It may not have been a 'textbook' perfect season for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, given that their highest-placed driver finished 14th in the championship, however the championship points are a vague testament of the caliber of the drivers and what they achieved over the course of the 2015 season.

The team was able to amass a quite commendable string of performances, during the course of what can be deemed an unpredictably fluctuating racing season for this small team.


James Jakes

Races: 16

Average finishing position: 15.9

James Jakes was the resident driver for SPM this season, spending the year in the No. 7 Honda as the team's only full-time driver, as it would play out. During the season, he amassed four top-10 finishes, including a third-place result at the rain-manipulated inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana, which was won by his SPM teammate in the Mayor of Hinchtown.

Photo: Chris Jones / INDYCAR

Jakes' other race finishes were less than impressive however, with his average placement at the end of the races that he did finish ranging between 15th and 25th place.

It should be noted that Jakes finished almost every race this season except for the mechanical failure he suffered during the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 and the single-car crash he had at the season-ending GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma.


James Hinchcliffe

Races: 5

Average finishing position: 9.6

The Mayor of Hinchtown had his promising racing season untimely cut short after receiving a life-threatening upper thigh injury in a scary crash on May 18th during practice for the Indianapolis 500.

Photo: Bret Kelley / INDYCAR

Before this injury however, James Hinchcliffe had had a tumultuous start to his 2015 racing season, finishing 16th on the streets of St. Petersburg in the opening race of the year - followed by an underpraised win at the rain-drenched NOLA Motorsports Park. The three races that followed saw Hinchcliffe finish 12th, fifth and 12th respectively, a respectable average considering that leading up to his incident, he had finished every race of the season.

The best thing surrounding James Hinchcliffe of late is his long-awaited return to the cockpit of an Indy car. The injury could only slow the Mayor down for so long.


Ryan Briscoe

Races: 8

Average finishing position: 11.8

Ryan Briscoe filled in at the wheel of the No. 5 car for the team after Hinchcliffe was rendered out for the remainder of the season owing to his injury. Ryan’s expertise was needed on the ovals, and he showed his prowess on both the speedways as well as at the road courses.

Half of the races Ryan partook in saw him finish in the top-10, with his least favorable finish (21st) coming as a result of contact he had with Will Power at Milwaukee.

Given that Ryan’s participation in the 2015 Verizon IndyCar season came by way of an unforeseeable and unfortunate event, he produced consistently favorable results, which contributed to the upturn of the team’s average finishing position in the latter half of the season.

Photo: Chris Jones / INDYCAR

Additionally, his crash at the end of the MAVTV 500 (above) was easily one of the scariest of the season and cannot go unmentioned. Luckily, the Australian driver walked away from the spectacular incident somehow unscathed.


Conor Daly

Races: 5 (only 4 with SPM)

Average finishing position: 17.4

Conor Daly’s participation with SPM began mid-way through the 2015 season, starting with the Indianapolis 500 in a third Honda fielded by the team, a No. 43, which experienced engine issues during the parade laps causing his day at the Speedway to come to a very early, very unfortunate end.

His season was not over, though.

Photo: Chris Owens / INDYCAR

Daly is known as an up-and-coming young talent in the series and it was no surprise when he was selected to drive the No. 5 SPM machine for the remaining street courses of the season at Detroit and Toronto in Hinchcliffe's place.

He powered the Honda machine through every lap of the three races he represented the team in besides the '500' that he was unable to start, with his best finish coming in Race 2 at Detroit's Belle Isle where he crossed the line sixth to complete the rain-soaked weekend in the Motor City.


Mikhail Aleshin

Races: 1

Average finishing position: 10

Mikhail Aleshin made his 2015 Verizon IndyCar series debut in the series finale at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. The Russian driver's return to the series and the SPM team in the final race of 2015 came just short of a year after he received multiple injuries in a horrific crash during practice for the 2014 season finale at Fontana.

Photo: Chris Owens / INDYCAR

Aleshin’s return can be deemed a valiant one as he was able to garner a 10th place finish in the series finale that he regrettably had missed as a rookie in the previous IndyCar season.


What went right?

A popular opinion would be that SPM’s greatest achievement during the 2015 season came at NOLA Motorsports Park on April 12th, when Hinchcliffe finished first and Jakes finished third, putting both of the team's Honda-powered entries on the podium at the inaugural event.

A dissenting opinion would be that the SPM team’s best decisions pertaining to the championship chase came in lieu of Hinchcliffe’s accident; bringing in both Briscoe and Daly to maneuver the No. 5 car portrayed that the aim was to acquire maximum points, as both Briscoe and Daly are innately talented behind the wheel of an Indy car.


What went wrong?

The biggest disappoint that arose from this team throughout the 2015 racing season was consistency. Whether it be lack of sufficient sponsorship or miscalculated race strategies, the team had a few good races that were marred by an onslaught of less-than-above-average race finishes.


Looking ahead to 2016

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports is a small team, but given the fact that Hinchcliffe will return to the cockpit at the beginning of the 2016 season, it should be a promising year.

Additionally, if the team is able to garner additional sponsorship to have a three-car team for the entirety of the upcoming season, it would probably be in their best interest to utilize the talents of Aleshin, Daly and/or Briscoe.

Fans of open-wheel racing are waiting with bated breath for the resurgence of the ‘underdog’ teams, and with the calibre and depth of talent at the disposal of the SPM crew, 2016 could be a redefining year.


Follow @VAVELIndyCar on Twitter for comprehensive coverage of the Verizon IndyCar Series throughout the offseason.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Danielle Asphall
An avid sports fan who resides in Jamaica, I cover the Verizon IndyCar Series with VAVEL USA.