AUSTIN, TX – The secret was revealed on Monday that Pato O’Ward was out of a ride with Harding Steinbrenner Racing. We first learned of the possibility a month or so ago as the news breaking early this week honestly wasn’t too surprising.

It’s the unfortunate nature of this business. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have, the all mighty dollar will take you further.

That led to some bashing on social media on Monday about Harding as well as Colton Herta. Even Indy Lights driver Santi Urrutia took a shot at Harding saying that a similar situation happened to him at the end of the 2017 season.

Urrutia, said that he and Harding had a hand shake agreement following the 2017 campaign that would team him with Gabby Chaves together for 2018. Last year, Chaves was the driver of the one car entry.

Urrutia, never was a possibility it seems.

Some are taking shots at Harding for announcing a deal last Fall when nothing was really materialized yet. I get the animosity there. I truly do. The team must have thought we can announce now and hope for more funding later because of it.

Unfortunately, the money never came.

The big problem in my mind is the wording from the team last September.

“I haven’t seen an announcement like this made in IndyCar racing for decades,” said legend Al Unser Jr. Granted he could have been talking about the deal with Steinbrenner, but part of that announcement was for a two car team.

The future is just super bright,” Unser continued. “We have two young kids here that are just so talented with Pato (O’Ward) and Colton (Herta).

“We’re really excited with Colton and Pato going forward, two of the best young drivers on the continent,” said George Steinbrenner IV.

When you get those comments in September but find out a month before the season starts the team didn’t have a full time ride for O’Ward all along, it rubs you wrong. I get that.

But, to take shots at Herta isn’t fair either. A lot of people are saying O’Ward deserved the current ride at Harding and that Herta should have been left in a part time role.

That’s not fair.

If the crash at Toronto that injured Herta doesn’t happen, he’s likely the Indy Lights champion last year. Prior to that crash, Herta had nine podiums in 10 tries. He entered the July race weekend with six straight top two finishes. He’d finish seventh and sixth respectively after his crash on the Canadian street course.

That changed the rest of his year. It also opened the door for O’Ward.

Herta, finished the final five races with four runner-up finishes. O’Ward finished with four wins. Toronto sparked that ending because if Herta finishes on the podium in each race, he’s likely the champion instead.

Nothing against O’Ward either, he was phenomenal in 2018. But, to say just because O’Ward won the championship that he’s a better driver than Herta, isn’t fair either.

Then, some point out to Sonoma in that O’Ward fared significantly better than Herta. Well, what if I told you that O’Ward had Andretti equipment while Herta didn’t. O’Ward had all the Andretti resources, a race that Andretti excelled in.

Four of the Fast Six, including O’Ward, were all Andretti cars. Andretti had two cars in the top five of the running order at the end and three in the top seven at the checkered flag. Granted, it was a great accomplishment for O’Ward to do on such a low grip track like Sonoma to fare the way he did, but to compare him to Herta that race weekend isn’t fair either.

Neither Chevrolet or Honda would allow Andretti to have full access that weekend. Andretti, couldn’t put six cars under his umbrella for the season finale plus Harding still had their team in which Herta was driving for. O’Ward’s second Harding car was prepared by Andretti and Herta’s by Harding and Chevy.

See the difference.

So, the hate going on social media on Monday isn’t necessarily warranted towards Herta or O’Ward.