Inside IndyCar: And Then There Were 7

The IndyCar offseason is in its infancy as the days grow shorter and the clock slowly cycles to next year. It hasn’t been a quiet offseason for the series, with multiple stories capturing the attention of racing fans. 

Notably, Michael Andretti has left the Andretti Global team he’s co-owned since 2003 when he bought into the former Team Green, leaving his day-to-day operations role. 

A new race has been announced to be held around Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ AT&T Stadium which will premiere in March of 2026. The charter system has been put in place, set to start next season, providing the team owners the assets they so desired. 

While all that has come out in the recent news cycles, there still is the matter of finalizing driver lineups for 2025. The so-called “silly season” doesn’t seem as off the charts this year — it’s been more calm and gentle like a mid-summer breeze. The most recent driver announcement occurred on Oct. 9, when reigning Indy NXT champion Louis Foster was chosen to take one of two vacancies at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

With that news, and the previous Ed Carpenter Racing lineup news featuring Alexander Rossi, that leaves seven seats still to fill before the new season kicks off in March. 

Chip Ganassi Racing

The largest team by car count in 2024 has a tough decision to make for 2025. After fielding five cars last season, Ganassi has decided to shutter two entries being as it was awarded only three charters for 2025. Marcus Armstrong has already been confirmed to be taking over Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 66 entry, while Kyffin Simpson and Linus Lundqivst are both hanging in limbo with Ganassi.

Simpson piloted the No. 4 Honda in 2024, which has been dropped for 2025, meaning his only opportunity to remain at CGR is by taking over the No. 8 car, driven previously by Lundqivst. Lundqvist won Rookie of the Year for 2024, but it has been suggested that Simpson is the heir apparent to the No. 8 Honda.

Dale Coyne Racing

Dale Coyne is known for being strategic and very patient when filling his seats. Often he will wait until the last minute to reveal his plans just before the first test in the spring as the series gears up for the new season. Last year, Coyne’s No. 18 and No. 51 cars saw a total of nine drivers. Despite these diversified holdings, the season was difficult for Coyne and company. Nolan Siegel didn’t qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and neither car finished in the top 22 in the standings, missing out on the $1 million Leaders Circle payout. Without that extra funding, Coyne will likely need to rely on drivers who bring their own budgets as his efforts to secure high-profile sponsorships have seen little success through the years.

It’s still unclear who will take the two seats for 2025, but it will likely depend on how much of a budget potential drivers can bring. If Coyne can secure enough funding, he might sign a talented driver for one of the seats. Otherwise, he will likely follow this year’s model of selecting drivers who bring the best combination of talent and sponsorship.

A new wrinkle for this year is the revelation that the new charter agreement will limit how many drivers a team can use per car to maintain eligibility for the charter. Both his cars have charters, so this will restrict Coyne’s freedom to rotate multiple drivers throughout the season as he has done in the past. Nonetheless, there are still drivers on the market, such as Sting Ray Robb who drove for the team in 2023, or Lundqvist, though he might only bring talent versus a budget. 

Coyne has been one of the few teams in recent years that hasn’t been afraid to give one or two race opportunities to young drivers that don’t bring financial backing for a full season. Just this year he gave Toby Sowery, Hunter McElrea and Siegel their first tries in an IndyCar, so who he puts in his car next year might be along those lines, as long as it’s no more than three drivers per car. 

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) faces a major challenge as its top driver, Christian Lundgaard, has left to join McLaren. His departure will be a significant blow to the team, which has struggled with consistency in recent seasons. While they’ve had occasional standout performances — most notably Lundgaard’s 2023 win in Toronto — the team continues to search for the speed needed to consistently compete at the front. Out of the 53 opportunities during the season, the team notched just nine top 10s and one podium, which was Lundgaard on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

They may have found the young blood they are seeking to replace Lundgaard with the Foster signing. The 21-year-old British driver had 10 wins over two Indy NXT seasons, and crushed the competition in his run to the 2024 title, winning eight of the 14 races. That type of domination is almost a prerequisite in IndyCar’s ladder series for a driver to get a foot in the door – but not always (see Lundqvist, circa 2023). While the news release was sparse on details, such as which car and how many races Foster will drive, it was stated to be a multi-year deal, so there is time to build a competitive crew around him.

There’s no word yet on whether Pietro Fittipaldi will return to the No. 30 car, as 13th, twice, was his best result. Speaking to Frontstretch after Nashville, team co-owner Bobby Rahal was tight-lipped as to how the team’s 2025 lineup was working out.

Graham Rahal will return to the No. 15 as he is heading into the sunset of his career and Bobby Rahal has said that sponsorship will be the key factor in filling the remaining seats. Juri Vips ran a fourth car at Portland this year, and there’s speculation about whether he might get a full-time shot in IndyCar. Other drivers are available, but their ability to secure a seat may depend on the budget they can bring.

