Castroneves Full-Time for MSR, Harvey Out After 2021

The news:

Helio Castroneves has been announced to drive full time in 2022 for Meyer Shank Racing in the 06 car. Castroneves won his fourth Indy 500 in 2021 with the team, and is scheduled to run five of the six remaining races in the 2021 season. Meyer Shank Racing simultaneously announced that Jack Harvey would not be returning to the no. 60 car for 2022. Harvey has not announced future plans, but according to racer.com, Harvey is looking in a new direction, and made the decision. The search is reportedly still on at MSR for the next driver of the 60 car, and with a thriving free agent market there is plenty of speculation.

 As this officially kicks off the silly season in IndyCar, let’s analyze the different parts of the announcement, and look at what it means going forward into 2022. We’ll take a look at what it means for Helio, Harvey, and who could fill the 60 car.

What was one of the best motorsports stories in recent years is now a full time gig, as Castroneves returns to the reigning Indy 500 champions for the full schedule after his part-time effort this year. At 46 years young, Castroneves is still a top-flight talent, and can bring a lot of experience and connections to a young team like MSR. Whether or not Castroneves can compete for a title remains to be seen, but Jack Harvey has piloted the 60 car to several good races, and Castroneves will have five more races to shake off the rust and return to top form. It’s tough to decide who benefits more from this, MSR or Helio, but both are set up for what appears to be a great season. 

Jack Harvey appears to have another opportunity lined up, as he made the decision to leave MSR. Assuming that Harvey will be remaining in Indycar, he has several options. Hunter-Reay and Hinchcliffe are both rumored to be out at Andretti, opening up two seats there. Dale Coyne is always in flux, but an exiting Grosjean could open up a seat there. Conor Daly has had his name mentioned as possibly getting the boot this year. Reports of Sato retiring and giving up the second RLL car to Harvey have come up recently, and they seem to be reputable. If Harvey does decide to leave IndyCar, we could see him go to a Hypercar program, either in WEC or in IMSA. But Harvey has given the impression that he is set for 2022, so we will have to wait and see what he has planned.

There is a very strong free agent market for open wheel racers right now, with names like Askew, Magnussen, Grosjean, and most likely Ryan Hunter-Reay all being thrown around. Grosjean has been a rookie sensation in 2021, and a full-ride in a team with better funding and better equipment isn’t unthinkable. Grosjean is probably the favorite for this seat, as two veterans would provide a huge boost for the still growing team. Grosjean will race at Gateway, and has been showing heavy interest in The Indy 500 next year. With Magnussen committed to a full ride in WEC next year, and Askew not yet on the level of Grosjean, the French driver seems the favorite for the spot.