INDYCAR: December Silly Season Update

Marshall Pruett takes his latest look through the IndyCar paddock to find out which drivers and teams are close to joining forces.

Marshall Pruett | Posted December 07, 2012

With the door having closed on the one paying drive left in the series, Ryan Briscoe, who finished 6th in the 2012 championship, is the most successful driver in need of a new team. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

A limited number of seats remain open for the 2013 edition of the IZOD IndyCar Series, and at the current pace of negotiations, the silly season could be wrapped up by January.

Looking at the existing vacancies—2012 entries that are expected to return, Ganassi Racing continues to have a spot open with its fourth car and the second seat at Dale Coyne Racing is empty.

Although the deals aren’t finalized, a few entries are close along to pencil in the drivers at:

• A.J. Foyt Racing with Takuma Sato. Both sides are getting closer on a collaboration that would seem to benefit both parties.

• Barracuda Racing with Alex Tagliani. A contract is almost done for Tag to continue with Bryan Herta and Steve Newey.

• Dale Coyne Racing with Justin Wilson. It might not happen until we get to January, but Wilson is a lock to return for his third season with DCR and engineer Bill Pappas.

• Dragon Racing with Katherine Legge. As previously mentioned Legge is under contract to the team and once sponsor contracts are completed, should be confirmed for a second season alongside Sebastien Bourdais at the Jay Penske-owned outfit.

With those drivers in place, the series would have 21 entries confirmed for the season opener at St. Pete in March and there are more deals to be done.

It’s believed that Coyne wants to keep his second car on the grid, but I’ve yet to hear of any ready solutions to take over the No. 19 car. The rest of the opportunities for 2013 involve teams trying to expand their empires.

• After initial interest from Rahal Letterman Lanigan, followed by A.J. Foyt Racing, Ganassi’s fourth car, the No. 38 formerly piloted by Graham Rahal, has emerged as the most likely home for former Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe.

The talented Aussie was one of eight drivers to win in 2012, and continues to be coveted by Honda, but with a multi-million-dollar price tag for the No. 38 seat, Briscoe, like a few others that remain interested in the opportunity, will need to find sponsors to bankroll the ride. He seemed to be a perfect fit for the Foyt team, which offered a good salary, but with Sato bringing money and support from Honda Japan, that door has closed for Briscoe.

• With the recent hiring of Eddie Jones and an order for new Dallara DW12s, RLL is intent on expansion.

The second RLL seat continues to be a source of great interest for many drivers, but the cast of candidates who can afford the buy-in price has narrowed significantly. Former Dale Coyne Racing driver James Jakes, who has shown potential and speed in his first two IndyCar seasons, is a strong possibility to partner with Graham Rahal. And although he lacks the funding, Briscoe continues to sit atop RLL’s wish list.

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