There’s no more appropriate term to describe the start of IndyCar’s offseason than “avalanche.”
And “silly.” Don’t forget “silly.”
It’s easy to get lost in the static when news rolls out at the rate IndyCar showed through this week. That in mind, take a moment to review the most recent stories before more announcements drop in the coming days.
Will Power Gives His Answer
The largest domino fell on Tuesday (Sept. 2) when it was announced that Will Power would not return to Team Penske in 2026. This news, while perhaps not shocking, came after 17 seasons of service with the team, a tenure that included two NTT IndyCar Series championships, 42 wins, numerous pole positions and a win in the 2018 Indianapolis 500.
Power’s own statement on the matter closed with a telling line: “After much consideration, I felt like a change for me was the right move at this time.”
Power’s decision to step away from Penske after the team failed to offer him a satisfactory, multi-year deal capped off a nearly season-long saga which saw rampant speculation that he may or may not stay on with his long-time home after 2025. For the longest time, the major question about 2026 for IndyCar at large was essentially “will Will Power or won’t Will Power?”
All the while, the rumor mill worked overtime with word that David Malukas, who is under contract with A. J. Foyt Enterprises through at least 2026, was primed to take over Team Penske’s No. 12 Chevrolet.
At the time of writing, no word has been given on Penske’s plans for the No. 12 entry next year.
Rinus VeeKay Is Back on the Market
Against the better wishes of team owner Dale Coyne, Rinus VeeKay will not return to Dale Coyne Racing after one productive season in the team’s No. 18 Honda.
VeeKay’s departure was announced on Sept. 2 as well, and leaves questions surrounding both his own future and the next driver of the No. 18 car. Coyne was previously reported to be enthusiastic about keeping VeeKay on the team in the lead-up to a pre-Halloween driver announcement.
VeeKay has yet to comment on his plans for 2026, and only said he was “excited for whatever is next” when speaking to Frontstretch after the race at Nashville.
Jacob Abel, who drove the team’s No. 51 entry in 2025, has likewise yet to comment on his future in IndyCar. However, Coyne is not short on strong potential drivers for both of his cars in 2026.
IndyCar Makes Changes in Canada
Wednesday’s news barrage began with the announcement that IndyCar’s lone Canadian race would be moving to Markham, a city 20 miles Northeast of Downtown Toronto with a population of just over 338,000.
The streets around Toronto’s Exhibition Place had a nearly three-decade engagement with IndyCar and hosted the series’ only Canadian date since 2013, though the series has a deceptively long history in the country, which includes previous visits to Edmonton, Vancouver, Montreal and Mont-Tremblant. Significant development will be needed to make the chosen area of Markham race-ready, but all the same, IndyCar has managed to secure a date in the Greater Toronto Area, where some 7 million potential fans live and work.
Colton Herta’s F1 Deal
Colton Herta’s flirtation with the world of Formula 1 is essentially old news at this point. Rumblings began with Andretti Global’s bumpy attempt to make it to the F1 grid, which started with a proposed purchase of either Sauber or Haas back in 2021.
As time went on, the FIA and F1 paddock proved hostile to Andretti’s ambitions, which General Motors backed under the Cadillac name. Herta’s connection to Andretti was an exigent talking point in this affair, with some discussion suggesting he could target an AlphaTauri seat (then a Honda-branded team) to get his foot in the door. That never played out.
Now, with Cadillac’s entry approved for 2026 and its driver lineup set, Herta has chosen to come on board as the team’s test driver for 2026 and is expected to pursue a ride in F2 in at the same time. This would allow Herta to work toward earning the necessary points for an FIA Super License (provided he finishes eighth or better in the F2 standings).
What about Herta’s No. 26 entry at Andretti Global, you may ask?
Will Power Moves to Andretti Global
Power’s anticipated landing spot announced they had signed the Australian to take over the No. 26 Honda, previously driven by Herta, on Wednesday.
It is not clear if this move brings Power a multi-year contract, but that seems likely given the role duration played in the contractual joust between himself and Team Penske. He will partner with Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson at his new team. It will also mark the first time Power has driven a Honda-powered IndyCar since 2011, the year before Penske entered its current tenure with Chevrolet.
“This is a whole new chapter for me,” Power said in a statement published by INDYCAR. “I have to say that sometimes a change of scenery and a fresh start is very energizing. I can’t wait.”
Now 44 years old and sitting fourth on the all-time wins list, Power appears as hungry as ever heading into his 19th season of IndyCar competition.
And Then There Were…
We’re still waiting on word regarding Dennis Hauger and David Malukas for 2026.
Malukas’ case is particularly interesting. The amount of buzz surrounding his anticipated move to Penske in 2026 makes the radio silence from Penske, Foyt and David himself somewhat confusing.
With Malukas still under contract at Foyt for 2026, perhaps Penske was betting on Power accepting a one-year deal, allowing the team to wait for Malukas’ commitments at Foyt to run out?
Or, put simply, maybe Foyt isn’t ready to let a promising young talent leave his team before the terms of his contract allow? Pesky little things, those legally binding agreements. In the category of what ifs, some have suggested Rinus VeeKay could take over the No. 4 car in Malukas’ absence.
Hauger’s situation is more straightforward. The Indy NXT champion needs a ride in IndyCar. That’s never controversial. Hauger has been loosely linked to a seat at Andretti, which is made less feasible by Power’s move to the No. 26 and IndyCar’s own language, which describes Ericsson as “confirmed” for 2026.
The young Norwegian could look to take up a deal with Dale Coyne and use the Honda connection as an eventual path to Andretti. Juncos Hollinger Racing has likewise yet to confirm its lineup for next year, though the Chevy connection makes that seem less likely.
In Juncos’ world, Sting Ray Robb brings a sizable budget and Conor Daly has experience scraping together money through sheer force of will. Whether the team will opt to retain either of them remains to be seen.
On the topic of budgets, will PREMA still be in the sport come March? RACER recently reported that the team is seeking funding for 2026 to stay in IndyCar. As the only non-charted team in the series, the value proposition of operating at a loss is particularly nauseating for the Italian outfit, who have all the same shown decent pace as the season has progressed. That season included four top-10s in the last five races for Callum Ilott and the Indianapolis 500 pole for Robert Shwartzman.
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.