With Aleshin Possibly Out, Who Moves In To Second SPM Seat?

It has been reported by RACER that Mikhail Aleshin's seat in the #7 SPM entry for the 2017 IndyCar season has been cast in doubt over, once again, issues in getting his SMP Bank sponsorship to America due to sanctioning placed on Russia.  Obviously, this deals a huge blow to the Russian, who, in the minds of many, was set for a killer of a season this year, especially on the ovals, which he performed very well on last year.  His on-the-edge qualifying run at Indy to get into the Fast Nine had myself and many others holding our collective breath as he ran centimeters away from the wall.  What this means, however, is that a competitive seat opens up, and there are many possible options for the drive.

Jack Harvey - The former Indy Lights driver has been spending his time nowadays looking into possible IndyCar rides.  As of yet, he has failed to get one.  He certainly holds potential, however his lack of seat time in the past year (and untimely wreck of an SPM car in a test) means he is a rather long shot for the seat.

Zach Veach - This longtime-Lights stalwart impressed many with his pace in his test with Ed Carpenter Racing at Sonoma, outpacing Spencer Pigot.  He was in a battle with Pigot for the road-only #20 seat, but lost out as Pigot was confirmed today.  If he can find sponsorship, expect Veach to be in the hunt for the seat.

Luis Michael Dorrbecker - The young Mexican Auto GP Formula Open champion has a test set up with SPM in March.  He also could carry sponsorship from Carlos Slim, who has sponsored many a Mexican in motorsport, including Sergio Perez, Esteban Gutierrez, and Adrian Fernandez.  However, Dorrbecker's test comes just days before the opener at St. Pete.  It is conceivable that he could test earlier, but that remains to be seen.  If Dorrbecker gets an earlier test, his sponsorship from Slim could win him the seat.

Gabby Chaves - Chaves has been searching for a seat for over a year now, and the young driver certainly deserves it.  However, Chaves seems to have went off to sunnier horizons in sportscars, evidenced by his test with Starworks at the Roar Before the 24.  It is plausible he could run with SPM, who put him in the seat when Aleshin couldn't make the Phoenix test due to visa issues, but it remains unlikely.


There are several others whose names might pop up in this discussion.  Jack Hawksworth, R.C. Enerson, Sage Karam, and others all might seem like options, but they either have preexisting commitments or, in Enerson's case, legal trouble with Sam Schmidt, so they are very, very unlikely.  It is also possible the seat could be split between several of these drivers, similar to the way Dale Coyne did it back in the day.  One thing remains certain, though:  this will be a very interesting end to the IndyCar silly season.