IndyCar: Remaining X factors in Silly Season for 2020

The start of the 2020 IndyCar season is rapidly approaching, but there are still a few X factors that remain regarding Silly Season.

Nearly four of the slightly less than six months between the end of the 2019 IndyCar season and the start of the 2020 season are in the books, and with less than two months to go until the season opener, the driver lineup for the upcoming year is nearly full.

So far, a total of 18 drivers have been confirmed across eight teams for the entire 17-race season, which is scheduled to last from Sunday, March 15 through Sunday, September 20.

But there are still a few open seats remaining, and there are a few X factors to consider when it comes to who will ultimately end up with the teams that have not yet confirmed their driver lineups.

Among the 10 full-time teams, there are still two without any confirmed drivers for the upcoming season, and there are a total of five full-time seats without any drivers confirmed.

Additionally, there are a few other wild cards to consider, regarding both drivers and part-time rides as well.

Let’s take a look at these open seats and drivers.

Confirmed full-time seats

A.J. Foyt Enterprises

Carlin

Carlin are in a similar yet very different boat than A.J. Foyt Enterprises. They have two open full-time seats, but just about every name under the sun has been tossed around regarding filling them, and there is still a lot of uncertainty here. Last season, six drivers drove for the team at some point, seven if you include Fernando Alonso’s Indianapolis 500 entry when McLaren formed a technical alliance with Carlin.

It sounds cliché, but their decision will likely primarily come down to driver funding, at least for most of the drivers who end up competing this year. The unofficial over/under on total Carlin drivers for 2020 is 5.5.

Dale Coyne Racing

The only thing missing from Dale Coyne Racing’s driver lineup is a confirmation of Santino Ferrucci’s return. It has been in the works for several months now and is still believed to be coming in the near future.

The only change is that he will likely be behind the wheel of the #18 Honda that Sebastien Bourdais drove the last three seasons, as Vasser-Sullivan are set to stay in IndyCar following Bourdais’s departure and they helped to field this entry. Rookie Alex Palou’s entry is set to be fielded via a different partnership involving Team Goh, likely using the #19 that Ferrucci used in his rookie year last year.

Other

James Hinchcliffe

James Hinchcliffe is still without a full-time ride for the 2020 season after being cut by Arrow McLaren SP, and unless he switches to Chevrolet and ends up with a contract to drive for A.J. Foyt Enterprises or Carlin, he likely won’t get a full-time ride, as the funding that Honda and counterpart Honda Canada can provide him would not be enough for the entire season in a Honda-powered car.

At this point, the best thing for him with Honda is a part-time ride that includes the Indy 500, which is still a good possibility with one of several teams that haven’t ruled out signing him.

He recently secured sponsorship from Genesys, a cloud customer-experience tech company, to compete in the two races during the month of May, the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the Indy 500 at the track’s oval, so this is still a possibility.

He is reportedly still seeking a ride with a Honda team, which makes sense given that this funding could be paired with funding from Honda and Honda Canada to add to his schedule.

But don’t sleep on a Chevrolet switch this late in the game if it means he can compete full-time; he was, in fact, ready to drive for the now Chevrolet-powered Arrow McLaren SP this year before being blindsided when they dropped him from their driver lineup, so his previous ties to Honda should not be a roadblock.

Juncos Racing

Juncos Racing recently stated that they are working hard to make their IndyCar program “bigger and better than ever” in 2020. But that’s still all we know from the team we haven’t seen since last year’s Indy 500, the second of only two races for them in 2019. They competed in 12 races the previous season with three drivers. Only one of those drivers, 2017 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kaiser, competed for them in 2019. Is he still their guy if they do return?

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing recently confirmed a part-time effort for the 2020 season, their biggest commitment since the 2013 season, including at least four races.

They confirmed Sage Karam, who has driven for them in the last four and five of the last six Indy 500s, as one of their drivers and stated that they are working on bringing back J.R. Hildebrand, who drove alongside Karam in the 2018 and 2019 Indy 500s when they added a second car for the first time since running four cars in 2011.

But for how many races would Hildebrand be behind the wheel? Could we see them add races for Karam and/or Hildebrand throughout the season?

DragonSpeed

DragonSpeed likely won’t change much throughout the 2020 season after confirming that Ben Hanley, who drove for them in three races in their maiden IndyCar season a year ago, is set to compete in the season opener.

They are planning on competing in six races this year, and Hanley will likely compete in more than just one. Fellow sports car driver Colin Braun is the only other driver who has been seriously discussed as a potential option for the team, and they aren’t likely to look outside of the pool of veteran sports car drivers to fill the seat of the #81 Chevrolet.

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How will these remaining open seats be filled prior to the 2020 IndyCar season? With 18 drivers currently slated to compete full-time throughout the year, how many more full-time drivers will occupy these seats? The season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 15 from the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.