| Team |
Driver 1 |
Driver 2 |
Driver 3 |
Driver 4 |
Chassis |
Engine |
Sponsors |
| Andretti Green Racing |
Tony Kanaan |
Dario Franchitti |
Bryan Herta |
Marco Andretti
Michael Andretti
Cristiano da Matta
Dan Wheldon |
Dallara |
Honda |
7-Eleven
Jim Beam
NYSE
AirTran
Vonage
XM Satellite Radio
Kraft
Hershey's
Alpine
AirTran
Kellogg's
Forsythe
Klein Tools |
|---|
 |
December 20: AGR confirmed today that Michael Andretti's 18-year-old son Marco will drive for the team. Due to his age, he will not inherit Dan Wheldon's Jim Beam sponsorship, instead trading it for Dario Franchitti's ArcaEx livery (and leaving the Scotsman to advertise bourbon!) Michael will indeed return for the Indianapolis 500, the excuse being that this will in some way assist Marco. |
| December 15: Robin Miller reports at speedtv.com that Marco Andretti will take Dan Wheldon's now vacant seat and that Michael Andretti will come out of retirement to run the Indianapolis 500, in part to coach Marco. |
| November 10: Autosport suggests Michael Andretti is targeting Cristiano da Matta to take Dan Wheldon's place. |
| October 24: Rumors continue to swirl of Dan Wheldon rejecting a contract with AGR in favor of more money elsewhere. |
| October 20: We hear an interesting rumor that Dan Wheldon is negotiating with Penske and Ganassi for his 2006 ride, now they look to be getting Honda engines. Didn't the Formula One threats succeed in squeezing more money from his mentor, Michael Andretti? |
| October 16: 7-Eleven announces it will continue its primary sponsorship of the #11 car, driven by Tony Kanaan for the past three seasons. |
| September 28: Dan Wheldon now has a contract to sign, but he's still holding out with murmurings of interest from F1 teams. Sounds like continuing negotiation tactics to us! |
| August 1: Dan Wheldon's contract expires at the end of the season. He's been hinting he has inquiries from F1 teams and an offer to run in Busch for 2006, but we suspect this is just posturing. He is set to take the IRL championship, on top of his Indy 500 win. He's looking for a big pay rise to re-sign with AGR. |
| July 1: Will the team continue to run four cars? |
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|---|
| Beck Motorsports |
Stephan Gregoire
Arie Luyendyk Jr. |
P.J. Jones |
|
|
Panoz |
Honda |
Team Leader
CURB Records |
|---|
|
May 16: P.J. Jones was today announced for a second Beck car, the #98 Curb Records Special. |
| May 7: Despite missing the filing deadline, Beck has entered a car for in the Indy 500 for veteran French driver Stephan Gregoire with funding from Curb and Agajanian, and branded as the Team Leader Special. |
| April 13: Beck did not file any entries for the Indy 500 by the April 5 deadline. |
| July 1: Failed to qualify with Arie Luyendyk Jr. at the Indy 500 this year. Could be back as bump fodder for the big race next season. |
|
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|---|
| Cheever Racing |
Eddie Cheever |
Max Papis
Tomas Enge
Ryan Briscoe
Chris Fiesta
Alex Barron
Patrick Carpentier |
|
|
Dallara |
Honda
Toyota |
Kmart
Cisco
Crown Royal?
