Steinbrenner and Herta eye move to IndyCar in 2019 (Update)

No room at the Andretti-Inn for Bryan Herta's son Colton Herta

UPDATE Perhaps the most-talked about Indy Lights driver in recent memory is preparing to make the jump to IndyCar. And it could be happening quite soon writes Jim Ayello of the Indy Star.

Colton Herta, along with his longtime friend and team co-owner George Steinbrenner IV, are closing in on a deal with a for-now unknown Verizon IndyCar Series team.

"When we'll announce, we're not sure, but we’re definitely moving fairly quickly in the process of moving to IndyCar," Steinbrenner told IndyStar minutes after Herta picked up his 10th podium of the season Saturday at Mid-Ohio. "I couldn’t give a timetable because I’m not entirely sure. But things are looking up, and I think joining IndyCar in 2019 with Colton Herta is certainly a good possibility."

Steinbrenner, the grandson of legendary New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, wouldn't confess which program stands out as the most likely landing spot for him and Herta, but said he's enjoyed positive conversations with a handful of teams.

How much is a handful?

"It’s been a few," Steinbrenner laughed. "You can count them on one hand, maybe fill the hand. Or get close."

Herta and Steinbrenner burst onto the scene last year with a win at the season-opener in St. Petersburg. Herta, then only 16 years old and the son of former IndyCar driver and current owner Bryan Herta, went on to win another race, podium in five others and finish third in the Lights championship. He entered this season the odds-on favorite to conquer the series, win the $1 million scholarship and make the jump to IndyCar. As it stands Saturday, he's second in the championship, but that inevitable leap into the big league appears to be on the horizon.
With what team now appears to be the only question.

One team, perhaps the early favorite to land the dynamic duo, is likely out of the running, however. Rob Edwards, Andretti Autosport COO, said while he'd love to keep the Herta-Steinbrenner tag-team in house, it's probably not in the cards.

The program already employs four full-time drivers with contracts that extend into next season, and there's no plans for expansion, Edwards explained.

With Andretti's other driver Patricio O'Ward also looking to move up to IndyCar, the Indy Lights series will be decimated and we question whether it will survive.

The team's 2019 lineup will feature Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Zach Veach and no one else. Of course, this does not include a potential partnership with McLaren, which is still on the table, Edwards said. However, no matter how things shake out with McLaren, it very likely will have no effect on Herta-Steinbrenner or Andretti's other prized Indy Lights driver, championship leader Patricio O'Ward.

All of them are likely to find their IndyCar opportunities elsewhere.

"We’re in the fortunate position of having all four full-season seats spoken for on multi-year agreements," Edwards told IndyStar on Saturday. "Obviously, the McLaren program is a separate building block to that. I also think we’re exceedingly fortunate to have both Pato and Colton in the mix. I know the Indy Lights field may not be very deep, but the quality of the top three guys is really strong. I think either Colton or Patricio can step into a car and acquit themselves well.

"But the fact that we don’t have full-season seats available, our job is to support them, advise them. If there’s opportunities to get back together with them in the future, great, but we have to be realistic with where we are right now."

Edwards lamented the fact there is no current system in place, as in Formula One, where Andretti could farm out its talent to another team while still under contract with Andretti. He said he would "dearly love" if that were an option, admitting he will be sad to see them go and continue to mature as competitors of Andretti. He's enjoyed watching them blossom into talents capable of major success at the IndyCar level. And he's not just talking about the drivers. Edwards said Steinbrenner has grown a lot in the past couple of years and is ready to make the jump to the next level.

"The first year, the desire was there, but him really putting his arms around and realizing, ‘I’m going to have to work at this and really make it what I’m doing,' that's happened in the past two years," Edwards said. "He’s come a long way. He’s involved. He’s smart and gets it. As much as I’m proud of Patricio and Colton’s development, I’m proud of (Steinbrenner's) growth under our Indy Lights banner as well."

Steinbrenner, too, said it will be a disappointment if and when the day comes that he will split off from the Andretti household. He said what he's learned with the team over the past few years has been invaluable in preparing for this next step of his career.

He would never close the door on a reunion at some point, but knows, like Edwards, that if he and Herta are going to make a name for themselves in IndyCar, it will likely have to be somewhere else.

"It’s testament to them, and there's no ill-will for us," Steinbrenner said about Andretti already having a full house. "They have a lot of irons in the fire, and that’s how this sport goes sometimes. It’s all about timing and not entirely about wanting to make everything that feels great work out. We’ll be disappointed, but it won’t make things bad between us. We’ll still be friendly." Jim Ayello/Indy Star

George Michael Steinbrenner

05/24/18

George Steinbrenner, the boss, spent 37 years cutting checks and taking trophies in pinstripes.

His grandson, 21-year-old George Michael Steinbrenner, wants to do the same in IndyCar. He is getting closer thanks to 18-year-old Colton Herta.

So what would the New York Yankees icon say about up-and-comer Herta?

"I think he would say, 'You can keep him. You can keep him around. He is doing pretty well. Pay the man (laughs),'" George Michael Steinbrenner said.

Steinbrenner co-owns the No. 98 Indy Lights car with the help of Andretti Autosport. Herta, just like his father, Bryan, does the rest. Most recently, the pair swept a weekend of Indy Lights Grand Prix races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"It is massive and it is fun to enjoy it with George (Steinbrenner) because I don't feel like he is my team owner, I think of him as my friend. When you think of a team owner or a CEO of a company, you think, 'Oh he is old'. George is 21-years-old. It is crazy," Herta said.

If Herta can pull off the 2018 Indy Lights season championship, Herta, Steinbrenner and Andretti will earn $1 million in scholarship money to put towards a move to IndyCar. If that were to happen, all signs point to that move coming in 2019. It is important to note, leading into the Freedom 100 this championship chase is extremely close. Rookie Pato O'Ward leads Herta by a single point, with Santiago Urrutia lurking just six points behind the lead.

If Herta claims the title and makes the jump then part of the question becomes — Is George Michael Steinbrenner the next big time Indycar owner that can stake his own claim in the series?

One place Steinbrenner already feels at home in is Indianapolis. Which, you know, is important.

"It is hard to put into words," Steinbrenner said. "There is really no place in the world like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The atmosphere, the history, the emotions, the traditions…it is some place where I get to wake up in the morning and go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is amazing."

Wake up IndyCar. A Yankee's on his way. Charlie Clifford/WISH