TEAM PENSKE
----------------------
#1 - J. Newgarden
#12 - W. Power
#22 - S. Pagenaud
#2 - S. McLaughlin (Indy GP-only)
#3 - H. Castroneves (Indy 500-only)

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT
-----------------------------------
#26 - Z. Veach
#27 - A. Rossi
#28 - R. Hunter-Reay
#88 - C. Herta
#98 - M. Andretti
#29 - J. Hinchcliffe (Indy GP, Indy 500, Texas)

CHIP GANASSI RACING
----------------------------------
#8 - M. Ericsson
#9 - S. Dixon
#10 - F. Rosenqvist

DALE COYNE RACING
--------------------------------
#18 - S. Ferrucci [with Vasser/Sullivan]
#55 - A. Palou [with Team Goh]
#33 - J. Davison (Indy-only?) [with Jonathan Byrd Racing]

AJ FOYT RACING
-----------------------
#4 - C. Kimball
#14 - S. Bourdais (St. Petersburg, Barber MP, Long Beach, Portland)/T. Kanaan (ovals)/D. Kellett (CoTA, Indy GP, Detroit, Road America, Toronto, Mid-Ohio, Laguna Seca)
#41 - D. Kellet (Indy 500-only)

ARROW McLAREN SP
-----------------------------
#5 - P. O'Ward
#7 - O. Askew
#66 - F. Alonso (Indy 500-only)

RAHAL LETTTERMAN LANIGAN RACING
----------------------------------------------------------
#30 - T. Sato
#15 - G. Rahal
#45 - S. Pigot (Indy GP, Indy 500) [with Citrone/Buhl Autosport]

ED CARPENTER RACING
-------------------------------------
#20 - E. Carpenter (ovals)/C. Daly (Road/Street)
#21 - R. Veekay

MEYER SHANK RACING
-----------------------------------
#60 - J. Harvey

CARLIN RACING
------------------------
#31 - F. Nasr?/S. Sette Camara?
#59 - M. Chilton (13 Races - Road & Street courses + Indy 500)/C. Daly? (Texas, Richmond, Iowa, Gateway)
#23? - ? (Indy 500-only?)

DRAGON SPEED
-----------------------
#81 - B. Hanley (St. Petersburg)/J. Allen?/C. Braun? (Ovals?) [Team running St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Indy 500, Texas Motor Speedway, Mid-Ohio, Laguna Seca]

DREYER & REINBOLD RACING
--------------------------------------------
#24 - S. Karam (St. Petersburg, Indy GP, Indy 500, Toronto)
#48 - J.R. Hildebrand (Indy 500-only)

JUNCOS RACING
-------------------------
?? (Indy-only? Part-time?)

SCUDERIA CORSA
---------------------------
? (Indy-only?)

Ericsson's car.

Let's go Rossi!

Hoping to get to Austin in addition to Texas this season.

Quote:

---

Team Penske president Tim Cindric has confirmed that Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin's test at Sebring yesterday was more than just a novelty one-off and that the team is investigating the possibilities of the 26-year-old making his IndyCar race debut this season.

McLaughlin, who has won the last two Supercars titles for DJR Team Penske and clinched victory in last season's Bathurst 1000, tested one of Penske's Dallara-Chevrolet IndyCars on Sebring's 1.7-mile short course yesterday. The New Zealander accomplished himself extremely well, finishing the day with a best lap time just one second slower than Ed Carpenter Racing's new signing Rinus VeeKay, the Indy Lights champion. [He was the runner-up].

Now Cindric has confirmed to Motorsport.com that Penske is hoping to add McLaughlin to its driver roster for Spring Training at Circuit of The Americas on Feb. 11-12, with a longer-term view of putting him in a fourth race entry alongside Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud at some point this season.

Source

---

I'm going to go out on a limb and say RLLR for Indy and Indy GP.

AJ should kick TK to the side and sign Hinch.

Quote:

---

RACER has learned that the Spaniard, whose name has been heavily linked to a return with the Honda-powered Andretti Autosport team, had the supply deal vetoed at the 11th hour.