Izod
Mecachrome
Red Bull |
|---|
|
May 16: Max Papis has been named to drive Cheever's second car for the Indy 500. |
| April 13: Cheever has filed two entries for the Indy 500. Although Tomas Enge is expected to fill the second seat alongside Eddie Cheever himself, he's not named in the entry. However, he will drive at Motegi, while Cheever is occupied with his Grand Am drive in Virginia. |
| April 3: Tomas Enge is expected to drive a second car in Japan and Indianapolis, and may take over the primary seat from Eddie Cheever after that. |
| March 20: Alex Barron announces he's returning to his roots and running with the Polestar Racing Group in the Champ Car Atlantic Series. |
| February 21: Eddie Cheever confirms he'll run in the first four races of the season, including the Indy 500, and maybe more. He says he no longer has a contract with Mecachrome which holds Patrick Carpentier's contract. |
| February 20: Speedtv.com says Eddie Cheever will announce his return to the cockpit of an IndyCar tomorrow. He expects to compete in the first four races of the season, including the Indianapolis 500. The 48-year-old ex-Formula One driver hasn't raced an IndyCar since the end of the 2002 season. A second car is in the works for Indy only. |
| January 10: Eddie Cheever is competing with Crown Royal sponsorship in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Can he persuade the company to come on board his IndyCar team? |
| December 14: Honda announced today that it will supply every team on the grid for 2006, indirectly confirming Toyota's withdrawal a year earlier than planned. How does this affect Cheever, who now has to come up with engine money, but has lost Red Bull sponsorship? Patrick Carpentier has a contract with Mecachrome, not Cheever, so could run the second of his two years with another team. |
| December 12: Eddie Cheever tells the Indianapolis Star he's working on a one-car team for 2006. |
| October 19: If Penske and Ganassi switch to Honda engines, could Cheever become Toyota's #1 team? And would Toyota move Ryan Briscoe over? |
| October 16: Cheever Racing announced today that Red Bull will not renew its sponsorship for 2006. The press release says the team will continue its operation in Indianapolis and is currently in negotiations with future partners on several racing endeavors. Do those endeavors include the IRL? Eddie Cheever says he still has a contract with Toyota to run two cars next year. Patrick Carpentier still has a year left on his contract, through an agreement with engine builder Mecachrome. However, Alex Barron is not signed and his recent comments in the press are not optimistic. |
| October 14: The Indianapolis Star says Cheever Racing's sponsorship is in limbo and adds that Patrick Carpentier ending up back in Champ Car would not be a surprise. |
| August 21: Red Bull looks likely to step into the role of title sponsor for the Atlantic Series and maybe also sponsor a Champ Car team. Where does that leave Eddie Cheever? |
| July 1: 2005 has been another disappointing season for Eddie Cheever, largely due to uncompetitive Toyota engines. He seems to have patched up an initially rocky relationship with Patrick Carpentier, but Alex Barron continues to perform poorly. |
|
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|
|---|
C & S Motorsport |
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|---|
|
May 7: C & S will run their entry as a second Playa Del Racing car with Jon Herb in the seat. |
| April 13: John Cummiskey and Mark Shambarger, who were behind the running of the Newman/Haas cars in the past two Indy 500s, have filed an entry for their own team this year. No driver has been specified. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
Buddy Lazier
Thiago Medeiros
Roger Yasukawa |
Al Unser Jr.
Jeff Bucknum
Alex Barron |
|
|
Dallara |
Honda |
GEICO
Roll Coater
Escort Radar Detectors
Racing For Kids
Aventis?
Byrd Brothers?
Investment Properties of America
Purex |
|---|
|
March 20: Al Unser Jr. announces he'll be driving for D & R in the Indy 500 this year. We hear the Byrd Brothers might step in with the funding. |
| February 22: Buddy Lazier will drive for D & R this season. A second car is possible for the Indianapolis 500. |
| October 16: Robin Miller, writing at speedtv.com, says Roger Yasukawa will not be invited back, so D & R will have to find an extra $2 million for Honda engines. |
| September 28: We're hearing D & R already has trouble with funding for next season. Roger Yasukawa may be gone, along with the funding he brings from Honda. Running 2004 Infiniti Pro Series champion Thiago Medeiros in just the Indy 500 may be one option. |
| September 11: Dennis Reinbold tells IndyCar.com that he's committed to seeking the funding to run two cars in 2006, with Thiago Medeiros as his first choice for driver. "To be competitive in this series, becoming a two-car team is a necessary step in moving forward," he says. |
| September 10: The team will run a second car for 2004 Infiniti Pro Series champion Thiago Medeiros with Brazilian sponsorship in the series finale at the California Speedway. |
| July 1: Running Roger Yasukawa for the 2005 season, with an extra car for Jeff Bucknum in the Indy 500. Could continue to run Yasukawa at the back in 2006, if he still brings in the cash. |
|
|
|
|---|
| A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
Felipe Giaffone |
Larry Foyt |
Anthony Foyt IV?
