{"id":24418,"date":"2024-09-12T17:30:30","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T21:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=24418&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=24418"},"modified":"2024-09-12T17:14:23","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T21:14:23","slug":"preparing-for-the-2025-indycar-silly-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/09\/12\/preparing-for-the-2025-indycar-silly-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for the 2025 IndyCar Silly Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>As the 2024 IndyCar season closes, inquiries regarding future placements of drivers for next season start to ramp up.<\/h2>\n<p>Teams are finalizing their driver line-ups for the upcoming months, leaving only 15 of the 27 spots secured. This leaves plenty of opportunities for new signings and sets the stage for a hectic 2025 IndyCar silly season.<\/p>\n<p>Below is an overview of some of the notable rumors and transactions that may occur during this off-season.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Chip Ganassi downsizes<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/brucemartin\/2023\/09\/18\/chip-ganassi-racing-expands-to-5-indy-cars-in-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chip Ganassi<\/a> in 2023 announced that they would increase their IndyCar Series entries to five full-time positions in 2024 \u00a0The graduation of its development driver, Kyffin Simpson who would be driving alongside Marcus Armstrong, Scott Dixon, Linus Lundqvist, and Alex Palou contributed to the addition.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And after just one season the team is downsizing by two spots. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, who\u2019s safe and who\u2019s on the chopping block?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dixon and Palou, each with six and two championship titles respectively, have secured their spots, leaving No. 8 open for someone else. Simpson is rumored to take over the final spot despite sitting in 21st place, last among the five drivers. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This suggests that Lundqvist and Armstrong will see the door at the end of the year, joining the fight for a spot on next year&#8217;s grid. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both have seen success this season with a couple of podium finishes. Lundqvist was named Rookie of the Year title with a race to go and currently sits 16th in the standings, just one spot behind Armstrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hear from ROTY @linushflundqvist \u263a\ufe0f<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BeTheOne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#BeTheOne<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hKbyZIbuYI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/hKbyZIbuYI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Chip Ganassi Racing (@CGRTeams) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CGRTeams\/status\/1830748004367613971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><b>Prema joins<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/04\/09\/prema-racing-joins-indycar-series-in-2025\/\" target=\"_self\">Prema Racing<\/a>, known for its success in Formula 2 and Formula 3, is finally moving across the pond to IndyCar. With that, they are currently on the hunt for two drivers to pilot their new Chevrolet-powered cars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Italian franchise welcomes both IndyCar drivers and a new world of drivers. Some with experience in America, and some with zero. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, given how well some <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2022\/11\/07\/prema-the-mercedes-of-the-f1-feeder-series\/\" target=\"_self\">Prema graduates<\/a> like Armstrong, Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing, and part-time driver Callum Ilott, who will also be looking for a seat, have done in IndyCar, there might be hope for some European-based talent taking a spot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prema boss Rene Rosin expressed his hopes for the two-car operation in an interview with <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.the-race.com\/indycar\/everything-worth-knowing-about-new-prema-indycar-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Race<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur ideal line-up would be made of an experienced driver and a quick rookie. Of course, we will also have to take into consideration the drivers\u2019 market and make the best possible choice for the Team.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Former F1 driver <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/08\/27\/williams-take-decision-to-replace-logan-sargeant-report\/\" target=\"_self\">Logan Sargeant<\/a>, dropped by Williams mid-season, is a top rookie contender after racing with Prema in Formula 3 in Europe in 2020.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rosin has <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">confirmed that he\u2019s had <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/07\/31\/logan-sargeant-linked-to-indycar-drive-with-prema\/\" target=\"_self\">talks with the American native.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another driver catching their attention is <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2023\/01\/07\/revisiting-alexander-rossi-2016-indy-500-win\/\" target=\"_self\">Alexander Rossi<\/a>, who\u2019s set to part ways with Arrow McLaren after this season. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The presence and experience of a veteran like Rossi in IndyCar could be advantageous for the team in its initial phases. As Rosin points out, a move like this &#8216;will facilitate a quicker learning curve and help close the gap with competing teams.&#8217;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Proudly introducing our numbers for the upcoming INDYCAR season! \ud83e\udd29 <\/p>\n<p>Keep an eye on track for the #83 and #90 in 2025! \ud83d\udc40\ud83e\udef6<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/INDYCAR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#INDYCAR<\/a>   <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PREMARacing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#PREMARacing<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/svfpMxpBSV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/svfpMxpBSV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; PREMA (@PREMA_Team) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PREMA_Team\/status\/1833846271313870986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><b>Seats open everywhere<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Five teams aside from Prema are still looking to fill out either a spot or spots for their\u00a0 lineup. Here is a current list of the vacancies and the rumored drivers for the 2025 IndyCar silly season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The three-car, Honda-powered operation <\/span><b>Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is looking for two drivers to accompany Graham Rahal. The drivers rumored for the spot are Juri Vips, Rossi, Theo Pouchaire, and Zane Maloney.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Dale Coyne Racing <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is looking for a new lineup to fill out the No. 18 car and No. 51 car. Kathrine Legge, Toby Sowery, Jack Harvey, and Hunter McElera are all being looked at for a spot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ed Carpenter Racing <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may retain both Christian Rasmussen and Rinus Veekay, although no official announcements have been made yet. Should they not be re-signed, potential candidates for the positions include Rossi, Josh Pierson, and Conor Daly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Juncos Hollinger Racing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is expected to retain Romain Grosjean for the 2025 season, although this has yet to be officially confirmed. Regarding the second seat, the team has mentioned that they have engaged in discussions with up to 15 different drivers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most coveted open seats on the grid in 2025 is the No. 66 <\/span><b>Meyer Shank<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A decision on who will drive alongside Rosenqvist will be made by the team by October. The rumored drivers are Armstrong, Lundqvist, Rossi, Louis Foster and Veekay.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the 2024 IndyCar season closes, inquiries regarding future placements of drivers for next season start to ramp up. Teams are finalizing their driver line-ups for the upcoming months, leaving only 15 of the 27 spots secured. This leaves plenty of opportunities for new signings and sets the stage for a hectic 2025 IndyCar silly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5307,"featured_media":24461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,1663],"tags":[1836,25,398,1693,112,2328],"class_list":["post-24418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-indycar","category-ntt-indycar-series","tag-aj-foyt-racing","tag-alexander-rossi","tag-chip-ganassi-racing","tag-logan-sargeant","tag-prema-racing","tag-rumors"],"modified_by":"Hayden Murdock","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5307"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}