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Newgarden leaving ECR amid Penske rumors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Josef Newgarden has informed Ed Carpenter Racing that he won't return to the IndyCar team next season.

ECR announced Newgarden's decision on Thursday. The American driver is thought to be highly coveted by Team Penske, which has been in limbo over the status of former Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya. It could lead to a seat swap, with Newgarden going to Penske and Montoya moving to ECR.

ECR said only that it is evaluating all options for next season's driver lineup.

"While it's disappointing that Josef will not be returning, it's also not a total surprise after all of the speculation the past few weeks," Carpenter said.