Juncos Hollinger Racing

The team owned by Ricardo Juncos made strides in 2024 after a season of changes. New driver Romain Grosjean delivered solid performances, earning more top 10s in a season (six) than the team had achieved all previous seasons combined. Conor Daly was signed to replace Agustin Canapino after the 13th round, heading into the oval-heavy part of the schedule. Daly drove well, finishing on the podium at the first Milwaukee race — a first for Juncos and Daly’s second of his IndyCar career — and a 10th at Nashville.  

Does Daly’s successful stint mean he’ll be back for a full season? If so, he could help the team become regular top-10 contenders if the momentum from his short time with them carries over. As for Grosjean, he had a solid season apart from a few incidents — most notably at Portland — but it’s unclear whether he’s guaranteed to return to the No. 77 car despite expressing his interest to Frontstretch during the Music City Grand Prix weekend.

Without a major sponsor on their sidepods, JHR will need to find a budget to keep their operations running smoothly in 2025. Despite the uncertainty, the Chevrolet-powered seats at JHR are arguably the best remaining options on the grid based on the optimistic outlook after the close to 2024.

Prema Racing

The new kids on the block, Prema Racing, have already announced one driver — Callum Ilott — who made a brief return with McLaren during David Malukas’ injury sabbatical. Prema plans to field a two-car team and with them included the grid currently stands at 27 entries. They should run their 2025 season without feeling the risk of being bumped as long as no other full-time teams expand to field an additional car at non-Indy 500 rounds.

Prema has not indicated who will take their second and final seat yet, but there is still time as the team gets ready for its inaugural season. The last new entry into the IndyCar series was Juncos Hollinger Racing, which initially ran a few races before shutting down and later returning full-time only after they received buy-in from Brad Hollinger. Similarly, Carlin Racing, another team that came over from Europe, struggled to raise the necessary budget in the U.S., which hindered their ability to compete long-term. While they initially ran multiple cars, their reliance on former Formula 1 driver Max Chilton’s budget eventually led to their downfall.

Their second seat is available, but it’s not clear if it is one that drivers are clamoring over due to the unknown of how competitive the team will be in its first year.

Drivers Still Searching for Rides

Now that we’ve covered the teams, let’s look at the drivers who have recently competed in IndyCar, including some who ran the Indy 500, and are still searching for rides.

First on the list is Lundqvist, the 2024 Rookie of the Year. Lundqvist was, without a doubt, a victim of the new charter system. His team, Chip Ganassi Racing, downsized from five cars to three to fit within the charter limits. While teams can run more than that many cars, only three are eligible for charters, so Ganassi reduced its full-time lineup. Lundqvist impressed with two podiums, split between a road course and an oval, and added two other top 10s but his lack of financial backing is an issue. If someone can raise the necessary budget, Lundqvist is a qualified candidate for a ride.

Rinus VeeKay is the most surprising driver to be on the market, as it seemed he was going to return to ECR, the only team he’s driven for in IndyCar. But with Rossi’s availability that left VeeKay looking. Out of those hoping to get something lined up for 2024, he differs slightly from Lundqvist as he doesn’t just carry potential with his helmet bag, he brings results. The one-time race winner has at least that type of experience, so a team that signs him knows that he’s a proven driver.

Daly, who was briefly mentioned earlier, has been the super substitute for teams since he was let go from ECR last year. Daly has formed good relationships with sponsors, particularly in connection with the Indy 500 and, while he hasn’t touched on his opportunities, returning with JHR might be his best option.

Grosjean is in a similar position. He doesn’t have many paying opportunities available, and with Juncos likely wanting to keep him on after their progress together, he may prefer to stay where he is, as most other seats would require bringing a budget.

Robb lost his ride when Malukas signed with A. J. Foyt Racing, but it’s reported that Robb has a budget. If he can secure significant funding, he could land one of the open seats that still needs financial support.

Jack Harvey is another driver at the mercy of the limited number of seats available. His results in 2024 weren’t overly impressive, so it’s unclear how much momentum he’ll carry into this off-season and whether he’ll find a seat.

Perhaps the most intriguing name on the market is Logan Sargeant, who was let go by Williams halfway through the F1 season. Sargeant was spotted in the paddock at Nashville Superspeedway, and he is scheduled to test with Meyer Shank Racing next month. Before signing with Williams, Sargeant was lined up to test with A. J. Foyt Racing but his F1 opportunity opened up, diverting him to his path in Europe. Given that former F1 drivers like Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner, have transitioned well to IndyCar, Sargeant could be a strong addition to the series.

Theo Pourchaire is another candidate deserving of a seat. He performed well in his stints with Arrow McLaren Racing, but he lost his ride as the musical chairs of the driver market played out, being let go in favor of Siegel. Though he’s been competitive in the F1 ladder system, the lack of open seats there has prevented him from advancing. If Pourchaire can secure a budget, much like Lundqvist, he would be a valuable asset for any team.

Seven seats remain in the IndyCar silly season quest. Just like the years before it, there are more drivers available than seats. With the new field cap, the likelihood of a new team popping up to try to qualify for any rounds outside of Indianapolis and thus giving a young driver a shot is unlikely.