Our second IndyCar Wrap-Up moves us to Carlin, the only full-time single-car team in 2021. Carlin made no changes to its driver combination from 2020. After remarkable oval pace last season, 2021 did not see the same bountiful points days. Things did not improve much on the road and street courses either. But one drought did end within the organization.
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| Max Chilton found a bright spot in another difficult season |
Max Chilton
Chilton was back to compete in only the road and street courses and Indianapolis for the third consecutive season. Chilton had finished 22nd in the championship the previous two years as a regular but non-full-time driver. He entered 2021 without a top ten finish in his last 39 starts.
What objectively was his best race?
Chilton got a top ten! Tenth at Road America! His first top ten finish since Watkins Glen 2017! His first top ten with Carlin!
What subjectively was his best race?
Chilton got a top ten! Tenth at Road America! His first top ten finish since Watkins Glen 2017! His first top ten with Carlin!
What subjectively was his best race?
It is Road America! Chilton went off-strategy and it was risky one to make, but hard-charging and needing a splash of fuel late lifted him into the top ten. It also netted him seven laps led.
What objectively was his worst race?
Twice Chilton finished 24th, first was at St. Petersburg when a hydraulics issue knocked him out after 18 laps. The other was the Indianapolis 500 where Chilton was just 24th. That was the best he was going to do.
What subjectively was his worst race?
How about the one he didn't run? He missed the Grand Prix of Indianapolis due to visa issues preventing him from returning to the country from the United Kingdom. What made that worse is Carlin didn't even fill the car, which might have made sense at the time if you looked at it as cost saved, but the team forfeited valuable entrant points. I don't know if any driver thrown in last second would have pulled out a top ten result, but someone could have pulled out a 16th or 17th and gotten the team something greater than zero.
Max Chilton's 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 25th (134 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 7
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 18.833
Average Finish: 19.417
Championship Position: 25th (134 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 7
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 18.833
Average Finish: 19.417
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| 2021 was not as good as 2020 for Conor Daly at Carlin |
Conor Daly
Returning as the Carlin oval specialist, Daly drove the Texas doubleheader and Iowa for the team while splitting the rest of the season with Ed Carpenter Racing and running a third ECR car at Indianapolis. Daly won a pole position in 2020 driving for Carlin and he had four top ten finishes with the team.
What objectively was his best race?
Gateway. He went from 20th to 11th, mostly by avoiding the accidents, but it was a respectable night, though he just couldn't get into the top ten.
What subjectively was his best race?
Gateway. He went from 20th to 11th, mostly by avoiding the accidents, but it was a respectable night, though he just couldn't get into the top ten.
What subjectively was his best race?
Like I said, Gateway, though it had its flaws.
What objectively was his worst race?
Daly was caught in the opening lap accident at Texas, rolled over, and was classified where he started in 24th.
What subjectively was his worst race?
The issue with Daly's Carlin program is it is only three races and nothing substantial can be taken from it. It is hard to celebrate the positives or worry about the negatives. You can have three fluky races and think you are on top of the world (*cough* Harding Racing *cough*) or you could have Daly's three events with Carlin, which doesn't really tell us much. Not to mention he was set up from behind at Texas because both races were set via entrants' points after qualifying was rained out.
If there is one disappointing thing about Daly's races is he never really showed that same pace as 2020. I don't know if it was Daly's lack of time with the team or another reason. He had one practice session at Texas, and Gateway was a one-day show with practice in the middle of the afternoon for a night race. There was hope that Daly and Carlin could rework their short track magic at Gateway. Instead, Daly qualified 20th, and 11th is a little flattering. If half those accidents do not happen, I am not sure Daly cracks the top fifteen.
Conor Daly's 2021 Statistics with Carlin
Championship Position: 18th (34 of Daly's 235 points came with Carlin)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 20.0 (Field was set via entrants' points for both Texas race. Daly qualified 20th at Gateway)
Average Finish: 18.667
Championship Position: 18th (34 of Daly's 235 points came with Carlin)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 20.0 (Field was set via entrants' points for both Texas race. Daly qualified 20th at Gateway)
Average Finish: 18.667
An Early Look Ahead
Carlin is the team we know the least about heading into 2022.
Will Chilton return?
Will it remain a single-car?
Does it expand?
Will it still be Chilton and Daly?
How does Daly's future at Ed Carpenter Racing play into this?
Through four IndyCar seasons, Carlin has yet to get on a podium let alone win a race. Its only top five finish was in its 12th race at Toronto in 2018 with Charlie Kimball. It had one top ten finish this season. It had four top ten finishes in the two previous seasons and it had six top ten finishes in 2018, all with Kimball.
The team has shown speed. Kimball did fine. Patricio O'Ward had a few strong performances when he stepped into that car in 2019 and we saw what Daly was able to do with this team on ovals. Carlin lacks a leader and it really cannot be a single-car team in its current situation. It either needs to commit to one car with one driver or expand to two cars if Chilton is going to run all the road/street courses and Indianapolis.
It has been four years. Chilton is not the driver who can build the team. Carlin has a goldmine of drivers in its rolodex. It should be able to pluck one out and immediately be significantly more competitive. Chilton did get out of the first round of qualifying twice in 2021. The speed isn't completely absent.
But does the team have funding to get to two cars? Chilton has said the teams need two cars to be competitive. That will likely require a driver with a check. The good news for Carlin is it has name recognition in Europe and there are a bunch of European-based drivers who are looking to IndyCar. Trevor Carlin praised Formula Two race winner Dan Ticktum and said Ticktum would be a great IndyCar driver. Ticktum has said he is looking to IndyCar.
A few Indy Lights drivers have also been linked to Carlin.
This is a key moment for Carlin's long-term commitment to IndyCar. It could get a driver now to build around for the next three seasons. We saw many drivers step into an IndyCar for the first time in 2021 and look incredibly competitive. Romain Grosjean nearly won a few races. Kevin Magnussen looked strong. Christian Lundgaard was right at home on debut. Marcus Ericsson rounded into a race winner this season. Three of the top five in the championship are under the age of 25 and all three of those drivers won multiple races.
Carlin could become an IndyCar contender, but it has to decide why it is IndyCar. Does it want to be competing in North America's top open-wheel series and have a global reach beyond the junior series in Europe or is it just a place for Max Chilton, son of team CEO Grahame Chilton, to remain employed? The team can run in IndyCar and be successful without Chilton. Is the Carlin front office willing to accept that?
The talent is out there and if Carlin finds its gem it could start to have greater success. If it doesn't and leaves the series, it will be a missed opportunity for the team and IndyCar.
