Sonoma, Calif. (September 16, 2018) The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series finale brought Harding Racing its best start and finish of the season after entering two cars in the Grand Prix of Sonoma. Patricio O’Ward, pilot of the #8, participated in the Firestone Fast Six, qualified in fifth position and finished ninth. Colton Herta, pilot of the #88, qualified 19th and finished the day in 20th.
This was Herta’s and O’Ward’s IndyCar debut following their recent graduation from the Mazda Road to Indy program. O’Ward is the newly-crowned Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Champion, and Colton Herta is the runner-up and Freedom 100 winner.
“This weekend was a good experience,” said Colton Herta. “I’m not too happy with the result, but I’m happy with the way my debut went and the pace that I showed. There are sure some things that I can work on going into the off season. I had an amazing time. Thank you to Harding Racing, Mike Harding, Team Chevy and Firestone. Can’t wait to see if we can do it again in St. Pete.”
“It was a really great weekend, and we learned a lot,” said Patricio O’Ward. “We qualified the car fifth, and we ended the race ninth. As a driver, you want to stay in your qualifying position or get better. But I think for a first try, especially with a super long race with three or four pit stops, that was a job well done. I’m really satisfied, and I just want to get better for next year.”
“What a great weekend,” said Brian Barnhart. “We could not have asked for a better weekend at Harding Racing. We were just looking to come here and focus on the debut of these two guys and their IndyCar Series races. The most important thing was to get both of them to finish, and we did that. We had excellent race results out of both of them. Both cars finished on the lead lap, we gained a ton of valuable experience and this also gives us a lot to focus on over the winter. The plan is to come out of the gate strong in 2019.”
“We had a great weekend in Sonoma,” said Al Unser Jr. “The crew did a fantastic job on both cars, and what can I say about the drivers…the new kids on the block! Colton did a fantastic job and Pato did a superb job. The beginning of a new era with Harding Racing. I think it was a wonderful weekend in Sonoma. Congratulations to Scott Dixon on his fifth IndyCar championship, and of course to Ryan Hunter-Reay for winning the race. Those guys were awfully strong. We’re going to take the winter now to regroup and hopefully come back stronger to fight for the title next year.”
About Harding Racing
Indianapolis based Harding Racing made its Verizon INDYCAR Series debut at the 2017 Indianapolis 500. The team is led by Mike Harding owner and president of Harding Group, a concrete and asphalt paving company based in Indianapolis. Brian Barnhart is team president of Harding Racing and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. serves the team as executive consultant. In addition to their ninth-place finish in the 2017 Indianapolis 500, the team competed at Texas Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway, finishing fifth and fifteenth respectively. The team currently competes full-time in the Verizon IndyCar Series.
About Colton Herta
Colton Herta began racing at the age of four. At 12 he turned to cars and promptly won the Pacific F1600 Series championship and finished second in the Skip Barber Summer Series. The Valencia, California native then moved to Europe to test his talents internationally. He finished third in the British Formula 4 championship in 2015 and third in the Euroformula Open championship in 2016. After returning to the United States, the American quickly impressed by winning the second race of the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires 2017 season. That year he also led the series with seven pole positions, set five new track records and earned Rookie of the Year honors. Most recently, Herta finished second in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship with four wins, three pole positions and 13 podium finishes.
About Pato O’Ward
Patricio O’Ward hails from Monterrey, Mexico. After creating an extremely successful karting resume, O’Ward moved to cars in 2013 competing in the Formula LATAM F2000 Series in Mexico, the Formula Renault 1.6 NEC Junior series in Europe and the Pacific F2000 series in the United States. He entered the Mazda Road to Indy Series in 2015 finished sixth in that year’s Pro Mazda Championship and earning a close second place finish in 2016. Last year, O’Ward won the Championship Prototype Challenge class in dominant fashion with seven victories in eight races including the Rolex 24 at Daytona. He also competed in the first four Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires races of the season earning a podium finish in the second event of the year. This year, the 19-year-old won the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship by 44 points over teammate Colton Herta. He ended the season with nine wins, 13 podium finishes and set a new series record for pole positions in a season with nine pole position
