After an October that offered a sneaky number of intriguing NTT INDYCAR SERIES news items, the calendar is set to turn the page. November might not hold as much intrigue as its predecessor, but then again, it might. There certainly are enough unresolved nuggets to keep tabs on:

Caio Collet

Team News:

There are still five full-season rides to watch, plus several for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Questions will be answered at some point soon.

Dale Coyne Racing needs a driver to be paired with rookie Dennis Hauger, this year’s INDY NXT by Firestone champion. Obviously, it won’t be Rinus VeeKay, who has moved to Juncos Hollinger Racing. Jacob Abel drove the team’s No. 51 Honda in 2025. Dale Coyne recently said he expected to have the lineup set by Halloween. Dale, your clock is ticking.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing needs to confirm the driver of its No. 30 Honda. That was Devlin DeFrancesco’s seat this year, but Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, tested with the team last month on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Clearly, he enjoyed the day, and the ride is likely his if he wants it. If not, there are options.

VeeKay will have a teammate at Juncos Hollinger Racing, but the team has been silent lately on that subject. Sting Ray Robb is said to have a contract to return for a second season, but he was not mentioned in JHR’s announcement of VeeKay. Could Conor Daly return? Will it be someone else in the No. 78 Chevrolet?

What is the status of PREMA Racing and its two Chevrolet-powered seats occupied this year by Callum Ilott and “500” pole winner Robert Shwartzman? Both drivers are believed to be under contract for 2026, depending on the team’s status.

AJ Foyt Racing’s open seat in the No. 4 Chevrolet seems the most likely resolved. Caio Collet (photo, above), who finished second to Hauger in INDY NXT by Firestone, has been impressive in two recent tests with the team. It will be a shock if he’s not the choice.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has confirmed Jack Harvey’s return for the “500,” but will Ryan Hunter-Reay be back in the No. 23 Chevrolet for a third year? Or, could the 2014 Indy winner be employed elsewhere? More on that in a few graphs.

Romain Grosjean

Driver News:

There are a host of drivers in the mix. Romain Grosjean has expressed an interest in returning to the series, and there has been speculation he could be back with Coyne’s team. But don’t sleep on Linus Lundqvist or Toby Sowery, who have been impressive in limited duty, or Daly. Abel is another possibility. All these drivers would help RLL fill in the blank for the No. 30 car, too, if Schumacher doesn’t take it.

Some of these drivers will be options for the “500,” where many of the non-regular cars have not been confirmed. Surely Helio Castroneves (Meyer Shank Racing), Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter Racing) and Takuma Sato (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) sign up for another shot at the Borg-Warner Trophy. Does Colton Herta utilize a break in his new European obligations to run Indy? We know Marco Andretti will not race next May, as he announced his retirement as a driver Oct. 29.

Arrow McLaren’s Zak Brown has hinted at big news regarding the additional car at Indy. Is that Hunter-Reay, who would be a value-add to any program? Is that a NASCAR driver like Kyle Larson, who has driven the car in the past two Indy 500s?

Testing:

After a host of test sessions held this month, November is significantly quieter. In fact, the only on-track activity will come Nov. 6-7 at Phoenix Raceway.

Because the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has not raced at the historic short oval since 2018 – a 250-lap race won by Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden – Firestone will test tires with a driver representing each engine manufacturer. For Honda, it will be Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, who won the 2016 race at the 1-mile track. On Chevrolet’s behalf will be Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi, who has made three starts at the track, highlighted by a third-place finish in 2018.

INDYCAR’s official return to Phoenix will be Saturday, March 7 in the second race of the season.