The domino that IndyCar fans have been waiting to see fall since before the 2025 season even started has finally fallen, with Will Power and Team Penske confirming that they have parted ways ahead of what would have been an 18th season together in 2026.
Shortly thereafter, one of IndyCar's most underrated standout performers of the 2026 season announced his own departure from a team.
After just one year, Rinus VeeKay is leaving Dale Coyne Racing, leaving the team in need of a new driver of the No. 18 Honda after he finished 14th in the championship standings with a top finish of second, just one year after the team relied solely on part-time drivers and never scored a single finish inside the top 12.
VeeKay continued one of the most underrated streaks in the sport. In the DW12 era, Dale Coyne Racing have never gone a full season without a podium finish when they've had at least one full-time driver. Aside from 2024, the only exception is 2015, when they competed only with part-timers.
Rinus VeeKay out; new landing spot (and replacement driver) rumored
Evidently, the team were prepared to confirm VeeKay as a part of their 2026 driver lineup when they made their sponsorship announcement over the weekend in Nashville, but that had to be placed on hold after VeeKay informed them that he would be seeking other opportunities.
VeeKay has been linked to A.J. Foyt Enterprises' No. 4 Chevrolet to replace David Malukas, who is believed to be Penske-bound as Power's replacement behind the wheel of the No. 12 Chevrolet.
The hot rumor is that Power is headed to Andretti Global to replace Colton Herta behind the wheel of the No. 26 Honda, with Herta believed to be on his way to Europe to compete in Formula 2 with the hopes of securing enough FIA Super Licence points to make his way to Formula 1 with Cadillac in the near future.
As for Dale Coyne Racing, Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger, who won the title for Andretti Global, has been linked to the No. 18 car as VeeKay's replacement, through support not only from his Indy NXT championship scholarship but from Andretti Global themselves.
Andretti did something similar with Kyle Kirkwood in 2022, allowing him to compete full-time for A.J. Foyt Enterprises before he moved to their own organization full-time in 2023.
Hauger had been mentioned as a potential replacement for the struggling Marcus Ericsson, but Andretti Global appear intent on honoring the 2022 Indy 500 winner's contract for 2026.
All things considered, there might not have been much concrete "silly season" action during the six-month 2025 campaign. But it certainly didn't take long for that to change this offseason.