IndyCar: What we don't know about the 2019 driver lineup

There are still several potential seats available on the grid for the 2019 IndyCar season. Which drivers do not yet have contracts?

While there have been several drivers who have been confirmed for the 2019 IndyCar season, there is still a lot that is up in the air.

There are a number of seats that are open for next year among teams that competed in the sport this past season, and there are a number of seats that could potentially become open if certain teams join the series.

Here are the seats that are open and that could potentially become open for next season and the career situations of the drivers who occupied the seats that were occupied this past season.

Chevrolet teams

Carlin Motorsport

Charlie Kimball just finished his eighth season driving in IndyCar as well as his first season driving for Carlin Motorsport.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing are exploring the option of returning to IndyCar as a full-time team for the first time since the 2012 season.

Ed Carpenter Racing

Jordan King just finished his first season driving in IndyCar as a road and street course race-only driver, making this season his first season driving for Ed Carpenter Racing as well.

Juncos Racing

Kyle Kaiser drove part-time for Juncos Racing this past season having never driven in IndyCar before.
Rene Binder also drove part-time for Juncos Racing this past season having never driven in IndyCar before.
Alfonso Celis Jr. also drove part-time for Juncos Racing this past season having never driven in IndyCar before.

Honda teams

Dale Coyne Racing

Zachary Claman DeMelo drove part-time for Dale Coyne Racing this past season having made his first career IndyCar start in the 2017 season.

Pietro Fittipaldi drove part-time for Dale Coyne Racing this past season having never driven in IndyCar before.

Santino Ferrucci also drove part-time for Dale Coyne Racing this past season having never driven in IndyCar before.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have been exploring the option of adding a third full-time driver in the 2019 season for the first time since they were a three-car full-time team in the 2006 season.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

If Robert Wickens does not return to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in the 2019 season, the team will likely sign a driver to replace him behind the wheel of the #6 Honda.

Scuderia Corsa

Scuderia Corsa made their IndyCar debut in this year’s Indianapolis 500 with Oriol Servia. They have committed to returning to the Indy 500 next year and are exploring the option of becoming a full-time team.

TBD engine manufacturer teams

DragonSpeed

DragonSpeed are exploring the option of making their IndyCar debut in the 2019 season. Whether or not they would be a full-time team or a part-time team is unknown.

McLaren

McLaren are exploring the option of making their return to IndyCar in the 2019 season as either a one-car or a two-car full-time team and possibly with a partnership with another team.

Top 10 IndyCar drivers of all-time. dark. Next

Which drivers will end up being signed to drive for the teams that still have open seats or that might potentially have open seats for the 2019 IndyCar season? Which of these drivers will drive for which of these teams? With the offseason underway, we should know the answers to these questions soon.

IndyCar: What we don’t know about the 2019 driver lineup

By Asher Fair | Oct 2, 2018