Last Week in IndyCar (9/22-9/28/25)

Another week has come and gone, and the IndyCar landscape has changed with it. We saw two more drivers slot into place, new alignments in the paddock, and some movement at the fringes that could prove consequential in the near future. Without further ado, let’s get right into the news and get caught up for the week to come.

Coyne signs Hauger, forms alliance with Andretti

After how long Dale Coyne Racing took to solidify their 2025 lineup, Coyne’s claims that he would get his 2026 pair signed by Halloween sounded a bit silly. However, he may be a man of his word, because early Tuesday morning, DCR announced that they’d signed reigning Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger. The Norwegian cleaned house on his first try, scoring six wins and wrapping up the championship early, so it’s no surprise to see him make the jump.

Not only does this add our first rookie to the grid, it also signals a new era at the team. As part of the move, Coyne entered a technical partnership with Andretti Global, meaning that Hauger stays in the bigger team’s network and DCR can make significant upgrades to their cars. Shrewd moves like this are exactly why the Coynemaster’s crew outlasted all the other Champ Car holdouts of the mid-2000s, and they’ll enter next season with plenty of buzz.

On top of all that, the move should strike fear into a couple established drivers’ hearts. For Marcus Ericsson, this is an official order to shape up and fly right. If the Sneaky Swede has another bad or even middling year, his likely replacement is now right there on the grid with him. Meanwhile, Rinus VeeKay now has to take a Foyt-or-bust approach to his next seat, because if he lands anywhere else, he’ll be the biggest bag fumbler of this offseason.

Ex-Penske director joins Andretti

The news out of the Andretti camp kept coming the day after, as they brought in longtime Team Penske managing director Ron Ruzewski to be their new team principal for next year. He replaces Rob Edwards, who moves to a role within Andretti’s parent company, TWG Motorsports.

Ruzewski’s move means a reunion with Will Power, who also made the jump to Andretti this offseason, but it also comes with a cloud of suspicion. Ruzewski was one of three key Penske leaders fired this past May in the wake of multiple cars failing tech during qualifying at the Indianapolis 500. Factor in that Andretti also had multiple cars fail tech after the race, which kicked Marcus Ericsson off the podium, and we see how a cynical observer might conclude Ruzewski is here to help Andretti play dirty. However, if he keeps his nose clean and the team gets results, this could be the savviest non-driver hire of the offseason.

Hollywood Harvey hops in again

Wednesday also saw confirmation of one of 2026’s part-time entries. For the second year in a row, series veteran turned grid-walking pit reporter Jack Harvey will trade the mic for a wheel at the Indianapolis 500, where he’ll pilot the Dreyer & Reinbold #24. While he’s not exactly a favorite to win, he did lead a few laps and finish several spots above where he started in last year’s 500, so it’s a sensible move to have him back.

Brazilians, prospects, and enduro stars enter testing pool

Friday was all about testing news. Over in Florence, Italy, James Hinchcliffe turned his first ever laps in an F1 car, while Romain Grosjean got into a Haas for the first time since the fireball that ended his time there. On this side of the Atlantic, though, we got a flood of upcoming names who’ll take IndyCar trials and could potentially enter the mix as silly season progresses.

At Mid-Ohio’s upcoming private tests in two days, A.J. Foyt will give an evaluation run to Caio Collet. The young Brazilian has been impressive in his two years of Indy NXT, including a three-win vice-championship season this year. He’s even got a bit of top-flight experience from Formula E, where he was Nissan’s reserve driver for Season 10 and filled in for Oliver Rowland at the Portland ePrix. Given Foyt’s long history of signing Brazilian drivers, if Collet does well here, his chances of filling the vacant #4 car will drastically go up.

Team Penske, meanwhile, will give the keys to one of their star endurance drivers, Felipe Nasr. Given that Nasr is a Porsche factory driver, it’s unlikely he’ll be lured out of that life, especially with all of Penske’s IndyCar seats already filled. However, as a three-time IMSA champion and reigning king of both Daytona and Sebring, he’d instantly have one of the strongest resumés in the field if he did try to make the switch.

Continuing the endurance theme, Rahal Letterman Lanigan will give Haas F1 turned Alpine WEC driver Mick Schumacher his first crack at an Indy car in mid-October’s test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. This will be great news for the German press, who love to whip up a frenzy whenever he gets within ten miles of an open-wheel car, so expect them to try and will him into the seat.

At that same test, Andretti will give a look to top Australian prospect Lochie Hughes. After winning the USF Pro 2000 championship in 2024, Hughes came up to Indy NXT with guns blazing, winning two races and finishing 3rd in the championship. While he’ll probably need another year down there before coming up, he’s gained a powerful new ally within the team in the form of Will Power, and that should help Hughes get all the prep he needs before coming up to the big time.

Finally, McLaren will give a test to yet another Brazilian, as Enzo Fittipaldi will hop in later in October at Sebring. This is likely preparation for his rumored move to Indy NXT for 2026, and while history tells us that not every Fittipaldi in the series will necessarily pan out, a strong performance here could set some dominoes in motion.