Jeff Bucknum |
|
Dallara
Panoz? |
Honda
Toyota
Chevrolet |
ABC Supply
Craftsman?
Greer?
Texas State Bank? |
|---|
|
May 9: A.J. Foyt has been released from his NASCAR Busch ride, but he still has commitments to the Evernham Motorsports driver development program. He'll be at the Speedway, but the chances of him getting in the third car are slim. |
| April 13: Hemelgarn will supply an Indy 500 entry for Jeff Bucknum, so no word on who, if anyone, will fill the third entry from Foyt. |
| April 3: Foyt has submitted three entries for the Indy 500, naming Felipe Giaffone and Larry Foyt for the first two cars. |
| March 19: Jeff Bucknum may get to run for Foyt at Indy and on the road courses. |
| December 15: A. J. Foyt announced today that he will run a car for Felipe Giaffone in 2006. |
| December 14: Honda announced today that it will supply every team on the grid for 2006, indirectly confirming Toyota's withdrawal a year earlier than planned. |
| October 8: A. J. Foyt IV will be released from his driver's contract at the end of the season to try his hand at stock car racing. He will drive in the NASCAR Busch series for Akins Motorsports (running engines from Evernham) next year, as well as for what's left of this season. His grandfather still has two years of sponsorship remaining with ABC Supply, but still doesn't know where he will find engines. |
| August 20: General Motors confirmed to teams this weekend that it will not be back in 2006. Having burnt bridges with his mid-season switch to Chevrolet from Toyota, where will A. J. get his engines for next year? |
| August 9: Foyt will switch to Chevrolet engines for this weekend's race at Kentucky Speedway. What happens to his engine supply if Chevy does leave the IRL at the end of 2005, as planned? |
|
|
|
|---|
| Fernández Racing |
Scott Sharp |
Kosuke Matsuura
Takuma Sato |
Adrián Fernández
Mario Haberfeld |
|
Dallara
Panoz |
Honda |
Delphi
A T & T
Panasonic
ARTA
Autobacs
Bryant
Futaba
Lowe's? |
|---|
|
April 13: Fernandez has filed just two Indy 500 entries for its regular drivers. |
| January 24: The team has confirmed that Kosuke Matsuura will return in the Super Aguri car for 2006. |
| January 10: Adrián Fernández is competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with Lowe's sponsorship. Can he bring them to his IndyCar team? He shares his ride Daytona ride with former Champ Car driver Mario Haberfeld, who could be interested in competing in the Indianapolis 500. Also, we hear the team is switching to the more popular Dallara chassis. |
| November 1: Now Aguri Suzuki has announced his plans to run the Super Aguri Formula One team, will his partnership with Adrián Fernández continue? |
| October 8: Aguri Suzuki has been linked with running Takuma Sato in a second Honda Formula One team, but denies any involvement. Meanwhile, Delphi has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It's unknown whether this will affect Scott Sharp's sponsorship - deals with series equipment suppliers like Delphi are usually more complex than straight cash payments. |
| September 22: With Jenson Button's F1 deal to return to BAR and the second seat already given to Rubens Barrichello, could Honda replace Kosuke Matsuura with Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri Fernández IndyCar? |
| August 20: Following Scott Sharp's win at Kentucky, a Delphi spokesperson confirms to the Indy Star that the sponsor will stay with Sharp and the team at least through 2006. |
| July 1: Expect Delphi to stay as sponsor, but will Scott Sharp retire at the end of this season? As a Japanese driver, Kosuke Matsuura will probably continue to be run jointly with former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki. |
|
|
|
|---|
Greg Ray Racing |
Greg Ray |
|
|
|
Panoz |
Honda |
|
|---|
| July 1: With Greg Ray's team out of action for so long, it seems very unlikely he'll be back. |
|
|---|
| Hemelgarn Racing |
P. J. Chesson
Paul Dana |
Jeff Bucknum |
Jimmy Kite? |
|
Dallara |
Honda
Toyota |
Carmelo Anthony
Nike?
