved throughout each stage of the race.
What objectively was his worst race?
Unfortunately, Indianapolis was where Kimball was classified in 25th.
What subjectively was his worst race?
It could be Indianapolis for a third time but he qualified eighth at St. Petersburg and was forced to make an early pit stop for repairs and it was a race where he could have finished in the top ten and at Texas he qualified 17th and was working toward the top ten when a right rear bearing failed and took him out of the race. Kimball had better days in 2019 than the results will show.
Charlie Kimball's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: 25th (117 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 17.667
Average Finish: 16.143
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| What might have been if Patricio O'Ward had been full-time in 2019? |
Patricio O'Ward
What appeared to be a coup, picking up O'Ward for Austin onward, this dream signing evolved into something else. In the blink of an eye, the Mexican driver became a Red Bull development driver and just when it seemed O'Ward would be another driver in a stellar rookie class, he was gone with little reminder of his presence other than what might have been.What objectively was his best race?
In the second start of Patricio O'Ward's IndyCar career, he started eighth and he finished eighth at Austin and he was better than eighth most of the day. O'Ward had no preseason testing and he jumped in the car and was immediately quick. It was an outstanding weekend for him.
What subjectively was his best race?
The one thing to note for O'Ward is in seven starts he started in the top ten four times. O'Ward showed the Carlin cars had pace and the results didn't always play out but this team is almost there. If the team can commit to two full-time drivers, maybe it could put a driver in the top ten of the championship.
What objectively was his worst race?
O'Ward missed the Indianapolis 500 and that was a bummer. It didn't help that is seemed O'Ward was going to be fine to make the race until an accident in practice forced the team to scramble. All the wind was out of his sail after that and it wasn't meant to be.
What subjectively was his worst race?
His worst result in a race was 19th in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis but that was also one of his best races. That race was scattered for O'Ward. He hit Rossi before they had reached the green flag and it led to a penalty but he recovered, worked his way to second and set fastest lap and then the rains came. The tire pressures were off when he switched to the wet tires and he lost a lot of ground. Once the team realized the mistake it was too late and he finished where he started.
Patricio O'Ward's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: 26th (115 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 11.714
Average Finish: 13.857
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| Sage Karam made his first street course start in four years in Carlin cameo |
Sage Karam
Karam ran the Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the fourth consecutive year but he made two surprise starts for Carlin in the middle of the season at Toronto and Iowa.What objectively was his best race?
It was when Karam finished 19th in the Indianapolis 500 but he did work his way up from 19th and he put down a strong qualifying run in the Last Row Shootout when it seemed many were split over whether or not he was going to make the field.
What subjectively was his best race?
It really is just the Indianapolis 500. Karam made three starts in 2019 but there were few bright spots.
What objectively was his worst race?
It is Iowa, where Karam was classified in 22nd. He qualified 14th and was hoping for a respective showing, then spun early and Felix Rosenqvist clipped Karam, which meant he was going to need more repair than he otherwise would have needed had Rosenqvist been three feet to the left. Then Karam had another incident with Takuma Sato, which was mostly out of his control.
What subjectively was his worst race?
It is Iowa but let's mention Karam's third start at Toronto. It was a late announcement and he had not been on a street course since 2015. It would have been insane to think he could have been competing in the top five but he was 21st in qualifying and 21st in the race five laps down.
I want to see Karam get a shot at a full season, something that has still eluded him. It is tough to see where he will squeeze in because there are many drivers cycling through IndyCar and not an abundance of open seats. I wish IndyCar was a series with 30 full-time cars because Karam would be full-time but that is not reality.
Sage Karam's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: 27th (39 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22
Average Finish: 20.667
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| RC Enerson was back in IndyCar for the first time since 2016 |
RC Enerson
The 2019 season might have been more for Enerson. He was in the discussion during preseason testing but the introduction of O'Ward shuffled Enerson into the background. Enerson's return, his first start since 2016, came at Mid-Ohio, the site of his IndyCar debut.What objectively was his best race?
Enerson made his first IndyCar start in three years when he showed up at Mid-Ohio. He qualified 22nd and he finished 17th.
What subjectively was his best race?
For a guy that had not been in the car for a race for three years, I thought Enerson handled himself quite well. He was running with his teammate Chilton, so it was an encouraging day.
What objectively was his worst race?
Enerson did finish a lap down, which is not great, but it was the best he could do.
What subjectively was his worst race?
If there was one thing about Enerson's season that was kind of a bummer it is he only did one race. At the start of February, it seemed like Enerson was going to get a handful of races with Carlin and be splitting the second car with Kimball. Enerson had a great showing when he made three starts with Dale Coyne Racing in 2016. It has been a long time coming for his second outing. This is a talented young driver and, same with Karam, I wish we got to see more of Enerson.
RC Enerson's 2019 Statistics
Championship Position: 35th (13 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 17
Average Finish: 22
An Early Look Ahead
Carlin has 1.5 open seats for 2020 and who knows who will land at this team.
I think Carlin's sophomore season was a minor success. It stunk that the team had to have six drivers rotate between two seats but I think the team tried a few things out and it is prepared for year three.
The one issue is money. It appears Gallagher support is going to be there but let's not write that one down in ink. Carlin could find itself in the difficult situation that Ed Carpenter Racing finds itself with one full-time driver and an entry split with one driver on road and street courses and another for ovals. I think Chilton is a good driver and he should run road and street courses if that is what makes him feel comfortable but that makes it difficult for the team to fill out its lineup.
It is not crazy to think all four of Daly, Kimball, Karam and Enerson should be full-time. On shear number of starts, Daly and Kimball have the advantage because they had more time in the car and they got the best results. The problem is both drivers should be full-time. If Chilton is there then one will be full-time and the other will either have to settle for ovals or go elsewhere.
If the money is there I would love to see Daly get the full-time ride. Kimball would be a smart hire for the oval races and maybe something could be worked out where Kimball runs the five oval races with Gallagher support and Carlin is a three-car effort for the road and street courses. That is a stretch but let's not entirely rule it out.
There is also the chance that Daly and Kimball get better opportunities elsewhere. If that happens, Carlin will be faced with having to find replacements and it could be a slight step back in year three. The team is in a good position for 2020 but driver selection could be the key factor into whether or not the team continues its upward trajectory.
