
IndyCar has seen a flurry of moves since the August 31 season finale at Nashville Speedway, and there’s more movement on the way.
Will Power set things in motion by leaving Team Penske, and next it was Colton Herta, who departed Andretti Global’s IndyCar team to become Cadillac Formula 1’s test driver and was later confirmed for an F2 program. Power closed the busy post-Nashville loop by being confirmed as Herta’s Andretti replacement.
IndyCar cleared the runway last weekend to confirm Mexico City won’t be happening next year, which set up Tuesday’s surfacing of the 2026 calendar, and Team Penske waited two additional days before confirming David Malukas as Power’s replacement.
And now we’re on the clock for the remaining seats to be filled, so let’s look through the paddock and document what’s left and brewing before the 2026 grid is locked into place.
AJ FOYT RACING: Unresolved.
No. 4 Chevy, TBD; No. 14 Chevy, Santino Ferrucci
Notes: With Malukas confirmed at Penske, Foyt’s second entry is the most coveted seat on the market, and despite hearing positive things about Rinus VeeKay (main image) being on his way to the Penske-affiliated program, I’ve had confirmation it isn’t happening.
That means the team continues to search for its next driver to pair with Ferrucci, and among the options, former Dale Coyne Racing driver Jacob Abel is said to be a candidate. Fellow free agent Conor Daly is also known to be in the conversation.
A budget is needed to put the No. 4 Chevy on the grid, so for now — or at least until the team finds its own sponsorship to hire a driver — the driver who replaces Malukas and the Penske budget that put him in the car will need to make a significant contribution to the operating costs.
ANDRETTI GLOBAL: Roster complete.
No. 26 Honda, Will Power; No. 27 Honda, Kyle Kirkwood; No. 28 Honda, Marcus Ericsson
Notes: All three drivers are signed for 2026, but with race engineer Nathan O’Rourke shifting to a shop-based role, the team needs to name a new engineer to lead Power’s No 26 entry. A lucrative contract extension for Kirkwood is something for Andretti Global to put atop its priority list because if they don’t, he’ll have his pick of teams to choose from for 2027.
ARROW MCLAREN: Roster complete.
No. 5 Chevy, Pato O’Ward; No. 6 Chevy, Nolan Siegel; No. 7 Chevy, Christian Lundgaard
Notes: Important year ahead for Siegel, whose No. 6 car will command a lot of interest as he heads into the final season of his contract with the team. I can’t think of any other entry with a bigger ‘prove it or lose it’ situation being faced by its driver.
Unrelated, it would be a surprise if an extension for Lundgaard isn’t forthcoming. Unrelated once more, Lundgaard didn’t have much of a chance to rest after Nashville as he and the team were called upon by Team Chevy to conduct a high-altitude test last week in Tooele, Utah, at the road course formerly known at Miller Motorsports Park. IndyCar doesn’t have any high-altitude events on its upcoming schedule, but with Mexico City and Denver on the horizon, getting ahead of the tuning curve in Utah was a smart move by the Bowtie.
CHIP GANASSI RACING: Roster complete.
No. 8 Honda, Kyffin Simpson; No. 9 Honda, Scott Dixon; No. 10 Honda, Alex Palou
Notes: It has nothing to do with the traditional seat-related silly season, but I’m told the conclusion of the years-long McLaren vs Palou lawsuit is due to start on September 29. We don’t know how it will end and how much money will or won’t be sent McLaren’s way, but having this dark cloud dissipate will be welcome.