ECR confirm Josef Newgarden exit

Ed Carpenter Racing have confirmed that Josef Newgarden will not return to the team next year.

The 25-yer-old American has been the subject of rampant speculation in recent weeks linking him with Juan Pablo Montoya's seat at Penske, although no sides have made any official confirmation of the move.

However, ECR's confirmation of Newgarden's departure all but confirms a mobve to Penske is on the cards.

"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," team owner Ed Carpenter said. "I wish Josef the best in his future endeavors, but also remain focused on ECR's continued success. We are positioned well moving into 2017 and I have total confidence that we will continue to deliver the high level of performance we expect as a team."

Montoya has been linked with a move in the opposite direction to replace Newgarden at ECR.