INSIGHT: Carpenter ponders his team's options

Ed Carpenter has been one of the fan favorites at the Indianapolis 500 for several years but lately the only driver/owner in the Verizon IndyCar series has become extremely popular with another faction: fellow drivers that are looking for a job.

Long before Josef Newgarden made it official he wasn't returning to ECR in 2017, Carpenter was taking meetings, making phone calls and fielding them from veterans and youngsters wanting to drive the No. 21 Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet. It's the best open seat in the IndyCar paddock and Ed has narrowed down the potential pilots to, oh, about a half dozen.

"But, I also like the idea of developing a guy like Josef. I wanted to keep Josef as long as he wanted to be here and for the rest of his career if that's what he wanted. But the J.R. Hildebrands of the world and Conor Daly and Sage Karam are all talented and we have the attitude we can build and grow with guys like that as well.

"If you go with Juan or Tony, it's obviously not a long-term situation but it's not just the 21 car. We have two seats with who will share the #20 with me and I like supporting younger guys."

The former USAC disciple had a red, white and blue line-up in 2017 with Newgarden, Spencer Pigot and Hildebrand joining him in various combinations for 17 races.

"I'm passionate about developing American talent but I'm not narrowing my focus on just that," he continued. "I want to find somebody to drive the 21 car that can be a factor in the championship and there's not necessarily a big list of guys.

"I'm also interested in where we're going to be in three years or in five years. I want to discuss things with my partners and Chevrolet has been great to us so I also want their input. But it's not going to be an emotional decision.

"We want to make the best decision we can, not just for 2017, but for down the road and you could make arguments for any of those names. It's not an easy decision."

With Kanaan likely staying at Ganassi after being made a strong offer from A.J. Foyt as well, it could be a three-horse race as Carpenter breaks down his assessments:

JPM: "For sure there are still some great years ahead for him. I think right now he's hungry and a little angry at being pushed out. He had the same kind of season I did where nothing went right but he's still damn good.

JR: "He deserves as much consideration as Tony and Juan. He doesn't have the full record to show but he's done a great job for us the past couple years, racing and testing, and he's very close to this team."

The two-time Indy 500 polesitter's team has a strong nucleus with engineers Jeremy Milless and Matt Barnes, team manager Tim Broyles, chief mechanics Jeff Frederick and Brad Larsen. They've won seven races in the past three years, improved their pit stops and finished seventh and fourth in the championship with Newgarden, who also led a series-high 658 laps during the last two seasons.

Behind Penske and Ganassi, ECR and Rahal-Lanigan-Letterman have become the second tier of the series and first choice of unemployed drivers for 2017.

"I think we've done a good job of creating a destination that drivers want to come to," said Carpenter. "Some days it's fun because it makes you feel good to hear from so many people so you know we're doing a good job. And some days I just wish Josef would have signed that contract. But I'm optimistic about our future."