Three things have moved in the past fortnight. A.J. Foyt Racing confirmed Dennis Hauger, the 2026 Rookie of the Year, in its No. 14 Chevrolet on a multi-year deal from 2027, replacing Santino Ferrucci. The picture at the top teams has settled, with Lundgaard widely reported as Dixon’s replacement at Ganassi. And attention is turning to the 2028 car, which is due to start testing next month.

It helps to remember how 2026 finished. Palou dominated again, adding a fifth title in six years and cementing his place among IndyCar’s all-time greats. Lundgaard ended the year third after two wins, and the likes of Penske’s drivers spent the season chasing rather than leading. That’s the backdrop for every decision now being made: the rest of the paddock is trying to find a way to beat Palou and Ganassi.

Meanwhile, the championship is still filling out its 2027 calendar. The first eight races have dates, running from St. Petersburg in March to Detroit in early June. Four more are confirmed but not yet dated, including a brand-new street race in Markham, Ontario.

IndyCar has released its calendar in stages this year. Here’s everything with a confirmed date:

Four more races are confirmed without dates: Road America, Markham (Ontario), the Milwaukee Mile and Laguna Seca. Markham is the eye-catcher, a new street event in the Toronto area. Milwaukee continues the series’ push to bring back classic short ovals, and Laguna Seca, which hosted this year’s finale, stays on the calendar.

There’s also talk of expanding abroad. Reports have linked possible events in Brazil, Colombia, Spain and Mexico, though none has been confirmed for 2027. For a series that has been almost entirely North American for years, even one international round would be a significant change.

The mix of tracks matters for the championship. IndyCar is the only major series that races on street circuits, permanent road courses and ovals, and the balance between them changes who is likely to win. Adding Milwaukee keeps the oval count healthy, while Markham adds to a street-race programme that already includes St. Petersburg, Arlington, Long Beach and Detroit. Drivers who are strong everywhere, like Palou, tend to benefit from a varied calendar.

The early part of the season is packed. Three races in March, including the new-for-2026 Arlington street race, mean teams will have to hit the ground running. The Indianapolis 500 on 30 May will be the 111th running of the race, and it’s followed a week later by Detroit.

With the front-running teams settled, about five seats remain open, spread across A.J. Foyt Racing, Dale Coyne Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing. Dale Coyne and Juncos Hollinger both have two cars listed with drivers to be announced, and Foyt has a second seat to fill alongside Hauger.

Several experienced drivers are on the market. Santino Ferrucci lost his Foyt seat to Hauger, and Nolan Siegel is looking for a new home after leaving Arrow McLaren. Both have race-winning or front-running experience that would suit a team looking for stability. Expect the remaining seats to be filled through the autumn, with some deals likely to depend on sponsorship.

Ferrucci is the most experienced name looking for a ride. He has been one of IndyCar’s most consistent oval performers, particularly at Indianapolis, and his experience would be valuable to a smaller team trying to punch above its weight. Siegel, still young, showed flashes of speed with McLaren and will be looking for a full-time seat to continue his development. Both are realistic candidates for the Coyne and Juncos Hollinger seats, although neither team has given any indication of its plans yet.

There’s also the question of Indy NXT graduates. IndyCar’s official feeder series has produced a steady stream of rookies in recent seasons, Hauger among them, and at least one of the remaining seats could go to a driver stepping up from NXT. That would give the 2027 field another rookie storyline to follow.

For the teams, timing is everything. The best available drivers usually sign first, and teams that wait risk being left with less experienced options. On the other hand, smaller teams often need to confirm sponsorship before they can commit to a driver, which is why the last few seats tend to be filled in November, December or even January. Don’t be surprised if one or two seats go to drivers who bring backing with them.

Dennis Hauger’s big step

Hauger is the most interesting signing of the past fortnight. The Norwegian was a strong junior driver in Europe before moving to the United States, and he was named IndyCar’s Rookie of the Year in 2026. A multi-year deal with Foyt gives him a stable platform to develop. Foyt, one of the sport’s most famous names, has been rebuilding in recent seasons, and a young driver with Hauger’s pace fits that plan.

2027 will be the final season for the current Dallara DW12 chassis and its 2.2-litre V6 engines. From 2028, IndyCar moves to a new Dallara-built car, known as the IR-28, with a larger 2.4-litre V6. It will be the biggest technical change in the series for more than a decade.

