IndyCar: 2025 season options dwindling for top free agents

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing became the ninth of 11 full-time teams to solidify their driver lineup for the 2025 IndyCar season, confirming that former Andretti Global driver Devlin DeFrancesco, who did not compete in the series in 2024, is set to replace Pietro Fittipaldi behind the wheel of the No. 30 Honda.

The move means that just three of the 27 full-time seats are still available for the 17-race 2025 season, which is scheduled to get underway in under three months. In fact, this week marks the halfway point between the end of the 2024 season and the scheduled start of the 2025 campaign.

Juncos Hollinger Racing recently confirmed that former A.J. Foyt Racing driver Sting Ray Robb is set to drive the No. 78 Chevrolet in 2025, meaning they still have a vacancy to fill behind the No. 77 Chevrolet which Romain Grosjean drove in 2024.

Then there is Dale Coyne Racing, which have become notoriously slow at solidifying their driver lineups over the years. They ran two full-time entries in 2024 and plan to do the same in 2025.

Options limited for top IndyCar free agents

So the options are extremely limited for drivers still pursuing new rides, such as former Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus VeeKay, the race winner who was replaced by Alexander Rossi after spending five seasons with the team.

Former Chip Ganassi Racing driver Linus Lundqvist is in a similar boat. The 2024 Rookie of the Year, who racked up multiple podium finishes en route to claiming the honors, simply fell victim to the team's downsize from five cars to three, a move that stemmed from the introduction of the new charter system.

Though Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have struggled in recent seasons and the 2024 season marked a new low in more ways than one, their third seat was arguably the top remaining seat, and it went to a driver who, in two seasons with a top-tier Andretti team, finished no higher than 12th place in any individual race.

With all due respect to DeFrancesco, whose flashes of potential have been highlighted by his insane outside move from fifth place to the lead at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in August 2023, the announcement was a significant blow for VeeKay and Lundqvist, among others.

But not all hope is lost for VeeKay and Lundqvist, should they indeed land rides for next year after all.

Juncos Hollinger Racing have shown signs of speed on a number of occasions, most notably with Conor Daly's surprise podium finish at the Milwaukee Mile near the end of the 2024 season, and Dale Coyne Racing aren't nearly as bad as everybody seems to think.

For the first time since 2015, Dale Coyne's team did not have a full-time driver in 2024. Not surprisingly, the team failed to secure a single podium finish for the first time since 2015 as well.

When they opt against musical chairs, they succeed. Though there is more that goes into it than that, it really is that simple. In the last 13 years, they have had at least one full-time driver on 11 occasions, and on those 11 (and only those 11) occasions, they have secured at least one podium finish over the course of the season.

Surely VeeKay or Lundqvist – or both – could keep that trend alive with the proper level of investment in 2025.

The 2025 IndyCar season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 2. Fox is set to provide live coverage from the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.