Chaves confirmed for full-time IndyCar return in 2018

Gabby Chaves will return to the Verizon IndyCar Series full-time in 2018 with Harding Racing after a successful three-race stint last year.

2014 Indy Lights champion Chaves raced for the entire 2015 season with Bryan Herta Autosport, recording two top-10 finishes, before a reduced seven-race campaign for Dale Coyne Racing the following year.

Chaves linked up with the Harding team for last year's Indianapolis 500, finishing ninth, and made further appearances at Texas Motor Speedway and Pocono.

The Colombian has agreed a deal with Harding Racing for the 2018 season after the team clinched an engine supply from Chevrolet, and will be on the grid for the opening race in St. Petersburg on March 11.

"I’m very excited to be back in it full time," Chaves said. "It’s a bit of a process trying to mentally prepare for what I know is going to be a very trying and learning year, but I’m very excited to see what we can do.

“Having a few more races experience working with different teams, I’ve been able to gather a lot of information on how teams do things that worked better than other teams, and I try to relay that information now to Harding Racing.

"“I’m confident in my team, I’m confident with the car,” Chaves said. “But that doesn’t mean that I’m overly confident. We need to start hitting some podiums and, with the right circumstances, maybe even go for a win.

"Once we accomplish that, we need to go on and try to be competitive and shoot for those top-threes and top-fives every weekend."