Milk?
Ethanol |
|---|
|
April 13: Hemelgarn will run a second entry in the Indy 500 for Jeff Bucknum and has filed a third entry with no driver named. |
| March 16: Denver Nuggets basketball star Carmelo Anthony is lending his support to the team to put together a car for P. J. Chesson to drive. |
| March 4: IndyCar.com reveals that P. J. Chesson has reached an agreement to race for Hemelgarn. Details of how many races and sponsorship are still being worked out. |
| January 24: Does Paul Dana's defection (along with his Ethanol sponsorship) spell the end for Hemelgarn? |
| December 14: Honda announced today that it will supply every team on the grid for 2006, indirectly confirming Toyota's withdrawal a year earlier than planned. |
| October 20: National Speed Sport News suggests Paul Dana will return to Hemelgarn next season. The best Jimmy Kite can hope for is a second car for the Indy 500. |
| July 1: Paul Dana's spinal fracture from a crash during practice at Indy probably meant an end to his IndyCar year. His replacement, Jimmy Kite, has been a regular back-marker and the team will sit out the road courses this year. Will the IRL really switch to all ethanol fuel in 2007 when the shortage of engine suppliers is such an issue? |
|
|
|
|---|
| Luyendyk Racing |
Arie Luyendyk Jr. |
|
|
|
Panoz |
Honda |
|
|---|
| April 13: Arie Luyendyk Jr. shows up on the Indy 500 entry list with a car run by his own team. |
|
|---|
Matt Young Motorsports |
Jeff Simmons
Alex Barron
Vitor Meira
Roger Yasukawa
Thiago Medeiros
Buddy Lazier |
|
|
|
|
Honda
Toyota |
Bombardier Learjet
Menards |
|---|
|
April 13: Matt Young did not file an entry for the Indy 500. |
| January 10: The team hopes to run at least three races, including the Indianapolis 500, probably using second-hand Panoz chassis, now those are out of favor with the big teams. With the reduced car count, they stand more chance of picking up an experienced driver. |
| October 4: With Chevrolet out of the picture, so are Buddy Lazier's chances at MYM. |
| September 13: We hear former Mo Nunn Racing team manager Peter Parrott is talking to Matt Young, who aspires to be the youngest IndyCar team owner, about running a limited schedule in 2006. They'd favor an experienced driver like Buddy Lazier. |
|
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|---|
Mo Nunn Racing |
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|---|
|
September 10: Mo Nunn's equipment has been sold and he has been drafted in to help out at Target Chip Ganassi Racing this weekend in Chicago, following the release of engineer Bill Pappas. |
| July 1: Mo Nunn ran a car for Adrián Fernández in the Indy 500, but his remaining equipment is now up for sale. |
|
|
|
|---|
Newman/Haas Racing |
Sébastien Bourdais |
Bruno Junqueira
Oriol Servia |
|
|
Dallara
Panoz |
Honda |
Centrix |
|---|
|
April 13: John Cummiskey and Mark Shambarger, who ran last year's Indy 500 entries for Newman/Haas have filed their own entry for 2006. |
| February 24: The Indianapolis Star says Newman/Haas bought IndyCar-only equipment at the Panther auction and made a late but failed attempt to hire Vitor Meira. |
| November 6: Newman/Haas won't return to the Indianapolis 500 in 2006. |
| August 14: After Bruno Junqueira's injury at this year's Indy 500, and considering the conflicts with qualifying in the 2006 Champ Car schedule, Newman/Haas may have little enthusiasm for returning to the Indy 500. |
|
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|
|---|
| Panther Racing |
Vitor Meira
Tomas Scheckter |
Townsend Bell
Tomas Enge
Buddy Lazier |
|
|
Dallara |
Honda
Toyota
Cosworth
Chevrolet |
Pennzoil
Menards?