After months of speculation, RACER understands that Honda Performance Development sought final clearance from the brand's global headquarters in Tokyo ahead of the announcement, which was expected to be made last week, only to be told not to proceed with such a deal. Alonso was also in talks to remain with the team after Indy and participate at some of the road course races on the IndyCar schedule.

Source

---

No Honda for Alonso.

Bourdais and Kellett confirmed for AJ.

Quote:

---

Team Penske announced today that defending Virgin Australia Supercars Champion Scott McLaughlin will make his NTT IndyCar Series debut on Saturday, May 9, racing in the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

The two-time Supercars title winner, who will attempt to win his third consecutive series championship for DJR Team Penske (DJRTP) in 2020, will also participate in next week's IndyCar Series preseason open test at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.

...

McLaughlin will pilot the No. 2 Dallara/Chevrolet during both the COTA test and the GMR Grand Prix in Indianapolis. McLaughlin has produced 35 victories and 44 pole positions over the last three seasons while helping DJRTP claim team championships in 2017 and 2019 and winning the driver's title in each of the last two seasons. McLaughlin also earned his first win in the legendary Bathurst 1000 race in October, with co-driver Alex Premat. On his way to the title last season, McLaughlin established a new single-season Supercars record with 18 victories, along with a series-leading 15 poles and 22 podium finishes.

Source

---

The Captain is starting his Pagenaud and Power replacement search. JMO.

Big Cat `93 said:

---

Bourdais and Kellett confirmed for AJ.

---

Maybe I'll actually pull for the frog a little bit this season...

...but probably not.

PS: The February 11th and 12th CoTA tests are open to the public, I believe.




I like this design quite a bit.

Quote:

---

Carlin announced the return of Gallagher, a leading global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, to the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with driver Max Chilton behind the wheel of the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet for select races.

Chilton will compete in the 12 road and street course events of the 2020 season as well as the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The driver of the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet for the remaining oval races will be announced at a later date.

https://www.indycar.com/News/2020/02/02-07-Chilton-back-at-Carlin

---

I could see Conor Daly or Bourdais taking the spare oval races.

Marco learning how to drive again.
https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/148208/andretti-back-to-driving-school-after-worst-year

Quote:

---

AUSTIN, Texas As seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson prepares for his final Daytona 500, he already is thinking about his "bucket list" in 2021.

Atop Johnson's bucket list after retiring from full-time NASCAR competition this year? The chance to drive an Indy car and potentially compete in a handful of NTT INDYCAR Series races next season.

...

"At the end of last year when I knew I was done with 38 races a year, I got so excited," Johnson told NBCSports.com. "I have a lot of things I want to try, including INDYCAR and sports car racing in 2021, and now I can consider those as my 'bucket list.'"

"Zak and I formed a friendship based on the car swap we did at Bahrain two Novembers ago and we stayed in touch. I kept in touch through his involvement in NASCAR and his marketing company. When he said he was coming over and invited me, I decided to come out."

Source

---

Went to the last hour of the test last night. Aero screen looks great, after a few laps you don't even notice it. I hung out by the Penske garages and all the drivers were super nice. McGlaughlin seems like a great guy and really impressed with his P3 yesterday. Have to wonder if he has good results this year, could Power be on the chopping block if he has another inconsistent year. Dixon purposely ignored me and some other fans but he seemed busy.

I do think McLaughlin is the start of the search to replace Power and Pagenaud. It's a contract year for Pagenaud, and Power's expires at the end of next year.

Speaking of McLaughlin, he's got a test at TMS on the back of the CoTA open test.

Quote:

---

Penske's two-time Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin will take part in IndyCar's oval rookie test at Texas on Friday.

McLaughlin drove on both days of IndyCar's 'spring training' test at Austin on Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for his debut in the Indianapolis road course race, and will be back in Penske's #2 car this week on the 1.5-mile oval.

He will join IndyCar's full-time 2020 rookies Oliver Askew (Arrow McLaren SP), Dale Coyne recruit Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay (Ed Carpenter Racing).

Source

---

Some friends tell me there's a possibility for a few more races in addition, like Toronto.

