Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport

Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport was an auto racing team that competed in the IndyCar Series. Founded as Harding Racing in 2017 by businessman Mike Harding, the team would form partnerships in 2019 with Steinbrenner Racing and in 2020 with Andretti Autosport, the latter resulting in team equipment and personnel moving into Andretti's race shop. Harding's involvement would end after the 2020 season.

Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport

Owner(s)	Andretti Autosport Mike Harding George Michael Steinbrenner IV
Principal(s)	Brian Barnhart (President)
Base	Speedway, Indiana
Series	IndyCar Series
Opened	2017
Closed	2020
Career
Debut	2017 Indianapolis 500
Latest race	2020 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Drivers' Championships	0
Indy 500 victories	0
Race victories	3
Pole positions	3

Harding Racing logo prior to partnership

History

The team was founded as Harding Racing in 2017 by Mike Harding, with Gabby Chaves as driver for the Indy 500, Texas and Pocono, moving to full-time in 2018. In 2019, he would partner with Steinbrenner Racing, led by George Michael Steinbrenner IV, the son of the late New York Yankees co-owner and co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner and a grandson of George Steinbrenner III.^[1] Steinbrenner IV had previously run an Indy Lights program with childhood friend Colton Herta as driver, in a partnership with Andretti Autosport. With the addition of Steinbrenner IV came Herta^[2] and a technical alliance with Andretti, that would see Andretti Technologies engineers be assigned to the No. 88.^[3] A planned second entry was intended for Herta's Lights teammate and rival Pato O'Ward, however due to a lack of funding (despite O'Ward carrying a 3-race scholarship for winning the Lights championship), the No. 8 Honda that O'Ward was slated to drive was never entered, and O'Ward would be released from his contract before the first race of 2019.^[4]

Herta would win the second race of 2019, at Circuit of the Americas, but that did little to solve the team's continued budget issues. Herta had a contract with Andretti which superseded his contract with Harding, but with the requirement that Herta have a IndyCar Series race ride.^[5] Rather than lose the young driver to the newly formed Arrow McLaren SP,^[6] Andretti agreed to a deal that would see the HSR No. 88 entry absorbed into Andretti's shop after the 2019 season, with team equipment and some personnel being moved under the Andretti banner,^[6] but not before Herta would win again in the season finale at Laguna Seca.^[7]

Larry Curry acted as the team manager and competition director.^[8][9] In November 2017 Brian Barnhart was named the team's president as the team prepared to join the series full time.^[10] Barnhart would be credited with securing the partnership with Steinbrenner/Andretti and eventual merger with Andretti amidst the teams budget issues.^[6]

At 22-years old, Steinbrenner became the youngest car owner in IndyCar history.^[11]

Racing results

Complete IndyCar Series results

(key)

Year	Chassis	Engine	Drivers	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Pos	Pts
Harding Racing
2017					STP	LBH	ALA	PHX	IMS	INDY	DET	DET	TXS	ROA	IOW	TOR	MDO	POC	GAT	WGL	SNM
	Dallara DW12	Chevrolet IndyCar V6t	Gabby Chaves	88						9			5					15				23rd	98
2018					STP	PHX	LBH	ALA	IMS	INDY	DET		TXS	ROA	IOW	TOR	MDO	POC	GAT	POR	SNM
	Dallara DW12	Chevrolet IndyCar V6t	Patricio O'Ward (R)	8																	9	31st	44
			Gabby Chaves	88	14	15	19	17	17	14	18	19	15	19	21				18	13		20th	187
			Conor Daly													13	22	15				29th	58
			Colton Herta (R)																		20	37th	20
Harding Steinbrenner Racing
2019					STP	COA	ALA	LBH	IMS	INDY	DET		TEX	ROA	TOR	IOW	MDO	POC	GAT	POR	LAG
	Dallara DW12	Honda HI19TT V6t	Colton Herta (R)	88	8	1	24	23	23	33	12	12	18	8	7	18	8	16	9	4	1*	7th	420
Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport
2020					TEX	IMS	ROA		IOW		INDY	GTW		MDO		IMS		STP
	Dallara DW12	Honda HI20TT V6t	Colton Herta	88	7	4	5	5	19	19	8	4	6	9	1*	4	2	11				3rd	421

* Season still in progress

IndyCar wins

#	Season	Date	Sanction	Track / Race	No.	Winning Driver	Chassis	Engine	Tire	Grid	Laps Led
1	2019	March 24	IndyCar	Circuit of the Americas (R)	88	Colton Herta (R)	Dallara DW12	Honda HI19TT V6t	Firestone	4	15
2		September 22		WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (R)	88	Colton Herta (R) (2)	Dallara DW12	Honda HI19TT V6t	Firestone	Pole	83
3	2020	September 13		Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course II (R)	88	Colton Herta (3)	Dallara DW12	Honda HI20TT V6t	Firestone	Pole	57

References

1. "New Harding Steinbrenner Racing team signs O'Ward, Herta for 2019". RACER. 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
2. Fair, Asher (September 20, 2018). "IndyCar: Colton Herta to drive for Harding Steinbrenner Racing in 2019". Beyond the Flag. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
3. Fair, Asher (February 13, 2019). "IndyCar: Harding Steinbrenner Racing form technical alliance with Andretti Autosport". Beyond the Flag. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
4. Fair, Asher (February 11, 2019). "IndyCar: Patricio O'Ward won't drive for Harding Steinbrenner Racing in 2019". Beyond the Flag. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
5. "Herta to join Andretti in fifth Steinbrenner-backed entry in 2020". 21 September 2019.
6. "INSIGHT: Winding down IndyCar's biggest little team". 7 October 2019.
7. "Laguna Seca IndyCar: Herta wins, Newgarden takes second title". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
8. "New team Harding Racing enters Chaves for 101st Indianapolis 500". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. April 10, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
9. Malsher, David (April 10, 2017). "Chaves confirmed for Indy 500 with new team Harding Racing". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
10. Wilson, Phillip B. (November 29, 2017). "INDYCAR'S BARNHART NAMED PRESIDENT AT HARDING RACING". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
11. "New Harding Steinbrenner Racing team signs O'Ward, Herta for 2019". 19 September 2018.