Johns Manville?
Goodwrench?
RockStar?
Byrd Brothers?
Pedigo
Ceska Pojistovna |
|---|
|
April 13: Panther filed a second entry for the Indy 500, but with no driver named. |
| February 10: Panther held back enough equipment from its auction to run a single car in 2006, with Vitor Meira signing on as driver. Pennzoil will provide some sponsorship, but there's no word yet on whether Meira brings Menards money with him. The team intends to enter a second car in the Indianapolis 500. |
| January 25: Tomas Scheckter will test for Vision Racing this week. |
| December 19: Panther is auctioning off its entire stock of equipment through Key Liquidators in Indianapolis. The sale is set for January, so there's little time to find enough sponsorship to hold back enough to run a single car. |
| December 18: Robin Miller reports on Speed News that Pat Patrick has decided against buying Panther. |
| December 4: Robin Miller reports on Speed News that Pat Patrick has made an offer for Panther. He believes the team could keep Tomas Enge and also run Vitor Meira, who still has Menards sponsorship to offer. |
| November 23: Robin Miller reports at speedtv.com that Panther has laid off more than half its staff. Co-owner Mike Griffin is quoted as saying he told Tomas Scheckter to accept an offer elsewhere if one comes up. |
| October 21: The Indianapolis Star says Panther is one of the teams Vitor Meira is talking to. |
| October 16: Pennzoil is gone as primary sponsor, although will likely be back in a lesser role, such as just for the Indy 500. Co-owner Gary Pedigo said during today's IRL broadcast that the team is working on several partial deals. Tomas Scheckter tells Robin Miller he doesn't have a contract with Panther, but would like to stay. |
| October 4: We hear the team has agreed an engine supply deal with Honda. Tomas Scheckter has a contract for at least two more years. |
| August 20: General Motors has confirmed its intention to leave IndyCar at the end of the season. |
| August 13: Champ Car's 2006 schedule makes it very difficult for its teams to qualify for the Indy 500. So why would Cosworth want to supply Panther in the IRL? Other than to earn some money, could it be to keep the team prepared for a switch to Champ Car in 2007, when the new chassis and engine regulations come into effect? |
| July 30: Panther has been in discussions with Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerry Forsythe. Will they jump to Champ Car? We don't think so... but they could be Cosworth's outpost in the IRL and could help Champ Car teams that want to run in the Indy 500. That way Champ Car sponsors get exposure at Indy without having to go the whole season with an IndyCar team. |
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|---|
| PDM Racing |
Thiago Medeiros
Aaron Pierce |
|
|
|
Panoz |
Honda
Toyota
Chevrolet |
|
|---|
|
May 7: The PDM seat for the Indy 500 will indeed be filled by Thiago Medeiros. |
| April 3: PDM has entered a car for the Indy 500. No driver specified, but we believe it will go to Thiago Medeiros, who has been driving the team's USAC Silver Crown car. |
| February 22: 2004 Pro Series champion Thiago Medeiros has signed to PDM Racing to compete in the USAC Silver Crown series. If the team can muster the funds to run in the Indianapolis 500, he would be an obvious choice of driver. |
| January 27: PDM team owner Paul Diatlovich tells the Indianapolis Star his engine bill for the 2003 Indy 500 was $32,000, when he owned all three of his engines. This year's cost to lease a Honda is $250,000 for the full month or $115,000 after the first weekend of qualifying. |
| December 7: PDM Racing will be running a USAC Silver Crown program in 2006. Will such a small team have the bandwidth to run a car in the Indianapolis 500 too? |
| July 1: PDM helped Marty Roth run a single car in the Indy 500. With Chevrolet gone, how will they be able to afford an engine to repeat this for 2006? |
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|---|
| Playa Del Racing |
Jaques Lazier |
Roger Yasukawa
Jon Herb |
|
|
Panoz |
Honda |
videopoker.com |
|---|
|
May 20: Roger Yasukawa has taken Jon Herb's place for the Indy 500, allowing co-owner Herb to concentrate on the Indy Pro Series race after rain shortened practice time. |
