A veteran may be out, and a relative newcomer might be in as it appears that one of the five open seats for the 2025 IndyCar season is about to be taken.

In a RACER article by Marshall Pruett yesterday, Romain Grosjean said he has tried, but it does not appear that he will come up with enough budget to retain his ride at Juncos Hollinger Racing. Grosjean believes 2024 was his best season in Indycar, sounded frustrated with the system and the expense s of running a team.

Earlier today, Tony Donohue reported that Sting Ray Robb will be confirmed tomorrow for one of the seats at JHR. Robb brings a large budget and may be able to fund both cars. If that is the case, who gets the second seat?

I have a feeling that at this point Grosjean wouldn’t mind a par time ride on just the road and street courses. Could Conor Daly run the ovals?

Assuming the Robb to Juncos Hollinger announcement occurs on Thursday, here is whatbis left:

JHR- 1 seat

Rahal-1 seat

Coyne- 2 seats

There are many drivers available. Rinus VeeKay and Linus Lundqvist are the top names without a ride. I think VeeKay will end up in one of the Coyne seats. It all wil come down to who can pay and what the team owners are willing to pay to get who they want. It will be a very interesting time the next two months.

2026- A Schedule Shake Up?

We already have a new race in 2026 n Texas, and talk is heating up about a race in Mexico as well. Texas will likely be a spring race, and Mexico will probably want some distance from the fall F1 race for its IndyCar event. Another new race also might be coming, but perhaps not until 2027.

If the series is adamant about a 17 race season, what drops off the current season? If it were up to me, The Thermal Club would be the first to go. Obviously, Iowa would become a single race, and I am fine with no double headers.

I could see a much more dynamic schedule in 2026. I’m thinking the FOX deal may actually inhibit the schedule from achieving a really exciting program. IndyCar really needs a 20 race calendar. A schedule of that length will allow IndyCar to enter the underserved areas of the country like the east and northeast.

Notes

Since many folks are leaving what has been the most common social media site, which i wil still post on for a while. I am now also publishing on Threads and BlueSky. Look for the pit window on Threads and @racenut on Blue Sky.