INDYCAR: Interest builds for final Ganassi seat

The driver of Chip Ganassi Racing's fourth Honda-powered entry should be revealed in the coming weeks. England's Max Chilton piloted the car to a 19th-place finish in the standings during his rookie campaign and was expected to sign an extension in September, but the trail has gone quiet regarding his return.

The 25-year-old, who shifted his attention to North American open-wheel racing in 2015 after spending two seasons in Formula 1, earned favorable reviews from within CGR during a season where progress was shown despite a lack of compelling race results. Although Chilton has remained tight-lipped about his plans for 2017, it's believed he is one of two leading candidates to drive the No. 8. Indy Lights driver Felix Serralles, who won two races on the way to sixth in the championship with Carlin Racing, is also rumored to have a shot at securing the fourth CGR seat.

Although Serralles (pictured) is scheduled to test for Andretti Autosport, and was tipped to secure its fourth Honda-powered entry until Takuma Sato entered the frame. Even with the door to an Andretti drive apparently shut, it's understood the test outing will simply be a case of the team fulfilling an outstanding obligation to provide the 24-year-old Puerto Rican with IndyCar mileage.

Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, and Charlie Kimball are confirmed in CGR's first three entries, leaving the No. 8 car as one of few top-tier drives available for hire. CGR has received significant interest from many drivers with less than $2 million to offer, but it isn't enough; few have the necessary financial support to bring a full-season budget of $6 million or more to the championship-winning program.

Barring the emergence of an unknown player with a sizeable sponsorship package to offer, it leaves Chilton and Serralles as the most likely names to complete the team's IndyCar roster based on the buy-in price.

"It's a good seat to be in, and we're working on filling it," CGR managing director Mike Hull told RACER. "It's not finalized yet. We're pounding away on it and should be able to get it done in a week or two."

Once the final driver is signed, they will head to Florida to commence pre-season testing.

"We have a test scheduled here in December, which gives us a little bit of time to get our ducks in a row," Hull added. "Whoever ends up in that car will be testing with us in Sebring."