How Silly Season is Reshaping 2024 IndyCar Grid After Latest Arrow McLaren Signing

On the heels of the conclusion of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season this Sunday at Laguna Seca, we’re also closing in on the end of Silly Season for the upcoming 2024 campaign.

We’re going to see a number of drivers changing teams, including several who may not be returning to the IndyCar ranks at all next season.

On Friday, Arrow McLaren SP announced that 21-year-old David Malukas will join Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi in 2024. Malukas replaces Felix Rosenqvist, who is gone after Sunday and on his way to Meyer Shank Racing.

“David is an up and comer in the NTT IndyCar Series, and based on what we’ve seen from him so far in his first two seasons, I’m confident there’s a lot of talent we can extract from him through the resources we have at Arrow McLaren," said Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing. "Beyond what he can do on a racetrack, he’s got a great personality and we’re excited to welcome him to the McLaren Racing family.”

Malukas moves to Arrow McLaren from Dale Coyne Racing, where he's 16th in the drivers' standings this season.

So that's another seat taken in the annual IndyCar game of musical chairs.

Here’s how things shape up right now (but don’t be surprised if we still see several more changes still to come):

Chip Ganassi Racing

Here's a team that is all locked up for 2024. Scott Dixon will be back, as will 2023 champion Alex Palou (unless Arrow McLaren SP is successful in its breach of contract lawsuit against him, which could potentially force Palou to honor his deal with AMSP, much like how he was forced to honor the option year of his deal with CGR in 2023).

Also, CGR locked in Marcus Armstrong earlier this week to a multi-year extension, and Linus Lundqvist will be the new kid on the CGR block in ‘24.

We’re very excited to see how Lundqvist fares; we’ll even go so far as to say he could potentially be IndyCar’s 2024 Rookie of the Year. Because Armstrong has signed a full-time deal, it’s likely Takuma Sato will not return for the five oval races, although he could potentially do a one-off for CGR in the Indianapolis 500, of which Sato is a two-time winner.

Team Penske

It looks to be a quiet offseason for Team Penske with 2023 Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin all coming back. However, Power could be staring at his final season with the organization in 2024 if his overall performance does not improve, particularly when it comes to reaching victory lane (Power enters Sunday’s race still winless for 2023). If Power fails to win Sunday’s season finale, it would end a streak of 16 consecutive seasons with at least one victory in IndyCar competition.

Andretti Global

There’s still a lot of discussion about what’s going to happen here. Devlin DeFrancesco is likely gone, replaced by 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, who elected not to re-sign with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Ericsson will join Kyle Kirkwood and Colton Herta at newly branded Andretti Global. While the team hasn’t said anything officially, Romain Grosjean has gone on record that he doesn’t expect to be retained after Sunday’s race. There have been a number of rumors about the fourth Andretti car, one being that the organization may scale back to just a three-car operation.

However, there also have been rumors—which we find very hard to believe unless he brings a massive sum of money (like in the $8 to $9 million range) with him—that Sting Ray Robb, who has had a very difficult rookie year, may move to the Andretti camp in 2024 if the big-dollar rumor is true.

As for DeFrancesco, one possible landing spot could either be Dale Coyne Racing or perhaps A.J. Foyt Racing. Then again, Grosjean could wind up at DCR or AJFR, as well.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

This team remains a question mark. Although he has said he expects to return, Graham Rahal, son of team primary owner Bobby Rahal, is not re-signed for 2024 (and is also rumored to potentially move to the Andretti stable if he doesn’t remain with dear old Dad).

Christian Lundgaard will be coming back, leaving the third seat still up in the air. Late-season addition Juri Vips is a possibility, but also don’t be surprised if RLL brings on someone like Callum Ilott.

Meyer Shank Racing

Meyer Shank Racing will have a completely new look in 2024. Tom Blomqvist will take over for Helio Castroneves, who is expected to race for MSR only in the 2024 Indy 500, as well as in its IMSA operation. Felix Rosenqvist will take over for Simon Pagenaud, who remains sidelined with a concussion suffered more than two months ago (and whose current contract officially expires after Sunday’s race).

Much like Castroneves, Pagenaud could potentially race in IMSA for MSR and maybe even have a one-off for the organization in the Indy 500, but four cars may be one too many for MSR to financially handle in the Greatest Spectacle In Racing.

A.J. Foyt Racing

A.J. Foyt Racing almost always plays its cards close to the vest and usually doesn’t reveal its hand until after the first of the new year. While Santino Ferrucci will likely return, Benjamin Pedersen is unlikely to do so (unless the Foyt camp can’t get a replacement to either bring lots of cash with them, or will settle for a smaller deal than most other drivers).

Ed Carpenter Racing

Ed Carpenter Racing remains a question mark. Will Ryan Hunter-Reay, who replaced Conor Daly in June, return? The odds appear likely he will come back. What about team owner Carpenter? Will he continue to do his oval-only racing, or is he done with active driving (as some rumors have indicated)?

Also, look for Rinus VeeKay to return, as well. If VeeKay had a stronger season, he may have gotten a ride with a stronger team. But for now, he’s the right guy at the right time for ECR.

Juncos Hollinger Racing

Juncos Hollinger Racing will likely lose Ilott to a better-funded team. The question is where? As for teammate Augustin Canapino, who is closing in on 34 years of age, it’s 50-50 if he returns to JHR next season or perhaps returns to his native Brazil to race in various series and genres on his home turf.

Dale Coyne Racing

Dale Coyne Racing will likely have a completely new lineup for 2024. Malukas is moving on to a bigger and better-funded team, while Sting Ray Robb will likely not return (unless he brings a boatload of money with him to keep his seat for 2024). More likely, we will see Grosjean and one other driver TBD.

Other Drivers to Watch

Others to watch for: There are several other drivers to watch for if they wind up with the leftovers after all of the major seats in the series are filled. One guy in particular to watch for is 2023 Indy NXT champion Christian Rasmussen (who comes with an NXT scholarship that will help him partially buy a ride). Rasmussen could be a great fit in the Foyt or Coyne camps if other drivers fall out of contention. And there’s also former ECR driver Conor Daly and former RLL driver Jack Harvey, who are both looking for rides, as well.