IndyCar: Filippi ready to shine for CFH Racing

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After two years of limited outings with Bryan Herta Autosport and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Luca Filippi had flirted with the Verizon IndyCar Series, yet struggled to gain the traction necessary to land a full-time drive.

The 29-year-old Italian has found the next-best thing with his acquisition by Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing where he'll pilot the No. 20 Chevy on road and street courses for the Indianapolis-based team, and as he told RACER, he plans to turn the opportunity into a long-term home within the series.

"Even though I had small opportunities to drive, I think it was good and it kept me in the loop for this season, and with Mike Conway taking the drive at Toyota, it was good for conversations with Ed Carpenter for the last month," he said.

"It became solid in the last couple of weeks – everything became possible, and it was a very simple negotiation. Ed, and the entire team, was very nice, and I really feel we can start a long relationship. I've never, in my life, had such a nice start with a team."

Filippi's extensive background in the GP2 series made his transition to IndyCar an easy one – at least in terms of the immediate speed he delivered for BHA and RLLR. If there was a glaring negative with Filippi, it was his penchant for pushing too hard and making contact with walls and his fellow competitors though his eight-race stint from 2013-'14.

With seven finishes of 15th or worse from those eight races, Filippi was clearly trying to impress the field as he auditioned for a job. Locked into a strong seat at CFH, he expects to produce quality results for the team, and says he should be operating within his comfort zone for the first time in 2015.

"It's the first time where I have a comfortable program in IndyCar, where everything is done, everything is good, and it's a great opportunity for me to take after trying to get recognized when I came to IndyCar," he noted.

"I can relax, and I think people could read through the lines and see that I could do a good job, but I had a lot to learn. I think with what Ed can do on the ovals, and what Josef (Newgarden) and I can do elsewhere, we will have a very, very strong team. All I need to do is produce for the team." ​