IndyCar silly season is still in full force, even more than two weeks after the 2026 season concluded at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
A.J. Foyt Enterprises finally got in on the action when they announced that 2026 Rookie of the Year Dennis Hauger is set to replace Santino Ferrucci behind the wheel of the No. 14 Chevrolet. The team's other seat, the No. 4 Chevrolet, remains vacant.
Hauger's arrival comes after a departure from Dale Coyne Racing, one of two teams with no drivers confirmed for next year (and a long history of waiting until very deep into the offseason to fully solidify their roster). The other is Juncos Hollinger Racing.
The other remaining vacancy exists at Chip Ganassi Racing, following Scott Dixon's decision to leave the team after a quarter of a century and replace Christian Lundgaard at Arrow McLaren.
Here's what we already know about next year.
IndyCar 2027 driver lineup: What's already confirmed
Team | Car | Driver |
|---|---|---|
A.J. Foyt Enterprises | No. 14 Chevrolet | Dennis Hauger |
Andretti Global | No. 26 Honda | Will Power |
Andretti Global | No. 27 Honda | Kyle Kirkwood |
Andretti Global | No. 28 Honda | Marcus Ericsson |
Arrow McLaren | No. 5 Chevrolet | Pato O'Ward |
Arrow McLaren | No. 6 Chevrolet | Felix Rosenqvist |
Arrow McLaren | No. 7 Chevrolet | Scott Dixon |
Chip Ganassi Racing | No. 8 Honda | Kyffin Simpson |
Chip Ganassi Racing | No. 10 Honda | Alex Palou |
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | No. 24 Honda | Conor Daly |
Ed Carpenter Racing | No. 20 Chevrolet | Alexander Rossi |
Ed Carpenter Racing | No. 21 Chevrolet | Christian Rasmussen |
Meyer Shank Racing | No. 60 Honda | Marcus Armstrong |
Meyer Shank Racing | No. 66 Honda | Mick Schumacher |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | No. 15 Honda | Graham Rahal |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | No. 45 Honda | Louis Foster |
Team Penske | No. 2 Chevrolet | Josef Newgarden |
Team Penske | No. 3 Chevrolet | Scott McLaughlin |
Team Penske | No. 12 Chevrolet | David Malukas |
Who will take the remaining six vacant seats?
We'll start with the one that seems almost too easy.
No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Despite Rinus VeeKay's name emerging late in the season, it feels like Christian Lundgaard ending up at Chip Ganassi Racing for 2027 is a foregone conclusion. It has always felt like a massive mistake by Arrow McLaren to let him go, following a season that saw him lead the team with a third place finish in the championship standings and score 70% of the team's podium finishes.
He earned two victories, led the series in points scored on road courses (yes, even more than Alex Palou), and even scored an oval podium finish, despite supposedly not being a good oval driver. You almost have to believe that Chip Ganassi is just toying with Zak Brown by waiting as long as he possibly can to make it official.
No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Given the gains made my Juncos Hollinger Racing, this is still a pretty good consolation prize for VeeKay, whom we don't believe is going anywhere following a career year in which he finished 10th in the championship standings with top four finishes in nearly one-quarter of the races.
With the team already expected to replace Sting Ray Robb in the No. 77 Chevrolet, there is no sense for a total lineup overhaul. Don't fix what isn't broken.
No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
If it's true that Romain Grosjean has the ability to return for another year with Dale Coyne Racing if he wants to, why wouldn't he? He has said that he's at the point of his career where he wants to have fun, and after recording a runner-up finish in Markham to extend an underrated Dale Coyne Racing streak, it's clear he's still capable of performing at a high level.
No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
Part of me believes that A.J. Foyt Enterprises would have stuck with Ferrucci if Josh Pierson, whose funding would be the primary reason for an IndyCar promotion, was their pick, since Hauger reportedly brings some funding of his own.
But I'm not convinced he's still not the guy. Given the timing of his first Indy NXT win, which came almost immediately after IndyCar unexpectedly released their new licensing standards, it's hard to imagine he won't at least get a chance to prove himself in a test. But don't rule out Ferrucci from splitting this car with him part-time, which he has said he's in talks to do.
No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Nikita Johnson is the reigning Indy NXT champion, and he has his eyes on an IndyCar promotion, as he should after winning the championship as an 18-year-old rookie. Dale Coyne Racing have had at least one rookie in their lineup for seven consecutive years, and I don't expect that streak to end in 2027.
Whether it gets confirmed before Halloween (or Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, MLK Day, Valentine's Day, etc.) remains to be seen.
No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
If Caio Collet doesn't return to A.J. Foyt Enterprises, which it doesn't look like he will, a move to Juncos Hollinger Racing as VeeKay's teammate would make sense. Sure, it may be wishful thinking, as they have been linked to other pay drivers to replace Robb, such as Nolan Siegel and Devlin DeFrancesco, but Collet would bring some budget of his own anyway.
There were plenty of inconsistencies and unforced errors from Collet in 2026. But first and foremost, he was a rookie, and we can't ignore the flashes of potential that he displayed on far more than one occasion. Not having him in the series for a second year would be a disappointment, as would the team not opting for arguably the best driver still available.
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is set to open up the 2027 IndyCar season on Sunday, March 7, with live coverage from the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida set to be provided by Fox.
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