IndyCar announcement leaves two teams with empty seats

As a long-time IndyCar enthusiast with countless hours spent following the thrilling races and passionate drivers, I must say that the 2025 season is shaping up to be an exciting one! The recent announcements by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have added another layer of intrigue to the already heated competition.

For the 2025 IndyCar season, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has made their driver roster official, revealing that Devlin DeFrancesco, previously with Andretti Global, will take over from Pietro Fittipaldi in the No. 30 Honda cockpit.

In the year 2024, DeFrancesco opted out of participating in the season, having spent his initial two career years with a team previously known as Andretti Autosport. His best placement during these two years was 12th position, and he also achieved five other top-15 finishes.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s driver team includes experienced racer Graham Rahal, who has been racing for his father’s team since 2013, and newcomer Louis Foster. Foster, the current Indy NXT champion, will take over from Christian Lundgaard, who is moving to Arrow McLaren, as the driver of car number 45 Honda.

Two IndyCar teams still need drivers

For the 2024 season, a total of nine teams have already secured all their available seats, while Juncos Hollinger Racing and Dale Coyne Racing are still in the process of filling theirs.

25 entries that hold charters are ready to compete in 2025, along with 27 more entries who will be participating on a full-time basis. The difference of two entries is due to the inclusion of Prema Racing in the competition. Interestingly, Prema Racing won’t have any charters but has officially announced its two full-time drivers: Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman.

In simple terms, Juncos Hollinger Racing has confirmed that Sting Ray Robb will be driving the No. 78 Chevrolet for them. However, they are yet to announce who will take the other seat, currently occupied by the No. 77 Chevrolet previously driven by Romain Grosjean in 2024.

The announcement implies that Dale Coyne Racing is currently the only team without any officially declared drivers for the 2025 racing season. Historically, Dale Coyne’s team has been one of the last to finalize their driver lineup, and it comes as no shock to see them in this position again following what appears to be their most challenging season in approximately three decades.

Dale Coyne Racing, often recognized as a smaller, financially modest team, managed to secure at least one podium finish in eleven out of the previous twelve seasons. However, their best achievement in the 2024 season was only a 13th place finish – a position they hadn’t occupied since 1987, a year when Coyne himself was driving for the team.

For a period of twelve years, they managed to secure podium positions in every season except for 2015. Interestingly, 2015 was their only season without a full-time driver among that span. Therefore, since 2024 marks their return to a season without a full-time driver since 2015, it’s hoped that the ongoing search for drivers will yield at least one who can help them regain their competitive edge.

The upcoming 2025 IndyCar series kicks off on a Sunday in March 2 (specific date not given), taking place on the roads of St. Petersburg, Florida. Live broadcast will be handled by Fox.

2024-12-10 17:04