Testing starts soon. A test at Sebring is planned for October, followed by short-oval running. Those early tests will shape production of the new cars and speed up engine development at Honda and Chevrolet. For teams, it’s a careful balancing act: they need to prepare for the new car while still racing the old one for another full season.

The current DW12 has been in service since 2012, which makes it one of the longest-serving chassis in top-level motorsport. It has been updated many times, most visibly with the aeroscreen and, more recently, a hybrid system, but a clean-sheet design has been overdue. The IR-28 is expected to bring the car up to date on safety and performance, and a larger engine should give the cars more power, which drivers have long asked for.

Early tests will focus on reliability and basic set-up rather than outright speed. Short ovals are a particular focus because they put unique loads on the car and have been a growing part of the calendar. The findings will go straight into the production cars that teams will receive ahead of 2028.

Palou’s new team-mate

For more than a decade, Ganassi’s line-up was built around Scott Dixon. With Dixon gone to McLaren, Palou will have a new senior team-mate, and Lundgaard, who finished third in the 2026 standings and won two races, is reported to be the man. How quickly he settles alongside a five-time champion will be one of the most watched stories of 2027.

Ganassi vs McLaren

The Dixon-Lundgaard swap sets the two teams directly against each other. McLaren has built a three-car line-up of Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Dixon, with Rosenqvist arriving as the 2026 Indianapolis 500 winner. Ganassi has the reigning champion. Whichever team comes out ahead will be able to say it made the better call.

Rosenqvist’s arrival adds another layer. He won the 2026 Indianapolis 500, and McLaren, which has come close at Indianapolis several times in recent years, will hope his experience helps it finally win the race. With Dixon also a former 500 winner, McLaren will head to Indianapolis in May with two drivers who know how to win there.

Can Penske bounce back?

Team Penske had a quiet 2026 by its standards. Its drivers finished between fifth and eighth in the championship, and the team also had to manage injuries to Josef Newgarden and David Malukas. Penske rarely goes long without winning, so expect a determined push over the winter to close the gap to Ganassi.

Mick Schumacher’s second season

Schumacher’s rookie year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan was better than many expected, particularly on ovals, which were completely new to him. He qualified fourth at Phoenix, was the top rookie finisher at the Indianapolis 500, and took his best result of eighth at Nashville Superspeedway. For 2027 he moves to Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 66 Honda. A second season with a year’s experience behind him is when drivers usually take a step forward, and Meyer Shank will expect points on a regular basis.

Dreyer & Reinbold goes full-time

Dreyer & Reinbold bought a charter from Rahal Letterman Lanigan and returns as a full-time team in 2027 with Conor Daly, running Honda power. It’s a rare example of a team growing its commitment, and a good sign for the depth of the field.

Officiating changes

IndyCar’s Independent Officiating Board was introduced to make race control more consistent. After a first season that included new post-weekend reporting, the focus now is on further improvements, something drivers and teams will be watching closely.

Colton Herta’s future

Herta left IndyCar for Formula 2 in 2026 to pursue a Formula 1 career. After a difficult F2 season, attention has shifted to a possible Cadillac F1 opportunity rather than a return to IndyCar in 2027. You can follow his F2 progress in our F2 Baku briefing.

One regulatory change will reshape the entry list next year. From 2027, non-chartered entries can only compete in the Indianapolis 500. In practice, that means the full championship becomes a chartered-teams series, while one-off entries are limited to the biggest race of the year.

The charter system gives teams a guaranteed place and a share of the series’ revenue, which makes a full-season commitment more valuable. It also explains why Dreyer & Reinbold’s purchase of a charter matters: without one, the team could only have entered the 500. For how the championship itself is scored, see our guide to how racing championships are scored.

The rule also affects the Indianapolis 500 itself. Because one-off entries remain allowed there, the 500 will continue to attract extra teams and drivers, including part-time entries and drivers from other series. That keeps the race’s unique character, with more cars than a normal round and the drama of qualifying to make the field.

Combined with the final year of the DW12, 2027 looks like a transition season. Teams will race familiar cars under new entry rules, while spending much of their engineering effort on 2028. That could open the door to surprise results, especially early in the year.