INDYCAR: Munoz wants to return amid blurry future

Andretti Autosport's Carlos Munoz can't wait to find out where he'll be driving next year. The talented Colombian came close to winning the Indy 500 in May, sits second among his four teammates in the championship, and is about to complete his third season of Verizon IndyCar Series competition. But in this sponsorship-driven sport, finding money is all that matters.

With a contract up for renewal at the end of 2016 and a need to put together a decent budget to continue, Munoz says he'll enter the offseason with two agendas: trying to stay with Andretti and searching for alternatives if that plan falls through.

"My contract ends this year and I've been with Andretti [for] five years including Indy Lights, and I feel quite comfortable there," the 24-year-old told RACER. "I like this team a lot and would like to stay, but if I'm honest with you, we also are looking at all possibilities. I would like to stay in IndyCar. I would like to stay with Andretti. But it's not 100 percent I will return."

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Munoz continues to search for funding to help the Andretti team, feels he has proven his worth alongside team leader Ryan Hunter-Reay, and hopes to keep his name on the side of the No. 26 Honda.

"I know they need to find sponsors for some cars," he added. "Sponsorship is really tough to find in Colombia, so it's complicated. And there are a lot of rumors on drivers and where they will go, so we will talk to other teams to see what they are doing. I feel really good about my driving this year. It's me and Hunter-Reay, we are always very close and he is one of the top guys in the series so this is very encouraging for me. I wish I can say I will be there next year, but I do not know if this will happen right now."

Among the most experienced young drivers in the field, Munoz amassed seven years of junior open-wheel racing experience before making a limited IndyCar debut in 2013. He made quite an impression after finishing second at the Indy 500 on his first attempt, took fourth in 2014, 13th in 2015 and added another second-place finish to his Brickyard résumé this year. Munoz has earned six podiums so far with Andretti Autosport, including a win last year at Detroit, placed eighth the championship as a rookie and currently holds 10th in the standings ahead of Mid-Ohio.