The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series field is becoming clearer.
AJ Foyt Racing announced Thursday Tony Kanaan will join the team for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, Hélio Castroneves and Stefan Wilson will run the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 for Team Penske and Andretti Autosport, respectively.
Kanaan, the 2004 IndyCar champion, will pilot the No. 14 for Foyt and likely replace Carlos Munoz, who completed his first year with the team in 2017. Kanaan was previously a driver with Chip Ganassi Racing, which is downsizing from four full-time entries to two in 2018.
?? Extremely happy to announce that I’ll be racing for @AJFoytRacing from 2018 on. Excited about what’s coming next! #INDYCAR #ABCSupply pic.twitter.com/NyQiNLp734
— Tony Kanaan (@TonyKanaan) October 5, 2017
Four-time champion Scott Dixon and a driver yet to be determined will be the full-timers for Ganassi.
Earlier this week, the rumors came to fruition that Castroneves would stick with Team Penske next year, but will compete full-time in the organization’s new sports car program instead of IndyCar.
“I’ve been fortunate to achieve a lot of my personal goals with Team Penske over the years,” Castroneves said in a press release. “Helping Roger (Penske, team owner), the team and everyone with Acura start this program and build it from the ground up will be another big challenge and a great opportunity in my career. … I am focused on helping to develop the ARX-05 to try and win the 24 Hours of Daytona and the IMSA championship in 2018 with Acura.”
Penske will run three full-time entries in the 2018 IndyCar campaign with Simon Pagenaud, Josef Newgarden, and Will Power. Castroneves will be the fourth entry for the Indy 500.
A full report on the Castroneves news can be read on Frontstretch here.
Wilson, who sat out this year’s Indy 500 to allow Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso compete with Andretti Autosport in a joint effort with McLaren Honda, will return to The Greatest Spectacle in Racing next May driving the No. 25 Honda.
Andretti has its full-time lineup set with Zach Veach, Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Alexander Rossi. Wilson will be the team’s fifth entry at Indy.
“I’m very excited to be officially joining the Andretti Autosport team for the 102nd Indy 500,” Wilson said. “It has been a roller-coaster ride to get here, but when looking back, I’m really pleased and feel very fortunate to be in the spot I’m in now. I’ve just kept thinking about the future, knowing that I’d be joining one of the most successful teams in Indy.”
Here’s an idea of what the field may look like for the upcoming season.
2018 INDYCAR TEAM CHART
AJ Foyt Racing
Tony Kanaan
Andretti Autosport
Zach Veach
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Alexander Rossi
Marco Andretti
Stefan Wilson (Indy 500 only)
Chip Ganassi Racing
Scott Dixon
Dale Coyne Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter (ovals only)
Harding Racing
Juncos Racing
Kyle Kaiser? (guaranteed three races, no team confirmed yet. Won Indy Lights title with Juncos)
RLL Racing
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
TBD (no word on a second full-time driver)
Tristan Gommendy (Indy 500 only)
Team Penske
Simon Pagenaud
Josef Newgarden
Will Power
Helio Castroneves (Indy 500 only)
There are a handful of drivers who competed full-time in 2017 season still sitting without a ride. They include Munoz, JR Hildebrand (ran with ECR), and Mikhail Aleshin (ran 12 of 17 rounds with SPM).
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Helio is doing the Indy GP and the 500, not just the 500.
Might I ask where you read this? If it’s from a reputable outlet, I’ll update this story ASAP.