By alley - May 19, 2015, 4:55 PM ET

IndyCar: Work continues for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Verizon IndyCar Series team is focused on the recovery of driver James Hinchcliffe after the Canadian’s big crash on Monday, but it also has important business to handle in the coming days.

With the final practice for the Indy 500 set to take place on Friday, the team is also faced with the need to prepare a new chassis to carry a Honda engine, and to dress the No. 5 entry in the brandings of its sponsors. The Sam Schmidt- and Ric Peterson-owned team also needs to secure the services of a driver who can fill in for Hinchcliffe while he’s on the mend.

It’s an uncomfortable subject for everyone to handle; Hinchcliffe is a beloved figure within the team and the sport, yet with the Indy 500 serving at the biggest event of the year, not to mention the most important commercial outing for a team like SPM, having the No. 5, its primary sponsor ARROW, and the rest of its commercial partners in the race is a priority for all involved.

With sponsorship and IndyCar Leader Circle obligations to fulfill, the team is expected to have a new No. 5 Honda ready to run later in the week. Per the IndyCar rulebook, the team will be allowed to enter a replacement chassis driven by someone other than Hinchcliffe, who qualified 12th. If Hinchcliffe were able to drive, the new car would slot into the 12th position captured by the previous chassis, but with the move to a new driver, the No. 5 entry will be required to start on the final row.

Dale Coyne Racing’s James Davison’s will also be moved to the final row in the No. 19 Honda after he missed qualifying due a conflict last weekend.

Among the candidates to drive the No. 5, IndyCar veterans Ryan Briscoe, Katherine Legge, and Tristan Vautier have been mentioned as possibilities.

Briscoe, who has eight IndyCar victories and won the Indy 500 pole in 2012, would be the most experienced solution for the No. 5. The Aussie drove Chip Ganassi’s Chevy-powered car in last year’s Indy 500, and does not have any known conflicts this week.

Briscoe’s primary drive this season is with the Corvette Racing sports car team, and while the brand has often frowned upon its drivers from working with rival brands, the extenuating circumstances and need to place a proven leader in the No. 5 would make for a compelling assist by General Motors. If there's a front-runner to drive the No. 5, Briscoe could be it.

Legge drove for Schmidt at the 2013 Indy 500, and is said to be highly regarded by the team. It’s believed both parties have communicated since Monday.

Vautier drove for SPM in 2013, where he won the IndyCar Rookie of the Year. Despite being out of an Indy car for 19 months, he impressed while stepping in to qualify Davison’s No. 19 entry in 21st position. The Frenchman has a previous engagement in England this weekend at the Blancpain Endurance Series event, making his availability highly unlikely.

Beyond SPM’s immediate needs for Sunday’s Indy 500, the team is expected to secure a stand-in with the No. 5 for the remainder of the season.

Of the active drivers in Indy’s field of 33, Andretti Autosport’s Justin Wilson stands out as a possible solution once his two-race stint with the Andretti team is complete. Wilson is one of few race-winning IndyCar veterans with longstanding ties to Honda, an open calendar after the Indy 500, and years of experience leading emerging teams like SPM. He was also a former teammate of current full-time SPM driver James Jakes.
SPM also has promising young American Conor Daly in the No. 43 Honda at Indy, and he would also be more than capable of filling in for Hinchcliffe. The Canadian has been a vocal advocate for Daly within the team, and previously expressed his desire to have him in the SPM organization on a full-time basis.

Briscoe would also be a strong option for the No. 5, but has a few conflicts after Indy with his Corvette Racing program, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

With two major decisions to make in less than a week, SPM will be busy preparing for the rest of the season – which concludes on August 30 – without its popular leader in the cockpit. Once the Indy 500 is over on Sunday afternoon, the series moves north to Detroit for a double-header on the streets of Belle Isle.

Turning back to the 500, RACER has learned IndyCar is prepared to make practice time available late Thursday for SPM’s chosen driver to shake down the new chassis and complete whatever refresher course would be required prior to Friday’s final one-hour practice session.