By Kirby Arnold, Special Contributor
As J.R. Hildebrand completes his rookie year as a father, he looks back on a time of supreme happiness with wife Kristin and their daughter Julietta Louise, who turns 1 late this month.
“It has been the most incredible 11 months of my life,” he said.
While this wonderful phase is just beginning, the 36-year-old Hildebrand is working to revive another – his career as an Indianapolis 500 driver. He missed the 500 last year when he didn’t land a ride for the first time since he was a rookie in 2011, but he hasn’t abandoned hope for this year despite nearly all of the seats already assigned.
His best possibility, with A.J. Foyt Racing, appears to have disappeared when team president Larry Foyt said earlier this month that he didn’t plan to run a third car in the 500. Hildebrand raced the third Foyt car at Indy in 2021 and 2022.
On an expected entry list of 35 cars competing for the 33 starting spots in the May 26 race, the only seat still unassigned is the second entry of Dale Coyne Racing. Veteran Jack Harvey drove that car in the season-opening race at St. Petersburg.
Still, Hildebrand won’t stop working to get back into the race.
“I am not completely out of options,” he said.
If there’s anything with more moving parts than an Indy car, it might be the behind-the-scenes work needed to land a ride in the 500, especially for a one-off drive like Hildebrand seeks.
“From the outside you often don’t realize how much communication is going on between a lot of people behind the scenes,” Hildebrand said. “It may seem like these deals just get done, but they often are very complicated for a very long time.”
Money, of course, talks loudly. If a driver can bring $1.2 million to a team, that’s likely enough to get him a week of practice, qualifying and, hopefully, a spot in the 500. But there are other factors that make it difficult for even successful veteran drivers.
Among them are a limited number of engine leases, whether a team has enough spares to field an extra car without limiting their other entries, manufacturer relationships, sponsor requirements, and a pool of available drivers that’s greater than the number of rides.
“If I could get that kind of money I could take it to most teams and get a deal done,” Hildebrand said. “But I’ve yet to put myself in a position where I have consistently gotten that kind of backing to just shop around….
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