New is the operative word for the NTT IndyCar Series in the 2024 season.
Nearly half of the 27-car field will feature fresh faces behind the wheel for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and even the stars who remain in familiar places will have striking new looks.
Two-time series champion Alex Palou, who is trying to be the first to win consecutive titles since Dario Franchitti in 2010-11, will be a jarring sight in the highlighter yellow of DHL, a new primary sponsor of his No. 10 Dallara-Honda.
“It’s bright,” Palou said with a laugh. “It’s easy to spot, and I think it looks racy.”
That optimism is bubbling over around the paddock, and the traditional positive vibes of spring training positivity are rooted in some elements of reality. Times across the grid were especially tight in a test last month at Sebring International Raceway, and there are curveballs ahead that could be equalizers (or perhaps provide more separation for the powerhouse teams).
The rollout of the new hybrid this summer is expected to be a game-changer that could determine the championship, and the addition of The Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway will add a greater oval emphasis to the schedule.
Toss in some lighter car parts that will mean faster speeds and possibly track records, and “new” could become the theme across all 17 races this year.
Here’s what to watch for among IndyCar teams heading into the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg:
Chip Ganassi Racing
The team will expand to five cars with three new full-time drivers – last year’s rookie of the year Marcus Armstrong (who will add ovals to his schedule this year) and rookies Linus Lundqvist (the 2022 Indy NXT champion who impressed in spot duty last year) and Kyffin Simpson (two podiums in 27 Indy NXT starts).
Ganassi also will be making history with its timing stand lineup as the first team with two lead female engineers. Angela Ashmore (who will work with Armstrong after becoming the first woman on an Indy 500-winning team with Marcus Ericsson in 2022) and Danielle Shepherd (Simpson) will become the third and fourth women to work as lead engineers in the series (joining Diane Holl and Leena Gade).
Of course, the team is anchored by Palou and six-time champion Scott Dixon, who will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame next week. Dixon, 43, won his first championship in 2003 – a full year before Simpson was born.
Andretti Global
On the flip side, Michael Andretti’s rebranded team will be contracting to three cars after spending nearly all of the past 20 seasons as a four-car organization. In refocusing its resources for more efficient results, the team has hired Marcus Ericsson to replace Romain Grosjean as the teammate to Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood, who are both several years his junior.
It’ll be a new leadership role craved by Ericsson, who became a winner at Ganassi but was destined to be in Dixon’s shadow. Ericsson also has the security of being a paid driver instead of the stigma of pay driver (after bringing the primary sponsorship for rides).
Craig Hampson, a championship-caliber engineer, will join Andretti Global in May ahead of the 108th Indianapolis 500.
Team Penske
It’s relatively status quo for a racing organization that arguably has been the world’s best over the past year.
In addition to winning last year’s Indy 500 with Josef Newgarden, Penske also captured the NASCAR Cup Series championship with Ryan Blaney, and the team now has opened 2024 with sports car dominance – following a victory in IMSA’s Rolex 24 at Daytona season opener with a win last week in Qatar to open the World Endurance Championship season.
Roger Penske’s IndyCar team will try to match those impeccably high standards with the trio of Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power for the third consecutive season.
Arrow McLaren
Despite a winless 2023, the team still enters this season with the cutting-edge energy that it’s infused into IndyCar. The team already commanded attention throughout the offseason as NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson began testing the car that he will attempt to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in becoming the fifth driver to complete the Indy 500-Coke 600 doubleheader.
Pato O’Ward (who signed a new offseason extension) and Alexander Rossi return with a new teammate in David Malukas – but not at St. Pete. With Malukas out because of a hand injury, Callum Ilott is in for the opener and possibly the $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Christian Lundgaard scored his first career IndyCar victory last season while becoming this team’s unquestioned best performer. Now the big challenge for RLL will become keeping the talented Dane beyond ’24.
After the crushing disappointment of missing Indy, Graham Rahal enjoyed a second-half surge that dovetailed with Lundgaard’s emergence. Pietro Fittipaldi joins as the new third driver, taking his first full-time shot at IndyCar after an F1 reserve driver run.
Meyer Shank Racing
It’s a big reset for this team, which has changed out former full-time drivers Helio Castroneves (who will return for the Indy 500) and Simon Pagenaud (who hasn’t raced since his massive crash at Mid-Ohio last year).
Felix Rosenqvist will join his third team in four years and bring the best practices and knowledge from Chip Ganassi Racing and Arrow McLaren in trying to take MSR back to victory lane for the first time since its 2021 Indy 500 victory. A two-time Rolex 24 at Daytona winner and IMSA premier prototype champion, rookie Tom Blomqvist brings a sterling resume behind the wheel.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
This landing spot for Grosjean could be the right place for a revival. He thrived in a small-team environment as a Dale Coyne Racing rookie in 2021, and Grosjean will make his JHR debut at a track where he started on the pole position last year (and crashed while racing for the lead in a portentous sign of the season to come). The F1 veteran’s experience should be a benefit for teammate Agustin Canapino, who returns after showing flashes during his first open-wheel season ever.
A.J. Foyt Racing
A new alliance with Team Penske will provide precious top-flight information to this underdog team. After finishing third for Foyt in last year’s Indy 500, Santino Ferrucci will have a new lead engineer in James Schnabel who comes directly from Penske. With Penske’s firepower, Ferrucci, who will have a new teammate in Sting Ray Robb, has a goal of finishing top 10 in the points this season.
Ed Carpenter Racing
Known for its prowess at the Indy 500, this team could be helped by the schedule’s tilt toward ovals. Without a podium or pole position for the first time, Rinus VeeKay was candid that last season was his toughest in IndyCar, and as the longest-tenured full-time driver in ECR history, a big improvement will be expected for the Dutchman’s fifth year in the series.
Dale Coyne Racing
A scrappy team well known for punching above its weight, DCR lived up to its billing of usually being last on the grid to confirm its drivers -- waiting until race week to announce an intriguing lineup for St. Pete. Jack Harvey has exhibited race-winning speed in 79 career starts, and Colin Braun (though making his IndyCar debut) is an accomplished sports-car ace.
