IndyCar: One driver still doesn't have a car number for 2024

UPDATE: Kyffin Simpson is set to use the No. 4 in 2024.

One of the dominant stories of last year's IndyCar silly season pertained to what Chip Ganassi Racing were going to do with their four entries. While Scott Dixon was a lock to stay behind the wheel of the No. 9 Honda, change seemed inevitable elsewhere.

Alex Palou ended up reneging on his McLaren deal to stay behind the wheel of the No. 10 Honda in pursuit of more championships, but the rest of Chip Ganassi Racing's lineup has indeed been overhauled.

With Marcus Ericsson wanting to be paid like a top-tier driver and Chip Ganassi Racing wanting him to continue to bring funding, he ended up at Andretti Global, replacing the Juncos Hollinger Racing-bound Romain Grosjean behind the wheel of the No. 28 Honda. Linus Lundqvist is set to replace Ericsson behind the wheel of the No. 8 Honda.

While it may not rise to the level of "overhaul", Marcus Armstrong was named the full-time driver of the No. 11 Honda he shared with Takuma Sato in 2024, solidifying the team's four-car lineup -- or so everyone thought.

Shortly after the 2024 season, the team confirmed a surprising expansion to five cars, adding a fifth entry for rookie Kyffin Simpson. But unlike his four teammates -- and, in fact, all other 19 full-time drivers confirmed in this year's lineup -- his car does not yet have a number.

Kyffin Simpson's Chip Ganassi Racing entry TBA for 2024 IndyCar season

The team's other four cars are numbed from No. 8 to No. 11, but both the No. 7 and the No. 12 are taken by Arrow McLaren and Team Penske for Alexander Rossi and Will Power, respectively.

The most recent number used by Chip Ganassi Racing among those not in their current roster is No. 48, which they ran in 2021 and 2022 when Jimmie Johnson was a part of the team.

They could theoretically add a "0" in front of a single-digit number (like what Meyer Shank Racing have done for Helio Castroneves' No. 06 Honda since 2021), or they could use a new number altogether. The No. 1 remains available as well, as reigning champion Palou opted to continue using the No. 10.

We have seen the No. 1 used twice in the last three years, and it was not used by the reigning champion driver -- or team, for that matter -- on either occasion. In fact, it wasn't even used by a full-time driver. J.R. Hildebrand drove the No. 1 Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Enterprises in the 2021 Indy 500, and Tony Kanaan drove the No. 1 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2022 Indy 500.

UPDATE: Kyffin Simpson to use No. 4 in 2024.

As far as the actual full-time driver lineup is concerned, Dale Coyne Racing have the only two remaining open seats: the No. 18 Honda, and another not-yet-numbered Honda, given the uncertainty over the future of their Rick Ware Racing partnership. They have run the No. 51 Honda since 2021.

St. Petersburg, Florida is once again set to host the IndyCar season opener, doing so with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg street race on Sunday, March 10. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it on NBC!