IndyCar sees first entry list change of 2021
By Asher Fair
Unlike the 2021 IndyCar season’s first two races, this weekend’s doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway is set to see a few different drivers competing.
This weekend, IndyCar is set for its first oval race of the 2021 season — first two oval races, actually — at Texas Motor Speedway after a race at the Barber Motorsports Park road course to open up the season followed by a race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Genesys 300 is scheduled to take place on Saturday evening and the XPEL 375 is cheduled to take place on Sunday evening.
The 2021 season saw the exact same 24-driver entry list in the second race as it did in the first, marking the first time for such an occurrence since the 2017 season when the same 21 drivers competed in the first and second events.
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But with the series set to take a break from the circuits with multiple left and right turns and instead slated to hit the high banks of the four-turn, 1.44-mile (2.317-kilometer) oval in Fort Worth, Texas for a doubleheader this weekend, there are a few changes to make note of as far as which drivers are in which cars.
The same 24 cars which competed in the season’s first two races are set to be on the grid at Texas Motor Speedway, marking the first time for such an occurrence since 2017 as well, but with four driver changes.
With that being said, 21 drivers, not 20, who competed in the first two races are set to compete in this weekend’s doubleheader.
Conor Daly is the road and street course driver of the #20 Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing and Max Chilton is the road and street course driver of the #59 Chevrolet for Carlin. But Daly is set to compete this weekend, as he is set to replace Chilton at Carlin for the three non-Indy 500 oval races on the schedule this year.
As for the #20 Chevrolet, team owner Ed Carpenter is set to be the oval driver for the eighth consecutive season.
Meanwhile, the #48 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, which is driven by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson in the road and street course races, is set to be driven by Tony Kanaan in the four oval races, including the two scheduled for this weekend.
Likewise, the #51 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, which is driven by Romain Grosjean in the road and street course races, is set to be driven by Pietro Fittipaldi in the four oval races, including the two scheduled for this weekend.
The other 20 cars on the entry list are set to be driven by their respective full-time drivers in the season’s third and fourth races.
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The Genesys 300 is set to be broadcast live from Texas Motor Speedway on NBC Sports Network beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 1, and the XPEL 375 is set to be broadcast live from the same track on the same network beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 2. The same 24 drivers are set to compete in both races.