There are still moving pieces aplenty in IndyCar silly season

Having posted a comprehensive silly season update within the last two weeks, we’ll take a shorter and faster look at the most recent developments. There’s nothing new to confirm, but we do appear to have answers to almost every question of how the 2027 IndyCar grid will be filled.

AJ Foyt Racing: The team recently settled the lawsuit filed by former driver Benjamin Pedersen which, when stacked on top of the impending costs to purchase all-new cars leading into 2028, has the organization looking for a well-funded driver to compete in 2027 and assist in covering the expenditures associated with switching to the Dallara IR28.

That approach is said to have concluded with the signing of young Oregonian Josh Pierson to drive for the team after spending four seasons in Indy NXT. According to other teams who’ve met with Pierson, the budget being offered was $12.5 million per year for two years which, if accurate, would satisfy Foyt’s financial needs with a $25 million commitment while opening the door to IndyCar for the 20-year-old from Portland.

Pierson would replace Caio Collet in the No. 4 Chevy. Foyt veteran Santino Ferrucci, who’s been with the team since 2023 and is out of contract at the end of the season, is understood to be returning to the No. 14 Chevy in 2027. Like Pierson, both signings await formal confirmation from the team.

Andretti Global: The team has its drivers signed for 2027 with Marcus Ericsson’s recent extension, but the new point of interest is an old one with its future engine supplier. There’s been a strong rumor for more than a year regarding Andretti’s return to Chevy where it won the 2012 championship with Ryan Hunter-Reay, and multiple sources have told me this week to be on the lookout for a reunion.

I’ve heard a major announcement was planned for this weekend in Washington, D.C., but with the business affairs of team owner Mark Walter (whose The Walter Group – TWG – sits above the TWG Motorsports company that houses an array of teams) generating unflattering headlines, it’s believed a decision was made to pull back on making any new headlines.

In a call on Wednesday, the team declined to comment on the matter. Declining to answer doesn’t mean it is or isn’t happening; it just means the team did not want to discuss the subject.

If the shift from Honda to Chevy takes place, Honda would lose its second-best team and have no known replacements within the paddock to backfill Andretti’s position as all of Chevy's full-time teams are expected to remain with the brand. Meyer Shank Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Dale Coyne Racing would move up one spot in the Honda pecking order if Andretti changes sided.

Beyond the TWG uncertainty, which engines will be powering the Andretti cars in 2027 is suddenly in question. Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images

Arrow McLaren: Despite the speculation regarding an alliance with Toyota, Arrow McLaren will continue using Chevrolet power for many years to come.

Chip Ganassi Racing: Nothing new to report as we continue to await the confirmation of Christian Lundgaard in the No. 9 Honda.

Dale Coyne Racing: Nothing new to report from our last update.

Ed Carpenter Racing: Nothing new to report.

Juncos Hollinger Racing: My sources tell me to expect Rinus VeeKay to stay in the No. 76 Chevy on a multi-year deal, which we outlined in the last silly season update as the most likely scenario for the Dutchman. As a result, I’ve taken VeeKay off the list of available free agents as we anticipate formal confirmation from the team.

The other scenario involving a split between Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger, where Hollinger takes sole control of the team and engages with Arrow McLaren to form a new technical alliance, is also said to be making progress. Where it gets interesting is with the Foyt move involving Pierson.

It will take some time and more than a few steps for the Juncos-Hollinger ownership separation to happen, but provided the technical alliance is codified at its conclusion, I’m looking to McLaren and Hollinger to collaborate on running Collet alongside VeeKay.

The question that isn't ready to be answered is whether Collet gets signed to McLaren and is placed at Hollinger to continue developing, or if he's signed directly by Hollinger and could eventually move to McLaren whenever seats become available. Nonetheless, I have my eye on a VeeKay-Collet pairing as the most likely outcome for the Hollinger team next year.

In that scenario, Collet would replace Sting Ray Robb. Despite having a rumored $15 million to spend, I remain unable to find an IndyCar landing spot for the Idahoan after 2026.

Meyer Shank Racing: Mick Schumacher remains my top pick to drive the No. 66 Honda and I continue to hear both sides are moving closer to a deal. The team wants additional funding for the car, and that’s something Schumacher is able to offer through a new sponsor.

Yuki Tsunoda’s name has also been mentioned as a candidate, and while most of what I’ve heard regarding Tsunoda and MSR has been focused on 2028 when the team fields Honda’s manufacturer entry as its third car, there’s also been talk of using 2027 to run and ready an IndyCar newcomer in the second MSR seat. That program would be initiated to prepare the IndyCar newcomer for the manufacturer car in 2028 and avoid thrusting them into a brand-new car that needs an educated voice on how to develop the Dallara IR28 while also learning the tracks and oval racing.

Using the No. 66 MSR Honda in 2027 to avoid the big learning curve in 2028 makes a lot of sense, and was said to be of interest in a third MSR car next year until Penske Entertainment decided to ban non-charter cars from being entered at every event outside the Indianapolis 500.

Honda’s Kakunoshin "Kaku" Ohta, who’s part of the HRC US Acura IMSA GTP program with MSR and is running away with the Japanese Super Formula championship, is the other factory driver who’s been mentioned as a candidate for the third car in 2028. Linus Lundqvist, the 2024 IndyCar Rookie of the Year, is another driver in the mix for the manufacturer seat.

Shank, as he’s said for nearly two months, is in no rush to name his second driver. If Honda wants to pay for Tsunoda, Ohta, Lundqvist, or another driver to be in the No. 66 car next season, MSR would be expected to heed the wishes of its factory partner, but it's unclear whether the brand is ready to commit a sizable budget to make it happen while spending a vast sum to ramp up its manufacturer entry throughout 2027.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Nothing new to report.

Team Penske: Nothing new to report.