As is often the case when it comes to the NTT IndyCar Series driver lineup, there are notable names left on the outside looking in once the start of any season rolls around. But there is no more notable name not a part of this year's 27-car lineup than Linus Lundqvist, last year's Rookie of the Year.
Lundqvist's absence from the full-time grid was solidified when Dale Coyne Racing confirmed that former Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus VeeKay, another driver who lost his ride after the 2024 season, is set to drive the No. 18 Honda, competing alongside rookie teammate Jacob Abel in the No. 51 entry.
Lundqvist always faced somewhat of an uphill battle to remain in the series in 2025. Last year, he was one of five full-time drivers at Chip Ganassi Racing, and with IndyCar introducing the new charter system, limiting teams to three each, Chip Ganassi's team faced an inevitable downsize.
Lundqvist the odd man out, doesn't get 2025 IndyCar ride
Three-time and two-time reigning series champion Alex Palou kept his seat behind the DHL-sponsored No. 10 Honda, six-time champion and former Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon kept his seat behind the wheel of the PNC Bank-sponsored No. 9 Honda, and Kyffin Simpson, who brings significant funding to the team, was moved from the No. 4 Honda to Lundqvist's No. 8 Honda.
Marcus Armstrong, who drove the No. 11 Honda, was able to land with Meyer Shank Racing, which now have a technical alliance with Chip Ganassi Racing, in the No. 66 Honda, and he is set to compete alongside former Ganassi driver Felix Rosenqvist behind the wheel of the No. 60 car.
Unfortunately for Lundqvist, he ended up being the odd man out, and as more and more seats filled up during the offseason, it was never all that likely that that would change, even after a season in which he twice finished on the podium, both times as his team's top finisher – and both times alongside two Team Penske drivers.
It will be challenging for Lundqvist to land any sort of part-time ride in 2025 as well.
Under the new charter system, 25 cars are chartered entries, and races are capped at 27 cars. Prema Racing's two cars are both non-chartered (open) cars, as the organization is new to the series in 2025, so each race already effectively has 27 cars on the entry list.
This means that even the addition of a single car, by any team, would create a three-way battle for the final two spots. So those three cars could theoretically all qualify inside the top three, and the driver who took P3 would not get to start the race.
The only exception to the 27-car rule is the Indy 500, which remains capped at its traditional 33 cars. Nobody is guaranteed a starting spot in the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing".
There have already been 33 cars – and drivers – confirmed on the entry list for May's 109th running of the race, though that number is indeed expected to grow, which would ensure a third consecutive Bump Day.
The Indy 500 entry list featured 34 cars in 2023 and 2024. It most recently featured 35 in 2021, and it most recently featured 36 in 2019. It most recently featured more than 36 when it featured 41 in 2011, the final Indy 500 before the introduction of the DW12 chassis design.
The 17-race 2025 IndyCar season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Fox is set to provide live coverage of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action during Fox's first season with the exclusive broadcast rights to the series!