The calendar has turned, and a brand-new NTT IndyCar Series campaign is almost upon us. If you thought the offseason was going to be quiet, think again—this North American motorsport championship is packed to the brim with fascinating storylines, fresh faces in unfamiliar garages, and a completely restructured calendar.
The garage shuffle alone is enough to make your head spin. After a career-long run with the same outfit since 2009, Will Power has packed his bags for Andretti Global’s Honda program, kicking off his new chapter with a test at Phoenix Raceway. Watching the two-time series champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner slot in alongside Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson is going to be wild. And do not count him out immediately: Power boasts an incredible street circuit record in St. Petersburg, Fla., where the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg kicks off on Sunday, March 1. He already has two wins and a series-leading nine poles there.
Meanwhile, David Malukas is stepping into Team Penske’s No. 12 Chevrolet, pairing up with heavy hitters Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin. Malukas has been hunting his first win after 61 starts, and doing it under the Penske banner feels like a natural next step. Over at Juncos Hollinger Racing, Rinus VeeKay takes his Chevrolet program into a new year after finishing 14th in last year's standings with Dale Coyne Racing, highlighted by a stellar second-place finish in the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. As of writing, Dale Coyne’s team still has the last full-time seat open to be paired with INDY NXT by Firestone champion Dennis Hauger, while several crucial team leadership positions and race strategists are also waiting to be locked in.
Speaking of rookies, the battle for top newcomer honours is wide open. Mick Schumacher (yes, that son of the Formula One legend) joins a three-driver lineup at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing alongside Graham Rahal and Louis Foster, testing the team's Honda on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last fall. But he will have to contend with serious open-wheel talent like Hauger and Caio Collet (AJ Foyt Racing), who dominated INDY NXT last year by combining for nine wins.
At the sharp end of the grid, everyone is still chasing Alex Palou. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has locked down three of the past four titles—and four of the past five—with a terrifying display of dominance last season that included eight wins, his first Indianapolis 500 victory, and a crushing 196-point championship margin. Now, Palou chases history: only Sebastien Bourdais, who won four straight from 2004 through 2007, has managed four consecutive titles in this category. Challengers like Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward, Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, and evergreen veteran Scott Dixon are standing by to stop him, while Team Penske looks to bounce back from a rough prior year.
The calendar itself is a beast. For the first time in the sport's history, we are getting four races in March across a breathless five-week stretch opening FOX’s broadcast. That includes a trip to Phoenix Raceway for the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday, March 7—marking our return to the historic 1-mile oval for the first time since Newgarden won there in 2018—followed immediately by the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on Sunday, March 15, winding past the stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers.
Further down the track, a 12-turn, 2.19-mile street circuit in Markham, Ontario, takes over on Sunday, Aug. 16, replacing Exhibition Place due to FIFA World Cup scheduling conflicts. Primetime oval racing under the lights returns to World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday, June 7, and Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, July 19. Of course, the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge looms large on Sunday, May 24, before the whole chaotic year wraps up with a season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, Sept. 6.