UN-RETIRED? NEW ENTITY SIGNIFIES RETURN TO INDYCAR FOR BUHL

Quote:

---

A new racing team has been formed to participate in the NTT IndyCar Series. Citrone/Buhl Autosport was formed by two groups passionate about racing and intent on entering a competitive car into the Indianapolis 500. Formed in early 2020, the team plans to make its first appearance on the grid at the Indianapolis Grand Prix on May 9th.

Citrone/Buhl Autosport is a partnership between Robert and Nick Citrone and Tom and Robbie Buhl. Robert Citrone is founder of Discovery Capital Management and the largest minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rob's son Nick is a Data Analytics Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tom and Robbie own Buhl Sport Detroit, a motorsports marketing company that operates a rallycross team, Racing4Detroit, and an advanced driver training program called Teen Street Skills.

No stranger to IndyCar, Robbie competed in 78 IndyCar races between 1993 and 2004, including eight starts at the Indy 500, and won the 1997 Pennzoil 200 in New Hampshire and 2000 Delphi Indy 200 at Walt Disney World.

Source

---

Feels like vaporware, but that would be one heck of a comeback.

Maybe it isn't vaporware after all...rumors of a Rahal/Citrone/Buhl announcement with Pigot as the driver, in effectively Rahal's third car. Guess that puts Alonso right back at McLaren.

Quote:

---

Fernando Alonso will return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this May with a new team but a familiar brand.

The two-time Formula One champion will attempt to qualify for the 104th Indianapolis 500 in a third car with Arrow McLaren Racing SP, which is running full-time entries for Pato O'Ward and Oliver Askew. The team formerly known as Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports picked up a new partner this year in McLaren, which fielded Alonso in Formula One in the 2007 and '15-18 seasons.

"It's obviously one of the most iconic races in the motorsports calendar, and I'm extremely happy to be in the month of May again," Alonso, who will drive the Ruoff Mortgage-sponsored No. 66 Dallara-Chevrolet, told IndyCar on NBC announcer Leigh Diffey in an interview about his Indy 500 return (watch the video above). "After last year, we had some issues, and it was not the race we were expecting. This year we go again with the aim to do well and to win the race.

"Definitely once you experience the Indy 500, it'll remain always in your heart. The fans are amazing. The show is unbelievable, and the race itself is one of the greatest. In 2017, we had the real chance to be competitive and to feel that adrenaline."

Source

---

Johnson to test Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar

Quote:

---

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will get his first run in an IndyCar next month during a test at Barber Motorsports Park. The opportunity comes via the Arrow McLaren SP team, which uses Chevrolet engines for its pair of entries for Pato O'Ward and Oliver Askew.

Through a pair of social media posts, Johnson shared photos of an AMSP Dallara DW12 at the team's shop in Indianapolis and his plan to test at one of IndyCar's most challenging road courses.

Johnson, who will retire from NASCAR Cup competition at the end of the season, is synonymous with the No. 48 Chevy he's driven to seven titles for Hendrick Motorsports, and has expressed an interest in NTT IndyCar Series racing on road and street courses in 2021.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and Johnson maintain a close friendship, with the Californians recently meeting up at Circuit of The Americas during IndyCar Spring Training where Johnson observed the test through an invitation from McLaren, and presented Brown with one of his NASCAR helmets. In 2018, he tested a McLaren F1 car as part of a ride swap with Fernando Alonso.

Source

---

IndyCar bans spectators, but the race is still on. Thank God there one thing in my life that's not canceled.

Kashchei said:

---

IndyCar bans spectators, but the race is still on. Thank God there one thing in my life that's not canceled.

---

I'm with you. I'm looking forward to the race nonetheless.

Indycar canceled thru April. This is complete bull*****

**** everything

The 500 moved to August. Their schedule shows Detroit on May 30 to be the first race.
https://www.indycar.com/News/2020/03/03-26-Month-Of-May-Release

They are doing an iracing event right now on youtube.

Entertaining race today

https://racer.com/2020/05/07/indycar-confirms-june-6-texas-race-plan/

There will be racing in Texas!!!

(Just with no fans)

The latter part really sucks, but beggars can't be choosers I guess.