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The IndyCar silly season rumor mill is running hot. Here’s what to know

Some of the scenarios you’re about to read are pure nonsense while others are 100-percent accurate.

  • Colton Herta is leaving IndyCar to race in Formula 2 to try and earn a Super License in order to drive for Andretti Global’s Cadillac F1 team.
  • Colton Herta is staying in IndyCar with Andretti Global.
  • Alex Palou is leaving Chip Ganassi Racing to race for Red Bull as Max Verstappen’s teammate.
  • Alex Palou is staying with Chip Ganassi Racing.
  • Will Power is leaving Team Penske to replace Colton Herta at Andretti Global.
  • Will Power is leaving Team Penske to replace Devlin DeFrancesco at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
  • Will Power is leaving Team Penske to replace David Malukas at AJ Foyt Racing.
  • Will Power is staying at Team Penske.
  • David Malukas is leaving AJ Foyt Racing to replace Will Power at Team Penske.
  • David Malukas is staying at AJ Foyt Racing.
  • Andretti Global’s new Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger is replacing Colton Herta at Andretti Global.
  • Andretti Global’s new Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger is replacing Conor Daly at Juncos Hollinger Racing on a one-year deal before joining Andretti’s IndyCar team in 2027.
  • Andretti Global’s new Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger is replacing Jacob Abel at Dale Coyne Racing on a one-year placement deal before joining Andretti’s IndyCar team in 2027.
  • Former Chip Ganassi Racing driver Linus Lundqvist is under consideration at Juncos Hollinger Racing.
  • Rinus VeeKay is leaving Dale Coyne Racing to replace Colton Herta at Andretti Global.
  • PREMA reserve driver Romain Grosjean is returning to IndyCar with Dale Coyne Racing, his first home in the series after transitioning over from F1, to replace Rinus VeeKay.
  • Rinus VeeKay is staying at Dale Coyne Racing.
  • PREMA Racing is headed into its final IndyCar race.
  • PREMA Racing’s Robert Shwartzman is heading into his final IndyCar race.
  • PREMA Racing is continuing next season.
  • PREMA Racing is merging with another team to continue.

    • Let’s start with Herta. A few days before flying out to Milwaukee, I had an IndyCar team boss tell me about the Colton Herta-to-F2 angle and laughed out loud at the absurdity of the concept. Andretti Global would pull the seven-year IndyCar veteran from the No. 26 Honda… and send him to Formula 1’s equivalent of Indy NXT in a bid to earn enough points to qualify for a Super License and join Andretti’s Cadillac F1 team?

    I mentioned it as a crazy can’t-be-true rumor on my podcast last Thursday, and then observed a change in tone and behavior once I was on the ground at Milwaukee from those who are normally willing to talk, which made me question whether something was actually brewing with an IndyCar-to-F2 scheme.

    After Milwaukee, a prominent team owner told me to keep an eye out for a press release on the Herta move in the next two weeks, and RACER F1 reporter Chris Medland has since had multiple F2 teams confirm they’ve received outreaches about running Herta

    , so my eyes are indeed open.

    In a related twist, if the 25-year-old heads to Europe to pursue F1, I’ve been told ad nauseum that Will Power is the preferred solution for Herta’s No. 26 Honda if Power isn’t retained by Team Penske. Looking at the two teams, Andretti’s won three races this season and Penske has one victory, courtesy of Power.

    If all of the dominoes fall as rumored, Power could be facing an upgrade in the twilight of his career, which almost never happens.

    Andretti’s new Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger has also been mentioned as an easy replacement for Herta in the No. 26, but those I’ve spoken with suggest it’s a low-percentage scenario. More than any other team, Dale Coyne Racing has been mentioned as Andretti’s go-to solution for Hauger.

    Penske has not tipped its hand on whether it will keep Power in the No. 12 Chevy for another season, but its decision will have deep ramifications throughout the paddock. If an extension is offered, and it meets Power’s needs, doors open and shut elsewhere. If he leaves by Penske’s choice or his own, doors open and shut as well. RLL also still wants Power to join Graham Rahal and Louis Foster, but it sits third on the depth chart behind Penske and Andretti.

    Is VeeKay suiting up for his final race with Coyne? Paul Hurley/IMS

    Rinus VeeKay was considered a lock to stay with Coyne, but that might be unwinding as I’ve heard there could be another opportunity for him to explore. I’ve had a team principal tell me Romain Grosjean is in the frame to take VeeKay’s seat, and while he didn’t name any teams, Grosjean made it clear he’s trying to make a comeback.

    Continuing on the comeback front, Linus Lundqvist was all smiles Sunday morning at Milwaukee after meeting with a prospective team. He’s believed to be in the mix at Juncos Hollinger Racing, which in turn is rumored to be in talks with PREMA about some form of collaboration.

    There are more questions than answers about the situation facing PREMA, which is understood to need new backing to continue. Juncos Hollinger has been seeking a new investor to allow it to hire drivers of its choosing and make the kind of expenditures needed to move forward in the standings, and while PREMA’s reality is slightly different, there is a commonality in seeking new investment to carry the programs onward and upward. Whether that shared need and any possible findings with fresh backing could manifest in some form of alliance or merger is unknown.

    Unrelated, PREMA’s Robert Shwartzman is said to be miserable with the American racing experience and pining for a return to Europe. Amid all of PREMA’s uncertainty, it’s hard to predict what will happen and who might be driving for the team if it’s able to continue in 2026, but some change on the driver front wouldn’t be a surprise.

    And then there’s the Palou-to-Red Bull angle. That one has been sufficiently killed, hasn’t it? The rumor sounded like a plant from the outset, designed to stir up drama and cause distractions for Palou and Chip Ganassi right when they’ve won the championship. Most teams place nicely with each other in IndyCar, but they’re all heavily invested in taking each other down in some capacity. Most of the time it’s limited to on-track efforts, but sometimes it extends into the off-track realm.

    So, in less than a month since our first silly season story where boredom and limited movement was the overarching mood within the paddock, all manner of stranger things have developed. Herta. Power. Hauger. Malukas. VeeKay. Grosjean. Lundqvist, and more. What’s waiting for us on the other side of Sunday’s season finale?