IndyCar: Is Hawksworth headed to Foyt?

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All signs point to Jack Hawksworth, one of IndyCar's most promising rookies, taking his talents to A.J. Foyt Racing next season. RACER has confirmed Hawksworth amicably parted ways with Bryan Herta Autosport, and both Hawksworth and Larry Foyt declined to comment when reached by phone.

The Foyt team has attempted to field a second, full-time entry for the last few seasons, and other than limited outings by Conor Daly and Martin Plowman, the Texas-based team has lacked the funding to maintain two cars for the entire season. Recent momentum on the second-car project has progressed far enough for some of the drivers vying for the seat to be told the opportunity was no longer available, and with Hawksworth's departure from BHA, the runway is clear for the 2012 Pro Mazda champion to drive for the 4-time Indy 500 winner.

Hawksworth impressed from the outset with BHA, quickly adapted to the bigger, faster Dallara DW12-Honda package on road and street courses. Hawksworth's steep learning curve came with five top-10s, including a podium at Houston, but 12 finishes outside the top-10 left the team 17th in the driver standings.​ His oval racing acumen is the most glaring deficiency, but with one of the greatest oval racers of all time serving as a mentor, Hawksworth could become a fierce competitor at every round with Foyt in his corner.

Herta, who once drove for Foyt in the CART Indy Car series, is believed to have multiple options in the works for next season. With plenty of strong drivers on the market, the 2011 Indy 500 winners could turn their need to hire a new driver into a positive.