Update: Looking Ahead to 2010

(Photo By Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

With the 2009 season now officially in the books, I think it’s a good time to update my earlier story on how IndyCar teams are shaping up for 2010.

Current teams:

3G:

Zero, one or two cars: Richard Antinucci? Stanton Barrett? Jaques Lazier?

Antinucci, Barrett and Lazier split time in the car this season. There have been rumors that this team plans to run two cars next year, but considering how dreadfully off the place they were in 2009, that seems unlikely (in addition to being a bad idea).

Andretti:

Three or four cars: Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick and possibly Hideki Mutoh, Franck Motagny or an unknown fourth driver.

Kanaan is under contract for next year. Andretti is a free agent, but it is doubtful he’d leave his father’s team. It’s been reported for weeks that Patrick has re-signed with the team for three year, but strangely that has not yet been confirmed. Many expect Mutoh’s Honda Formula Dream sponsorship to go Gil de Ferran’s possible new team with former Formula-1 driver Takuma Sato. If Mutoh loses that support, it is doubtful he will be back here, despite his impressive runs in later half of this season.

Automatic Fire Sprinklers, a company owned by Gary Peterson, who runs and sponsors Andretti’s Indy Lights team, sponsored Montagny in a fifth car at the Sonoma race. However, in an interview aired during the Indy Lights race at Chicagoland, Peterson did not sound optimistic that he could sponsor a car full-time in IndyCar. It is unlikely that either of the team’s Indy Lights drivers — J.R. Hildebrand and Sebastien Saavedra — gets a ride for the team in IndyCar next year.

Conquest:

Zero or one car: Nelson Philippe? Kosuke Matsuura?

This team, which ran two cars the entire season in 2008, could only afford one car part time in 2009, running Alex Tagliani in most of the races. How many races and cars the team can run in 2010 will be entirely dependent on how much sponsorship the team can find. If the team does run, I expect Philippe, who would have raced for the team had he not been involved in a serious accident with Will Power at Sonoma, will be in the mix to drive. Matsuura drove for the team at Motegi.

Coyne:

One car: Justin Wilson

I don’t expect any changes here.

Dreyer & Reinbold:

One, two or three cars: Mike Conway? Tomas Scheckter? Milka Duno? Others?

Mike Conway reportedly brought significant cash to the team in 2009, so despite his excellent runs on road courses this year, he may be out of a ride if doesn’t come up with the money again. If Scheckter continues to have his Mona-Vie backing, he should be back in at least a limited schedule (unless he takes the sponsorship to another team). Duno will (unfortunately) likely be back for a limited schedule with her Citgo backing, unless Brian Barnhardt finally does the right thing and takes away her racing license.

Fisher:

Two cars: Sarah Fisher and Jay Howard

Fisher has announced that she will run nine races with her Dollar General backing in 2010 and Howard will race four times with backing from Tire Kingdom.

Foyt:

One car: Vitor Meira or Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Because the team was unable to run a second car for Meira at Homestead, I think it’s safe to say it’s unlikely the team will run a second car. Despite testing a Nascar truck, Meira is likely to be the driver, again leaving Hunter-Reay without a ride.

Ganassi:

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