| May 7: By joining forces with C & S Motorsport, which inherited its cars from Newman/Haas, Playa Del Racing will campaign two cars in the Indy 500 for both Jacques Lazier and Jon Herb. |
| April 13: Playa Del Racing has filed an entry (plus backup car) for the Indy 500. No official word on the driver, but we hear whispers of Jon Herb or Jacques Lazier. |
| January 10: We hear Playa Del Racing is still intending to run the Indianapolis 500. |
| October 25: Writing at the Indianapolis Star, Curt Cavin says he spoke to team owner Gary Sallee at the IRL awards ceremony. PDR considered running the last two races this year, but decided to focus on the program for 2006. |
| August 14: We hear from a reliable source that Playa Del Racing still has the business-to-business relationships that should enable it to fund at least another attempt at the Indy 500. |
| July 1: This new team succeeded in running a single car for Jaques Lazier in the Indy 500, but hasn't been heard from since. With the difficult engine situation, it seems unlikely they'll pull together a program for 2006. |
|
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|---|
| Rahal-Letterman Racing |
Danica Patrick |
Buddy Rice |
Jeff Simmons
Paul Dana
Vitor Meira
Kenny Bräck |
|
Panoz |
Honda |
Argent Mortgage
BEA
Ethanol
Fagen
ICM
Broin
Pioneer (USA)
Norwalk Furniture
Timken
Menards
Johns Manville |
|---|
|
April 4: Rahal today confirmed Jeff Simmons as Paul Dana's replacement at an Indy 500 Media Day press conference. |
| April 3: ESPN reports that Jeff Simmons is expected to take the Ethanol-sponsored seat, starting in Japan. |
| March 29: Following the tragic death of Paul Dana, will Rahal-Letterman Racing continue to run a third car? |
| January 24: Rahal has signed Paul Dana and his Ethanol sponsorship to run a third Honda-Panoz. |
| January 7: The Indianapolis Star says Paul Dana is talking to Rahal about bringing his Ethanol sponsorship there. Vitor Meira and his Menards deal appear to be gone. |
| October 21: The Indianapolis Star says Scott Roembke, the team's general manager, hopes to bring back Vitor Meira next year, despite losing money on his car this year. Meira is looking for alternatives, saying he is "talking to anyone and everyone at this point". |
| October 16: Robin Miller, writing at speedtv.com, says the team could be down to two cars for 2006 unless additional sponsorship can be found to top up the money John Menard brings with Vitor Meira. |
| July 1: Danica Patrick will obviously be back with Rahal in 2006. Vitor Meira has performed well in his Menards sponsored car, with several second place finishes, but still looking for his first win. Buddy Rice has had a lackluster season, missing the Indy 500 (and being replaced by Kenny Bräck) after a big crash in practice. |
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|---|
Robby Gordon Motorsports |
Robby Gordon
Vitor Meira
Dan Wheldon |
|
|
|
Dallara |
Honda |
Cingular
Meijer
Menards
Johns Manville
Jim Beam
Coca-Cola |
|---|
|
February 6: The later start of the Indianapolis 500 means there's no time for NASCAR drivers to travel to Charlotte, effectively ruling out Robby Gordon from running both races. |
| October 24: Is Robby Gordon planning to run an IndyCar team full-time next year, including a car for himself in the Indy 500? Menard Engineering, which builds his NASCAR engines, is negotiating its sale to Honda to supply engines to a second Formula One team. Could this lead to Honda IRL engines for Robby, with sponsorship from Menards? And could this be where Vitor Meira will end up? With Jim Beam sponsorship (another Gordon connection), could there be enough funds even to lure Dan Wheldon? |
| July 1: There are continuing rumors that Robby Gordon will be back to run the Indy 500 and Charlotte NASCAR race double. The later start time of the Indy 500 will make that difficult. |
|
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|
|---|
| Roth Racing |
Marty Roth |
|
|
|
Dallara |
Honda
Chevrolet |
|
|---|
|
May 21: Marty Roth has withdrawn his Indy 500 entry after crashing during practice on Bump Day. |
