Open Wheel 2020 NTT IndyCar Series Season

IndyCar's back sometime soon. There's been some testing recently of the new Halo/Aeroscreen Hybrid device to be used in all races next season.

Spoiler: Teams and Drivers

Spoiler: AJ Foyt Racing - Chevrolet

#4 Charlie Kimball
#14 Tony Kanaan (Ovals)
#14 Sebastien Bourdais
#14 Dalton Kellett
#TBA Dalton Kellett (Indy 500)

Spoiler: Andretti Autosport - Honda

#26 Zach Veach
#27 Alexander Rossi
#28 Ryan Hunter-Reay
#29 James Hinchcliffe (Indy Double and Texas)
#88 Colton Herta Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport
#98 Marco Andretti

Spoiler: Carlin Racing - Honda

#31 TBA
#59 Max Chilton (Road/Street plus Indy)
#59 TBA (Ovals Except Indy)

Spoiler: Chip Ganassi Racing - Honda

#8 Marcus Ericsson
#9 Scott Dixon
#10 Felix Rosenqvist

Spoiler: (The Great) Dale Coyne Racing - Honda

#18 Santino Ferrucci - Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan?
#55 Alex Palou [R] - Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh

Spoiler: DragonSpeed - Chevrolet

#81 Ben Hanley (Indy 500)

Spoiler: Dreyer and Reinbold Racing - Chevrolet

#24 Sage Karam (GMR GP and Indy 500)

Spoiler: Ed Carpenter Racing - Chevrolet

#20 Ed Carpenter (Ovals)
#20 Conor Daly (Road Courses)
#21 Rinus Veekay [R]
#TBA Conor Daly (Indy 500)

Spoiler: Rahal Letterman Lanigan - Honda

#15 Graham Rahal
#30 Takuma Sato
#45 Spencer Pigot (Indy Double) - RLLR with Citrone/Buhl Autosport

Spoiler: Arrow Mclaren Racing SP - Chevrolet

#5 Oliver Askew [R]
#7 Patricio O'Ward
#66 Fernando Alonso (Indy 500)

Spoiler: Meyer-Shank Racing - Honda

#60 Jack Harvey

Spoiler: Team Penske - Chevrolet

#1 Josef Newgarden
#2 Scott McLaughlin [R] (Indy Road)
#3 Helio Castroneves (Indy 500)
#12 Will Power
#22 Simon Pagenaud

Spoiler: Possibilities

Spoiler: Drivers

Pippa Mann - Money dependent on returning to the Indy 500.
JR Hildebrand - Expected to do Indy with DRR.
James Davison - Expected to do Indy with Byrd/Hollinger/Belardi.

Spoiler: Teams

Juncos Racing - Difficult and quiet 2019 but qualified for Indy. Nothing announced but expected to return.
Clauson-Marshall Racing - Expected to be Indy 500 Only. Partnered with Foyt last season and probably successful.
Byrd/Hollinger/Belardi - Ran Indy 500 only for the last few years with James Davison. Expected to return. Maybe returning with Coyne again?

Schedule
Key
(R) - Road Course
(S) - Street Circuit
(O) - Oval

Race 1 - Genesys 300 (Texas Motor Speedway) (O) - June 6th 2020
Race 2 - GMR Grand Prix (Indianapolis Road Course) (R) - July 4th 2020
Race 3 - REV Group Grand Prix Race 1 (Road America) (R) - July 11th 2020
Race 4 - REV Group Grand Prix Race 2 (Road America) (R) - July 12th 2020
Race 5 - Iowa IndyCar 250s Race 1 (Iowa Speedway) (O) - July 17th 2020
Race 6 - Iowa IndyCar 250s Race 2 (Iowa Speedway) (O) - July 18th 2020
Race 7 - 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis Oval) (O) - August 23rd 2020
Race 8 - Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline Race 1 (Gateway Motorsports Park) (O) - August 29th 2020
Race 9 - Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline Race 2 (Gateway Motorsports Park) (O) - August 30th 2020
Race 10 - Honda Indy 200 Race 1 (Mid Ohio) (R) - September 12th 2020
Race 11 - Honda Indy 200 Race 1(Mid Ohio) (R) - September 13th 2020
Race 12 - IndyCar Harvest Grand Prix Race 1 (Indianapolis Road Course) (R) - October 2nd 2020
Race 13 - IndyCar Harvest Grand Prix Race 2 (Indianapolis Road Course) (R) - October 3rd 2020
Race 14 - Firestone GP of St Petersburg (Streets of St Petersburg) (R) - October 25th 2020

2019 Champion: Josef Newgarden - Second Championship
2019 Manufacturer Champion: Honda
2019 Rookie of the Year: Felix Rosenqvist
2019 Indy 500 Winner: Simon Pagenaud
2019 Oval Champion: Simon Pagenaud
2019 Road and Street Champion: Scott Dixon

Be sure to check out the IndyCar Website, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook pages for more information. This will be updated throughout and before the season with important information regarding entries, races and fantasy.

