Earlier this week, one of the biggest silly season moves in the history of the NTT IndyCar Series was announced. Arrow McLaren announced that Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist will join their team for 2027. This caused major ramifications in the free agency pool. A top tier driver, Christian Lundgaard, is without a home. And a top tier ride, the No. 9 for Chip Ganassi Racing, does not have a driver.
On paper, these parties coming together makes a lot of sense. The seat is fully funded by PNC Bank and Lundgaard is a three-time road course winner.
The one issue, and seemingly what cost him his seat at McLaren, is the 24-year old’s lack of oval success. Lundgaard has one top-10 in five career Indianapolis 500 starts and three top-10s in nine oval starts for McLaren. If Lundgaard does not secure the No. 9, Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Rinus VeeKay and Williams’ Formula 1 reserve driver Luke Browning have also been mentioned as candidates for the No. 9.
VeeKay has become known for overachieving, as the Dutch driver has finished between 12th and 14th in points in six consecutive seasons for mid-pack teams. The 25-year old has earned one win, four podiums, and two poles driving for Ed Carpenter Racing and Dale Coyne Racing. The garage knows VeeKay can drag a lower mid-field car to greater heights. The question of what he can do in good equipment has been asked, and Ganassi could raise an answer.
Browning would be an unconventional choice, but Chip Ganassi has a precedence of not always choosing the most obvious driver. For example, a former Formula 3 driver for Dale Coyne Racing named Alex Palou got hired to drive their No. 10, and he’s on pace to win his fifth title in six seasons. The 24 year old is a Formula 2 winner, finished 4th in the 2025 standings, and is currently racing in Super Formula with a pair of top-5s in four starts so far.
The No. 9 is one of 11 unconfirmed seats for the 2027 season. From veterans likely to return to rookies fighting for their careers to other potential moves, this wild silly season is likely to continue.
One Open Seat
Andretti Global and Meyer Shank Racing
Ganassi-alligned Meyer Shank Racing also has an open seat. Any of the three candidates for the No. 9 could also land here.
2024 Rookie of the Year Linus Lundqvist made his first starts for the team in 2023, and has been looking for a seat ever since Ganassi was forced to downsize due to charter limits and chose to cut him. Recently, the 27-year old signed on as Honda’s Simulator driver. If the manufacturer is impressed with his data, he could return to the seat.
Current rookie Caio Collet has also been mentioned as a candidate for this seat. His raw speed in INDY NXT, financial backing, and Brazilian connection with part-owner Helio Castroneves might all result in Collet landing this seat.
One other top-tier team has a chance to change their lineup, as Andretti Global’s No. 28 is open. Marcus Ericsson is in his third year with the organization, and is having by far his best season for them. Ericsson has scored two podiums in 2.5 seasons with Andretti and finishes of 15th and 20th in the points, but the 35-year old is currently 10th in the standings and is always a factor in the Indy 500.
In the preseason, the favorite to take over the No. 28 was Dennis Hauger. The 23-year old rookie won the 2025 Indy NXT title and is currently a rookie for Coyne alligned with Andretti. Hauger currently sits 19th in points and is leading the Rookie Standings by 16 points. Despite rumors that Andretti might let him seek other opportunities, the Norwegian should not be ignored for a chance at this seat.
It appears that the No. 28 will be Scandinavian, as Lundgaard could land here if nothing materializes in the Ganassi fold. Whichever of Hauger and Ericsson ends up out of a ride is also a candidate for MSR.
Ed Carpenter Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan
Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 is technically open, but Rossi is expected to return. If Rossi were to enter the silly season market, it would certainly shake things up. But, given that the 34-year old is nearly a race ahead of his teammate in points, who got a contract extension, it is likely Rossi will remain as the veteran presence on the team. If a move is made, another proven veteran like Marcus Ericsson, an oval specialist like Santino Ferrucci, in-house NXT title contender Nikita Johnson, or their reserve driver Hunter McElrea could all be candidates.
Similarly to ECR, Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s No. 47 is technically open. However, Mick Schumacher is likely to return for a second season. If he does not, it is likely that a driver who brings a budget such as Nolan Siegel, Sting Ray Robb, or NXT driver Josh Pierson, would take the third seat. If a budget is not needed, Ericsson or Lundqvist could land here.