| March 27: Marty Roth has submitted an entry for the Indianapolis 500. |
| January 30: Marty Roth says he'll be back for his third attempt at the Indianapolis 500. He has been talking with Honda and hopes to complete a full test schedule in preparation. |
| July 14: 47-year-old Marty Roth could be back for a third attempt at the Indy 500, but with Chevy gone, who will sell him an engine. |
|
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|---|
| Sam Schmidt Motorsports |
Airton Daré
Richie Hearn |
|
|
|
Panoz
Dallara? |
Honda
Chevrolet |
Meijer
Coca-Cola |
|---|
|
May 10: Airton Daré will drive Sam Schmidt's Indy 500 entry. |
| April 13: Sam Schmidt has filed a single entry for the Indy 500, but does not name a driver. |
| September 21: Richie Hearn intends to start his own team in the rejuvenated Atlantic Championship series. |
| July 1: Probably prepared to step in and fill the Indy 500 field again, if an engine can be found. |
|
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|---|
| Target Chip Ganassi Racing |
Scott Dixon |
Dan Wheldon
Ryan Briscoe
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Vitor Meira
Wade Cunningham
Jaques Lazier
Darren Manning |
Giorgio Pantano?
Luis Díaz? |
|
Dallara
Panoz |
Honda
Toyota |
Target
Fujifilm
Energizer
Gillette
Air Wick
Planter's
Reveal
Glad
Pepsi
CompUSA?
Menards?
Johns Manville?
Coca-Cola |
|---|
|
April 13: The Target team has filed Indy 500 entries for the Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon, plus a spare entry with no named driver. |
| November 28: Ganassi announced today that Dan Wheldon has signed to partner Scott Dixon in 2006. The team confirmed a switch to Honda engines and Dallara chassis. Only two cars will be run. |
| November 19: Robin Miller predicts at speedtv.com that Toyota will withdraw from the IRL one year earlier than planned. This lends more credibility to the stories of Dan Wheldon bringing Honda engines to Ganassi. |
| November 10: Dan Wheldon is thought to be the key to Ganassi getting Honda engines. As the only driver to win at Motegi with Honda engines, he's very respected by the Japanese car giant. |
| October 20: Dan Wheldon is rumored to be in discussions with Ganassi, to see if he can capitalize on his Indy 500 winner and series champion status. |
| October 17: Ryan Hunter-Reay has been let go from the Rocketsports Champ Car team two races before the end of the 2005 season. We hear that Chip Ganassi may be courting him for 2006. This could also be a destination for Vitor Meira and his Menards sponsorship if Rahal Letterman can't top it up to fully fund the car. Meanwhile, Ganassi tells the Indianapolis Star that he is in talks with Honda for his 2006 engine supply. |
| October 2: Robin Miller reports on Speed Channel that Chip Ganassi has been talking to Kevin Kalkhoven about Toyota badging Cosworth engines to reduce costs during the Japanese manufacturer's final year in the series. Also, Chip says Target is interested in the team racing at several Champ Car events in North America. That would reduce the likelihood of the team running a third car in the IRL. |
| September 28: If Target runs a third car, we hear a rumor that New Zealand driver Wade Cunningham, the rookie who currently leads the points in the 2005 Infiniti Pro Series, is in line for the seat. But that's a big "if". Maybe he'd get the IRL ride if the team moves Scott Dixon to Champ Car full time? Two New Zealanders at the same team? Cunningham is managed by Dixon's father... |
| August 21: Robin Miller reports a rumor on Speed News that Ganassi, faced with the prospect of uncompetitive engines in Toyota's final year, may switch to the Champ Car World Series for 2006. |
| August 18: Ganassi has hired former Jordan F1 driver Giorgio Pantano of Italy to drive this year's two road course events at Infineon and Watkins Glen. Could he stay for a seat next season? |
| July 29: Chip Ganassi surprised the IndyCar paddock by signing Jaques Lazier to replace Darren Manning. All we can assume is that he has a contract to run three cars and needed an experienced driver. |
