Simona de Silvestro leads all-female IndyCar team for three-race schedule, no Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Beth Paretta‘s ultimate goal is to run a full-time IndyCar program.

So she made a deal to run three races on this season’s schedule, and perhaps more, in lieu of the Indianapolis 500.

Paretta made the announcement Tuesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the same venue she announced the formation of her all-female team and the same venue it became such a compelling story last May while working with series powerhouse Team Penske.

Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro will again pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet but this time Paretta Autosport will be working with Ed Carpenter Racing on June 12 at Road America in Wisconsin, July 3 at Mid-Ohio and Aug. 7 on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee.

“We had to figure out what would be the best fit for us and if Ed was running three cars at the 500, we didn’t really want to be the fourth car,” Paretta said. “The decision was, ‘OK, they’re going to do three cars for 500 and that allows us to do these three races later in the year.’ This is growth for my team. It’s getting our team to new places, it’s getting Simona to new places and as far as becoming a full-time team, this is a good investment for us.”

It comes with a cost — bypassing a chance to become the 33rd entry for the series’ biggest race next month. But skipping the 500 could make Paretta’s team more competitive in the long run.

Last May, de Silvestro struggled during qualifying week and sweated out an anxious Bump Day to hold onto the final starting spot on the traditional 33-car grid. She finished 31st.

This year, De Silvestro plans to arrive before the scheduled May 29 race date and will work with Carpenter’s team during the following week’s stop in Detroit before making her season debut.

“We were really hoping