Fully Unconfirmed Teams
Three teams have zero drivers confirmed for the 2027 season.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Juncos Hollinger Racing currently has VeeKay and Robb behind the wheel. There are rumors of an ownership change: Juncos could leave with another investor arriving in his place. The team would like to keep VeeKay, but it would be difficult to retain him if an offer from Ganassi or Shank came along. If VeeKay doesn’t return, many previously mentioned drivers (Lundgaard, Ericsson, Ferrucci, Lundqvist, Hauger) could be candidates.
A reunion with Callum Ilott has been mentioned as a possibility. The 27-year old recently confirmed he was in contention for rides. Ilott drove full-time for JHR in 2022 and 2023 and earned two top-5s and five top-10s. A return would be somewhat surprising, given that Ilott’s exit from the organization was not the cleanest. But, it appears the likely outgoing Juncos is where that conflict came.
Two parties have been rumored as potential investors. First, Dreyer and Reyenbold Racing. If this happens, Conor Daly would become a favorite. Like Ilott, Daly is a former full-time driver for JHR. Daly earned the team’s first podium, as well as five other top-10s between 2024 and 2025. Daly’s lack of road and street course success, along with lack of budget, cost him a full-time seat for 2026.
A returned alliance with McLaren has also been mentioned as a possibility for 2027. If this happens, departing McLaren driver Siegel would be a favorite to land one of the Juncos seats. Another option could be McLaren F1 reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli. The reigning F2 champion was mentioned early in silly season as a candidate for a McLaren seat. If McLaren still wants him getting IndyCar experience, perhaps as the plan to replace Dixon when he retires, having him drive for their alliance team would make sense.
Historically, one of the two JHR seats has gone to a driver with a budget. If this remains the case, retaining Robb or replacing him with Siegel, Pierson, or Delvin DeFranchesco would make sense. If not, then two of the candidates mentioned above would land here.
A.J. Foyt Racing
Like JHR, A.J. Foyt Racing typically leases out one seat to a paying driver. This season it is Collet, and the team would like to keep him, but any of the paying drivers are candidates if the Brazilian walks.
Santino Ferrucci has been underwhelming this season, and is on the hot seat as a result. If Ferrucci leaves Foyt, then a reunion with Daly has been mentioned as well as NXT driver Myles Rowe. In nearly three NXT seasons, Rowe has three wins (all on ovals), a best points finish of fourth, and currently sits seventh in the standings.
It has also been mentioned that Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya has been speaking to IndyCar teams about getting his son, F2 driver Sebastian, a seat. The connection the Colombian has to Penske could result in Montoya taking this seat.
Dale Coyne Racing
Finally, Dale Coyne Racing has two openings. Hauger and Romain Grosjean are the current drivers. If the Andretti alliance continues, retaining Hauger or gaining Ericsson would be the likely outcome. If it does not, then anybody could end up in the No. 19. Like both Juncos and Foyt, at least one seat tends to go to a paying driver. Grosjean is liked by the team and its sponsors, so his seat is a bit more stable, but nothing is ever guaranteed with DCR.
A surprising driver could enter the off season on the outside looking in, like VeeKay in 2025. Or a promising rookie might arrive looking for a seat, like Alex Palou in 2020 or Grosjean in 2021. If either of these outcomes occur, DCR would be a landing place for them.
The three NXT title contenders, Enzo Fittipaldi, Tymek Kucharczyk, and the previously mentioned Johnson are all without seats and have not come up much in conversations.
Perhaps the biggest wildcard of all, Yuki Tsnouda has been mentioned as a possibility for an IndyCar seat. Tsnouda is a former F1 driver in the Red Bull Racing family and currently serves as their reserve driver. If the 26-year old moves to IndyCar, his connection with Honda would help him secure a DCR seat.
My Predictions
I think VeeKay will get the nod at CGR with Lundgaard ending up at Meyer Shank. From there, five of the remaining nine seats will see no change, as I think Ericsson, Rossi, Schumacher, Grosjean, and Collet will all return to their current seats. Collet and Grosjean will have rookie teammates, as I think Fittipaldi and Pierson will join their respective teams. Finally, Ferrucci will move to JHR and be joined by Siegel.
