Jones keen to stay with Coyne

2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Ed Jones loves the idea of staying with Dale Coyne Racing to build consistency and experience as Sebastien Bourdais' teammate.

Finding the necessary budget to remain alongside the four-time Champ Car champion, however, is the biggest hurdle for the Briton, and then there's the question of how long it will take to put the money together.

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With plenty of movement expected to take place within the paddock, partnering with Bourdais has piqued the interest of a few IndyCar drivers who've spoken with Coyne about securing DCR's second seat. Whether it's Jones or a funded veteran, the Illinois-based team could be faced with making a hard decision on which direction to follow as 2018 approaches.

"As it stands, I think staying with Coyne is the only option I have, but that's said in a positive way because it's my first choice," the 2016 Indy Lights champion told RACER. "We're struggling to put all the funding together, but the team wants me back, as do I, so that's what we're working on."

Coyne, who has transformed his team into a small powerhouse operation with the addition of Bourdais plus engineers Craig Hampson and Olivier Boisson, echoed the same sentiment last weekend at Gateway.

"We'd like to have Ed back and that's something we've discussed together," he said.

Coyne's innate curiosity, which leads to a thorough exploration of the driver market, and the newfound interest shown by a higher caliber of drivers, could push the decision of who will drive the No. 19 Honda deep into the off-season.

With a third-place finish at the Indy 500 and five top 10s in the entry engineered by Michael Cannon, Jones has marked himself as a serious talent to watch. Provided he gets the nod from Coyne to remain in the No. 19, a strong sophomore season could be in the cards.

"I believe if I can have a second shot next to Seb, we can be a highly effective pairing as we were earlier in the year," Jones said of the five-race stretch prior to Bourdais' crash at Indy. "There's so much more I have to learn, and I've had struggles in some areas, but we've had a lot of pace on track. I hope to strengthen the reasons for Dale to keep me as we enter the last races of the year."