Silly Season begins

If you thought you were going to get some time to settle down after IndyCar’s season finale, you were wrong. As soon as Labor Day ended, an explosion began, and we got more hot news in just two days than we sometimes get in two whole months. Before anything else hits the papers, here’s what went down to kick off the offseason.

Herta hops in a Cadillac

The best place to start is actually the fourth story to break. After years of rumors, counting super license points, and Red Bull trying and failing to get him an exemption, Colton Herta is finally off to chase his Formula One dreams by signing on as Cadillac’s first test driver. It’s a lateral move within the Andretti network, so he’s not burning any bridges by doing this, but it does mean the end of his time in IndyCar for the time being.

It also means that he’ll have to spend 2026 hunting down those last few super license points so he can finally get the all-clear for 2027. That means Herta will spend 2026 in Formula 2, while presumably also doing FP1 sessions with Cadillac in case the infamous Mecachrome engine lottery or other factors outside Herta’s control stop him from getting results. It’s not the prettiest way to get to F1, but as the first IndyCar driver to try to make this jump since the introduction of the super license system in 2015, he’ll have to play the cards he’s dealt.

Andretti’s got the Power

We now jump back to Tuesday, where the first big domino to fall was also the most expected. After 17 years, two National Championships, a win at the 500, and so much more, Team Penske announced that they were letting go of Will Power.

All year long, people had speculated as to where the Australian legend might go, given his pedigree and the fact that he was still the best of the Penske trio last year. However, Herta’s move to Cadillac created a late opening, and after exactly one day of free agency, Power became the new driver of the #26. Whether it all goes swimmingly or ends with a raging Aussie trying to throttle his pit crew for throwing the race away, this is sure to be one of the biggest stories of the IndyCar season.

VeeKay exits Coyne

Tuesday’s other announcement concerned a smaller name, but involved a much bigger surprise, as Rinus VeeKay and Dale Coyne Racing parted ways. After taking the last seat available just weeks before the start of this season, VeeKay had done a ton to right the ship, putting the #18 well within the Leaders’ Circle and coming 2nd at the Indy Toronto.

However, it wasn’t a perfectly-balanced improvement. DCR’s poor oval setups handcuffed VeeKay’s usual blistering speed on those tracks, forcing him to fight for his 500 on Bump Day where he’d previously been a regular contender for the Fast 12. Therefore, if VeeKay is out this soon, it’s likely because he smells an opportunity to fight on ovals and wants to cash in on what he was able to achieve with a team that, before he showed up, was the consensus worst on the grid.

Northern coup shakes schedule

Finally, we turn our attention to Ontario, Canada, where Wednesday morning’s news shocked the world before the West Coast was even up to eat breakfast. With Canada co-hosting next year’s World Cup—and therefore no access to Exhibition Place, the site of the Indy Toronto since 1986—word surfaced that nearby Markham would take over the event, presumably on a one-year contract.

Sure enough, we got the Indy Markham confirmed for mid-August of next season. But the real surprise came towards the end of mayor Frank Scarpitti’s remarks, when he revealed that Markham’s deal was for five years, likely signaling the end of the Indy Toronto as we know it.

Suffice to say, initial public reactions have been much more skeptical than when our other new street track, the Grand Prix of Arlington, had its big unveiling. I can’t say I blame them. However it turns out, we’re still losing a storied stop on the calendar that’s hosted 39 Indy races, putting it second only to Long Beach among the street circuits, and given us some absolute bangers in the process. We can only hope that the new track in Markham proves entertaining enough to justify its place on the schedule.