Gabby Chaves interview: IndyCar driver returns with Harding Racing

Gabby Chaves has returned to IndyCar with Harding Racing, and the 2015 Rookie of the Year told FanSided what he wants from the 2018 IndyCar season.

Gabby Chaves is once again a full-time driver in the 2018 IndyCar season, and it’s about time. The Colombian driver has been driving under the radar, but that could all change this year.

After winning the 2014 Indy Lights title and being honored as 2015 IndyCar Rookie of the Year, Chaves found himself dealt a bad hand when sponsorship issues saw him lose his seat at the end of 2015.

But he never stopped competing, and after a strong showing in 2017, Chaves and Harding Racing have teamed up for a new full-time effort that puts Gabby Chaves right where he belongs.

FanSided spoke to Chaves ahead of this weekend’s IndyCar season opener to discuss his journey back to a full-season ride, what made Harding Racing the right team for his comeback, and how he’s changed since 2015.

FanSided: What have the last three years been like for you, to go from Rookie of the Year to not having a full-time ride and back again?

Gabby Chaves (GC): It’s been a great journey and one that is back on track, really. It’s always been my goal, ambition and dream to get to IndyCar and to stay here and establish myself as a championship-caliber driver. Obviously there was a bit of hiccup in the staying here part, but I’m back on track. My goals are back on track, so I go onto the next one, which is establishing myself as a driver to look out for and one that can stay here for a long time.

FanSided: What made Harding Racing the team you wanted to drive for?

GC: Our goals just aligned perfectly with each other. I’m one of the young drivers trying to make myself known in the series and establish myself and get my career on track here, and the team was looking for a young driver to pair up with, one [where] they can help each other develop and grow as a full team. It just matched perfectly.

FanSided: The plus for you is that Gabby Chaves hasn’t been entirely out of IndyCar. You drove part-time for Dale Coyne Racing in 2016 and then for Harding Racing in 2017. So has it been an easier transition back to full-time driver, since you never really left?

GC: I would say it’s a bit easier than if I had completely stopped. But it’s very, very different running three races a year, as opposed to running every other weekend back to back for a full time schedule.

Obviously, with the races I did last year [being] only oval, coming back to road courses will be a small process, in getting back into the rhythm and getting back to my skill level on a road course which I’m hoping to expedite as much as I can. So it’s different, especially with the traveling and everything, You really have to get back into it.

FanSided: Do you set different goals for the 2018 IndyCar season, knowing that this is a new team and you’re starting over as a driver?

GC: We’ve set ourselves some short-term goals and some long-term goals. The ultimate goal of course is to be a championship contender, to win races, to win the Indy 500. But we understand that it’s a process. We’re not expecting an overnight miracle, but we are working towards making that goal a reality.

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So in the meantime we’ll start off by making sure we can improve every weekend at the beginning of the year. Striving for top 10, top 5, whatever we can achieve. As long as we see that constant progression, maybe by the end of the year we’ll be more competitive and look into achieving our goals — if not this year, then the next season or after that. Whenever it comes, as long as we see we’re on track to meet those goals and ambitions, I think that’s what matters.

FanSided: Does your second full-time season feel different from your first? Especially with all the changes that are taking place in the 2018 IndyCar season?

GC: I’ve been here on and off to at least experience some of that transition. I’m back in it with new people around me — different team, new faces, new car, new aero kit — so it is a bit different. But at the end of the day we’re still racing. We’re still trying to establish ourselves and be the best on track out of everyone. That’s always the goal.

So while some people come and go, [and] things may look a little bit different from the outside, it’s still the same exact goals every time. Go out there, be competitive and make our best effort to win races.

FanSided: Anything you want to say to IndyCar fans as you make your deserved comeback?

GC: From everything I’ve seen so far out of the Harding Racing team and the ownership of the team, which is Harding Group, they are incredible individuals as persons and businesspeople. They are fantastic to work with.

It feels like a family, and they are very committed to being here and being successful and applying that mentality they have with their business to their racing team. So it’s something that I couldn’t be more proud of being a part of. I’m very excited. I think we’ll be able to turn some heads this year and really impress on track.

Next: See the complete 2018 IndyCar season schedule

Watch Gabby Chaves in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, airing March 11 on ABC. For complete coverage of the Verizon IndyCar Series, follow the Motor Sports category at FanSided.