The 2026 IndyCar driver lineup is slowly but surely coming together, with the placement of the remaining puzzle pieces largely hinging on Team Penske's decision on Will Power's future.
But let's skip the next few years for a minute and predict what things might look at in America's premier open-wheel racing series five seasons from now.
Considering the fact that most IndyCar fans probably didn't know how to pronounce the name Palou five years ago during his rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing, quite a bit could change between 2025 and 2030. This lineup features quite a few changes, some a lot bolder (and just barely realistic) than others.
Have a look.
Chip Ganassi Racing
Drivers: Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Kyffin Simpson
Alex Palou avoids any more contract controversy and continues his run of dominance behind the wheel of the No. 10 Honda. By this point, he has solidified himself as IndyCar's GOAT with six (possibly more) championships and two (possibly more) Indy 500 wins, and there is no longer even a debate.
Scott Dixon finally retires after his first winless season since 2004, paving the way for Colton Herta, with Formula 1 now firmly out of the picture, to form a formidable 1-2 punch at Chip Ganassi Racing after finally coming to terms with the fact that he will never win a championship driving for Andretti Global. He bolts at the first opportunity and celebrates his first sub-eight-second pit stop in who-knows-how-long by this point.
The No. 9 PNC Bank Honda lands another long-term title contender while Dixon still returns annually for an Indy 500 one-off.
Kyffin Simpson continues to improve, and funding proves not to be the only reason he keeps his seat. Let's not forget the fact that he is still only 20 years old as of 2025.
Arrow McLaren
Drivers: Pato O'Ward, Christian Lundgaard, Lando Norris
Pato O'Ward continues to be one of the faces of IndyCar, and at this point, he is finally an IndyCar champion and an Indy 500 winner. Palou vs. O'Ward has become must-see TV on a weekly basis.
Christian Lundgaard is moved to the No. 6 Chevrolet as McLaren prove they are superstitious of the No. 7 and its unbelievably absurd win drought that dates back to the Danica Patrick era.
Ok, this probably isn't going to happen, but we included it anyway. Lando Norris pulls a Nico Rosberg and retires from Formula 1 after finally managing to beat Oscar Piastri to a world championship following several years of trying, but instead of actually retiring from motorsport, he joins IndyCar, having competed in the COVID iRacing league back in 2020 and previously expressed interest in running the Indy 500.
Zak Brown boldly claims we have entered Part II of the "Lando Norris era".
If not, look for someone like Christian Rasmussen to be the subject of Brown's latest poaching pursuit.
Andretti Global
Drivers: Kyle Kirkwood, Dennis Hauger, Felix Rosenqvist
Kyle Kirkwood becomes the face of Andretti Global following Herta's departure and continues to be a threat to win multiple races per year, though because of his lack of podium finishes when he doesn't win, Andretti continue to seek their first title since Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2012.
Dennis Hauger is the obvious next man up, even right now. The 2025 Indy NXT champion continues the trend of Indy NXT champions getting a shot in IndyCar, and he makes the most of it, finding victory lane several times over his first few seasons.
Andretti take another shot on a Swedish veteran after their Marcus Ericsson signing unfortunately didn't pan out, and Felix Rosenqvist, after several years of trying, finally gets back to victory lane for the first time since Road America in 2020.
Team Penske
Drivers: Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, David Malukas
Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin, both nearing the end of their respective IndyCar careers, prove that 2025 was a fluke, notching multiple multi-win seasons, plus an Indy 500 win for each, over the next few years.
David Malukas immediately rewards Team Penske's faith in him and keeps them from regretting the decision to replace Will Power, despite the pressure of the blockbuster move. But above all, he makes McLaren pay for firing him for no reason at the start of 2024.
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Drivers: Santino Ferrucci and Myles Rowe
Santino Ferrucci finally does what he set out to do and makes A.J. Foyt's team a winner for the first time since 2013, and he effectively secures himself as the face of the No. 14 Chevrolet for the foreseeable future in the process.
Similarly to how Roger Penske orchestrated Malukas' Foyt ride for 2025, he ensures that up-and-coming young talent Myles Rowe can realize his IndyCar dream alongside Ferrucci at the Penske-affiliated program.
Meyer Shank Racing
Drivers: Will Power and Kyle Larson
Will Power does exactly what fellow Team Penske "rejects" and former Indy 500 winners Helio Castroneves did and joins Meyer Shank Racing to wrap up his career, reuniting with Castroneves as Castroneves continues to pursue his fifth Indy 500 win in a one-off entry.
Here's a fun one: Kyle Larson. Larson wins at least two more NASCAR Cup Series championships by 2030, and after a humbling Indy experience in 2025, he finally decides to actually commit to IndyCar to attempt the Indy 500 with proper preparation alongside two of the best ever in Power and Castroneves.
McLaughlin even gives him a thumbs up at some point during the month of May.
Dale Coyne Racing
Driver: Rinus VeeKay
Dale Coyne Racing truly build around their newfound star in Rinus VeeKay, downsizing from two cars to one after selling a charter to the next team on this list.
After fully embracing the "small team" label they've carried for decades, they finally return to the glory days they experienced with the likes of Justin Wilson, Mike Conway, and Sebastien Bourdais finding victory lane in the 2010s. VeeKay turns down an offer to join Andretti to push this project forward, and it pays off.
Prema Racing
Drivers: Charles Leclerc, Robert Shwartzman, Callum Ilott
Charles Leclerc gets fed up explaining that water is wet, among other things, to a certain Italian team in Formula 1 and makes the move to a continuously improving Italian team in IndyCar with the hope of replicating what former Sauber teammate Ericsson did: win the Indy 500.
Robert Schwartzman and Callum Ilott both remain in their respective seats, at this point both winners in the series, and the team manage to acquire their first charter from Dale Coyne Racing to expand.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Drivers: Alexander Rossi and Caio Collet
Alexander Rossi's stint with Ed Carpenter Racing ends after only a few relatively lackluster seasons, and similarly to Conor Daly before him, he closes out his career with Juncos Hollinger Racing in a veteran role alongside Caio Collet, who moves from the No. 76 car in Indy NXT to the No. 76 car in IndyCar.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Drivers: Graham Rahal, Marcus Armstrong, Louis Foster
Marcus Armstrong makes a surprise move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing from Meyer Shank Racing, and that move ends up being what everybody thought Jack Harvey's would be in 2022.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing become relevant again, forcing Graham Rahal to put off retirement and preventing a budding star in Louis Foster from seeking greener pastures elsewhere like Lundgaard did via McLaren after 2024.
Ed Carpenter Racing
Drivers: Christian Rasmussen and Josh Pierson
Christian Rasmussen has shown that he can be a problem for many years to come, and we don't mean that in a bad way. His aggressive driving style is exactly what Ed Carpenter Racing need to get back to winning at least semi-regularly, and he's already proven it. He even wins an oval championship at some point, something no Carpenter driver had done since Newgarden in 2016.
Following the departure of Alexander Rossi, development driver Josh Pierson is promoted after steady improvement during his time in the Road to Indy ladder.