| July 26: Darren Manning was fired today. Speculation suggests he's a scapegoat for the team's poor performance this season. Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe both have closer ties to Toyota, so Darren may have been the obvious choice - especially if he's been more vocal about the team's failings. While he has accumulated more championship points than his teammates, his recent driving may have been affected by his big crash at Indy. |
| July 1: The Target team is having an even worse year than in 2004. Will they run more than two cars in 2006? |
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| Team Penske |
Sam Hornish Jr. |
Helio Castroneves |
Dan Wheldon |
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Dallara
Panoz |
Honda
Toyota
Chevrolet |
Marlboro
Mobil 1
United Auto |
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April 4: Penske has three entries for the Indy 500, including the customary spare car. |
| October 31: Penske has confirmed it will switch to Honda engines for 2006. |
| October 20: We're hearing rumors that Penske will switch from Toyota to the more competitive Honda engine for 2006. And also that Dan Wheldon is looking here for more money than Andretti will cough up. |
| August 20: General Motors confirms it won't be back in 2006. So what are Penske's plans for Ilmor? Will the team stick with Toyota engines or move to a Penske-owned Ilmor? |
| July 24: Rumors at Milwaukee today suggest Penske could switch to Chevy-badged engines next year, despite a year left on the contract with Toyota. These engines could be built by Ilmor, now owned by Penske, even though Ilmor developed the IRL engines for Honda. |
| July 1: Penske seems to be the only team that can get any speed out of the Toyota engine. Expect both drivers to be back for Marlboro's final year in racing. |
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| Vision Racing |
Ed Carpenter |
Tomas Scheckter
Thiago Medeiros |
Townsend Bell
Roberto Moreno
Jay Drake |
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Dallara |
Honda
Toyota |
Rock & Republic
Eli Lilly? |
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May 6: Townsend Bell will drive Vision's third Indy 500 entry. |
| April 13: Vision has filed a third entry for the Indy 500, but with no driver named. |
| March 29: Roberto Moreno will sit in for the injured Ed Carpenter at St. Petersburg. Could he get to drive a third car at Indy? |
| February 9: Tomas Scheckter has been confirmed to join the team and run alongside Ed Carpenter. |
| January 25: South African driver Tomas Scheckter will test for Vision Racing in Phoenix this week, adding to the speculation that he will become Ed Carpenter's teammate to bring the team up to two cars in its second year. |
| December 14: Honda announced today that it will supply every team on the grid for 2006, indirectly confirming Toyota's withdrawal a year earlier than planned. |
| December 4: Robin Miller reports on Speed News that the team is talking to Tomas Scheckter about competing in a second car and being a mentor to Ed Carpenter. |
| October 19: With the addition of actor Patrick Dempsey as a partner, Vision hopes to expand to two cars for 2006. We're also hearing a rumor that Vision will switch to Honda engines. Will anyone be left with Toyota? |
| October 2: Now we're hearing from several sources that Tony George wants to withdraw from owning a team. Possibilities include handing over to Ed Carpenter, selling out to Tony Stewart, or moving to the Grand Am series. Silly season gets sillier, but it can't be easy running with no sponsorship. |
| July 1: Tony George may need his own team to make up the numbers in 2006 - and to give his step-son somewhere to race. A second car for the Indy 500 is a good bet. |
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Yellow Ribbon Racing |
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Honda |
US Army
US Navy
US Air Force
US Marines |
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April 13: Yellow Ribbon failed to file an entry for the Indy 500. Its web site is now password-protected. |
| January 13: This team has a web site asking for cash donations to run cars in military colors. The Indianapolis Star doesn't expect anything to come of it. |
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