For the first time in NTT IndyCar Series history, a charter was sold last month. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will relinquish their charter to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The No. 47 team with Mick Schumacher behind the wheel are losing their charter. This has caused yet another ripple in an already chaotic IndyCar silly season.
Conor Daly, who earned a 12th-place finish for the team in the 2026 Indianapolis 500, is the leading candidate to drive the new Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry. Daly has run six full seasons between 2016 and 2025. 2020 and 2022 saw career best points finishes of 17th. In 131 starts, Daly has earned two podiums. His first came in 2016 with a runner-up effort for Dale Coyne Racing in Detroit, while his other is a third-place finish in the first 2024 race at the Milwaukee Mile. If Daly doesn’t get the nod, a funded driver such as Nolan Siegel, Josh Pierson, Delvin DeFranchesco, or Sting Ray Robb could secure the seat.
The D&RR entry is one of nine unconfirmed seats for the 2027 IndyCar season. This article will analyze every open seat and serve as a follow-up on the previous silly season update from July 10. Since that piece, Marcus Erricson and Alexander Rossi confirmed they are returning to their current seats.
Chip Ganassi Racing
Christian Lundgaard, per Bob Pockrass and Marshall Pruett, is the expected driver of Ganassi’s No. 9 car. Lundgaard ended up out of a seat in perhaps the most shocking silly season move in decades. Scott Dixon, who has driven for Chip Ganassi Racing since 2002, announced his departure to Arrow McLaren. While not officially confirmed, it is highly unlikely that anyone else but Lundgaard would pilot the No. 9 in 2027.
Meyer Shank Racing
Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 66 will likely need a driver with funding, as Marcus Armstrong has moved to the ‘paying’ No. 60 seat. Since the writing of ATYL’s first update, a new compelling candidate has emerged. Mick Schumacher, who has said he has a “high chance” of returning to IndyCar, is now being named as a contender for the seat. Schumacher has not had the best rookie season, but he has three things going for him.
First, Schumacher has been the best Rahal driver on ovals. His only finish better then 16th came at Nashville Superspeedway with an eighth-place run, and he’s shown speed at other ovals. Second, the German driver tends to improve in his second season in any given series. He went from zero to 12 points in his first and second Formula 1 seasons, as well as an improvement from 12th to first in his first two F2 seasons. Third, he has been rumored to bring a solid budget to the table.
Additionally, part owner Helio Castroneves confirmed to Brazilian media that Caio Collet, who was previously seen as a favorite, will not pilot the No. 66. “Not now,” Castroneves said. “We tried very hard to bring Caio to our team, and it’s impressive how undeniable his talent is. But the competition in terms of a team that still needs certain resources weighed a little more than talent.”
Schumacher does not have this seat locked up – Pruett believes that Hauger or a current NXT driver could land there – but he currently seems to be the favorite.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Juncos Hollinger Racing has two open seats. If Rinus VeeKay does not land on a top team, returning to JHR seems to be the best option for the Dutch driver. Per Pruett, there is a clause in VeeKay’s contract where any team that wants to hire him would need to match or exceed JHR’s offer.
Sting Ray Robb is not expected to return to the team, and whether or not the second driver is required to bring a budget is yet to be confirmed. Pruett expects a young driver such as Collet or Lundqvist to move to the team, but there are several possibilities. If the Juncos part of the team ends up leaving, as has been rumored, then anything from a McLaren alliance to the 2028 Chevrolet factory entry could be in play.
Nolan Siegel has been named as a favorite for JHR. If the McLaren alliance comes to fruition, the seat needs funding, or both, then look to Siegel as a top candidate for the No. 77.
A.J. Foyt Racing
It is unlikely that A.J. Foyt Racing will take on two new drivers next year. Collet and teammate Santino Ferrucci both have the potential to run better then they currently are. Funding the 2028 cars is a priority for Foyt. Siegel, who brings a budget and oval talent, has emerged as a candidate for a Foyt seat. Alternatively, Callum Ilott could come in as a new anchor driver. Myles Rowe was expected to make at least an Indy 500 attempt for the team, but is now unlikely to.
While paying for 2028 is a high priority, it’s not the only factor for the team. “Lesser drivers with greater budgets are also options for the team,” Pruett wrote, “but as it found earlier in the decade, assembling a crew to support a car that’s destined to run at the bottom of the field is both difficult and costly as crew members come at a premium price to endure a season of competitive misery.” This likely rules out a reunion with Sting Ray Robb, who drove for the team in 2024.
Dale Coyne Racing
Many expected Dennis Hauger to drive for Andretti Global in 2027, but Ericsson’s contract extension seemingly ruled that possibility out. It seems likely that Hauger will move to the paying seat currently occupied by Romain Grosjean. Despite Grosjean having four years of IndyCar experience over Hauger, the Norwegian driver sits ahead of the Frenchman in the standings.
If this move happens, the door is wide open for the team’s second seat. Indy NXT title contenders Enzo Fittipaldi or Nikita Johnson, funded drivers Josh Pierson or Devlin DeFranchesco, or a driver unexpectedly out of a ride à la VeeKay entering 2025 could all land in the seat.
Silly Season Predictions
It feels likely that Lundgaard will take the No. 9 and Schumacher the No. 66. From there, three of the remaining seven seats will see no change. All of Hauger, VeeKay, and Collet seem poised to return. Whichever of Fittipaldi and Johnson win the NXT title likely joins Hauger at Coyne. From there, expect Siegel to move to JHR, Daly to DRR, and Ilott to Foyt.