 

The announcement that inspired the creation of the thread already.

 

It’s kinda crazy that after having several years of F1 experience, Ericsson was the least successful rookie this year. Good to see Ganassi expanding to 3 cars though.

Who are the McLaren drivers going to be?

 

So has Hinch been confirmed? Because I’ve heard both yes and no from equally credible sources...

 

Yeah. I've heard similar things. Wiki says yes. And it's easier to just leave him in since it's copied from the 2019 thread.

 

I'm looking forward to what will hopefully be a great year. There should be a 3 team battle upfront plus it will be interesting to see how McLaren manages things.

On a side-note, I'm planning on going to both Road America and Iowa again, hopefully the latter won't be a repeat of last year.

 

According to this article that quotes Brown, Hinch is to drive for SPAM, and Oli Askew could be in the second car. Pretty cool lineup if that’s how it turns out, upsetting that Daly isn’t being considered anymore.

https://racer.com/2019/10/12/mclaren-closing-in-on-2020-indycar-line-up/

 

From Racer.com
Taken at the Tire test at Richmond.

 

The paint/wrap at the top improves it quite a bit as it makes it blend in a little.

Also, I just renewed my Road America campsite and it makes the already long off-season seem even longer.

 

Wow! Michael Cannon leaving DCR to become Dixon's new race engineer at Ganassi.
https://racer.com/2019/10/23/cannon-joins-cgr-as-dixons-race-engineer/

 

https://racer.com/2019/10/28/oward-askew-set-for-arrow-mclaren-sp-indycar-seats/

 

Guess that confirms the rumours of Hinch leaving. Hopefully the rumours of Honda buying his contract out so he could stay with them are also true as I would hate to see him sidelined.

 

Ganassi signing Ericsson is going to look like a huge mistake now.

 

I don't think so as Ericsson brings money and Ganassi has stated they are looking at a 4th car.

 

If Hinch's contract/sponsors aren't enough for a 3rd RLL car, I doubt it'll be enough for Ganassi, even if there's more wealth to spread around there.

 

Gun, meet foot.

 

I cannot understate just how much of a **** deal Canada has gotten from Indycar over the past year. Wickens' crash, the absolute trash TV 'deal' with Sportsnet relegating it to an obscure streaming service that you have to pay up the nose to get (While Xfinity and MENCS races are more or less on TSN1 or 2 most weekends, live, a series with no links to Canada and running on past glories) and now Hinch getting dumped by SPAM.

Really, I can't be arsed to bother with Indycar anymore. Especially in contrast to how hopeful things were not even two years ago.

 

It's announced.

 

https://autoaction.com.au/2019/10/30/secret-sydney-indycar-plan

 

*Counter Strike voice* ROGER PENSKE WINS

 

Just read that. One of the teams competing in the championship has purchased the actual championship as well as the flagship race track.

Is this not a gross conflict of interest?

 

I mean, it is almost one hundred percent certain Roger will step down from all positions within the racing arm to compensate.

At the same time Penske's love for the Brickyard shows no bounds - I can't think of better stewards for Indy then the Penske family.

 

My head is spinning right now. Would love to know how this happened.

 

This article explains Penske is seeking all necessary approvals.

https://racer.com/2019/11/04/breaking-hulman-and-co-sells-ims-indycar-to-penske/

 

This. So much this. I like Penske and all, but how on Earth is this possible? Seems like a ridiculous conflict of interest to me...

 

If you weren't sure if Roger has (or had) you levels of money, well, here's your proof.

I'd imagine he'd step-down from all his Indycar-related race team positions as a sign of good faith, at minimum.

 

https://autoweek.com/article/indyca...uying-indycar-and-indianapolis-motor-speedway

 

Some of the things Roger mentions he wants to do:
- Bring a new manufacturer to Indy.
- Run an F1 race.
- Run a 24 hour race.
- Make the 1000 acre facility into an entertainment capital as well as a racing capital.
https://racer.com/2019/11/04/penske-aiming-to-elevate-ims-indycar/

 

It will be interesting to see how things progress. IndyCar has had conflicts of interest in the past with Tony George owning Vision Racing and later having part ownership of Ed Carpenter racing. Neither of those were exactly championship caliber operations though.

On the bright side though, Penske always seems to be a magnet for sponsors, so hopefully that will translate to the series as a whole.

 

It only took 15 years, but at least now we know who "won" the IndyCar War.

He seems to have success whatever he does, almost wherever he goes. Who knows, maybe he can have a new TV deal done that doesn't exclude Canada by the end of the winter. Also, it's not an 'investment firm' that'll strip everything bare and sell the parts. I'm weary, but I'll give benefit of the doubt for now.

Now if only I can be bothered to get up for races again.