The 99th edition of the Indianapolis 500 may only be in the recent past, but all the chatter on the paddock surrounds the centennial edition of the crowned jewel race. This year, thirty-four entries competed for the thirty-three starting positions in the American classic, nearly maxing out the capacities of engine and aero kit manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda. However, with promises of more aero kits and engines to be available for 2016, and the likely influx of teams specifically for Indy, we break down the contenders of who can and will come back for the 500.
First, we pare down the open slots in the field with the assumed continuance of all full season entries from 2015:
Chip Ganassi Racing – 4 teams
Team Penske – 4 teams
Andretti Autosport – 3 teams
A.J. Foyt Racing – 2 teams
CFH Racing – 2 teams
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports – 2 teams
Dale Coyne Racing – 2 teams
KVSH Racing – 2 teams
Bryan Herta Autosport – 1 team
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing – 1 team
Total Teams – 23 teams
With twenty-three teams carrying over as full-time participants in the Verizon IndyCar Series, that’s already only ten short of a full thirty-three car field. Now, when factoring in the additional one-off teams that the already existing teams add on average, we add the following:
Chip Ganassi Racing – 1 team
Andretti Autosport – 2 teams
A.J. Foyt Racing – 2 teams
CFH Racing – 1 team
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports – 2 teams
Dale Coyne Racing – 2 teams
KVSH Racing – 2 teams
Bryan Herta Autosport – 1 team
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing – 2 teams
Total Additions to Existing Teams – 15 teams
This adds up to up to thirty-eight entries already for the centennial 500-mile race, without adding in new teams.
New teams you say? There appears to be a high potential for existing sports car teams, Indy Lights programs, and former IndyCar and CART enterprises to enter for what will be a very popular 100th running. Let’s evaluate the chances based on each category:
Sports Car Teams
Michael Shank Racing – Formerly connected to the series and having gone as far at one point as to purchasing one of the DW12 chassis, the only thing that held the team out of the series was the lack of an engine partner. Now with the new Ligier LMP2 chassis in the United SportCar Challenge being connected to Honda, that gap may be bridged better for Indy.
Wayne Taylor Racing – While the team lost longtime partner SunTrust just over a year ago, they could use a new outlet to show off the brotherly duo of the Taylor boys, and what better place to do so than Indianapolis.
The Racer’s Group – The Kevin Buckler led organization has not been one to stray away from expanding themselves into other series, including a brief foray into NASCAR as a multi-car operation. It may be far fetched with their close association with Aston Martin, but we can hope.
China Racing – Not exactly a sports car team…okay, not a sports car team at all. However, before China Racing became a Formula E team, they were connected with merging with the CURB/3G operation in 2009. Could they make a one-off appearance stateside? Only time will tell.
Indy Lights Programs
Team Moore Racing – A mainstay from the Indy Pro, now Indy Lights Series, they are only operating on a partial schedule with the new Dallara chassis in 2015. It would not surprise anyone if the long time team could come back to Indy in a big way.
8-Star Motorsports – Beginning 2015 as a two-car Indy Lights operation, this former sports car team has always had its eyes on expansion. Maybe a one-off entry with owner-driver Enzo Pottolicchio may kick off that effort.
Jonathan’s Byrd Racing – After their first successful attempt at the Indy 500 with USAC champion Bryan Clauson, though ending with a crash, definitely expect the team to be back at Indy regularly.
Fan Force United – An on and off entry in both IndyCar and Indy Lights, they are best remembered for their failed effort with Lotus and former F1 driver Jean Alesi. Rumors always flourish about this team at the start of the season about coming back, to no fruition. With added hype about the centennial, maybe they will make a final comeback.
Belardi Auto Racing – Another mainstay of the Indy Lights Series, they have undergone many expansions and contractions with drivers, and could seen another boon with the 100th birthday.
Carlin Racing – A rapidly expanding team best known for their efforts in developmental series in Europe, they entered 2015 in the Indy Lights Series with former Formula One driver Max Chilton. The team hopes to make the next step to IndyCar next year, at least for the Indy 500, if not for longer.
Juncos Racing – With the race team set to expand into a new facility near Indianapolis, the team is prime for expanding into the Verizon IndyCar Series.
Former IndyCar and CART Enterprises
Conquest Racing – Eric Bachelart led the team from the former Champ Car World Series into IndyCar after unification. The team led two teams into the series for a number of seasons before leaving for sports cars. Occasionally the team will throw some money back into the series by partnering with another organization for a car, but they may come back with a car of their own.
HVM Racing – The team also moved from Champ Car over to IndyCar after unification, and lasted a few seasons before losing their funded drivers. HVM returned to the series by partnering up with Andretti Autosport. Could they and former driver E.J. Viso reunite again?
Newman/Haas Racing – One of the most storied teams in all of motorsports, they quietly exited the IndyCar Series after losing long-time sponsor McDonald’s and not having enough funding for a full season. It would make the most sense for this former team to return in honor of the 100th anniversary.
Dreyer and Reinbold Racing – Roobie Buhl, Dennis Reinbold, and squad always find a way to make an appearance at Indianapolis at least, particularly after their aborted season with Lotus and merging with Panther Racing. Potentially a similar combination could return with John Barnes, or more likely with Kingdom Racing partner Davey Hamilton.
Dragon Racing – Team owner Jay Penske, son of the great Roger Penske, has sent his former IndyCar team overseas to Formula E. Will the team and sponsors Variety, McAfee, and TrueCar return from across the pond and compete at Indy? History says the likelihood is yes, with how many iterations the team has gone through.
Lazier Partners Racing – A constant presence at Indianapolis for decades, Buddy Lazier would never miss the 100th Indianapolis 500, and neither would his team.
CURB/3G Racing – While the team has not been heard of since 2010, Mike Curb has deep pockets to support his teams in NASCAR, so it would surprise no one that he return to the Indy 500 in its biggest year.
While it’s still far to early to call the exact numbers on the 2016 Indianapolis 500, optimists certainly will hope for more than forty entries into the centennial edition.
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