2021 IndyCar Series

The 2021 NTT IndyCar Series will be the 26th season of the IndyCar Series and the 110th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event will be the 2021 Indianapolis 500. It will be the second year under Penske management after they took over in late 2019.

2021 IndyCar season
NTT IndyCar Series
Season
Races17
Start dateApril 18
End dateSeptember 26
Awards
Scott Dixon is the reigning IndyCar Series Drivers' Champion.

2021 was to be the final season that the Dallara DW12 UAK18 and Dallara DW12 chassis package (which debuted in 2012 and 2018 respectively) was to be used in competition. It was also scheduled to be the final season for the 2.2-litre V6 twin-turbocharged engine package that debuted in 2012; in October 2020, this was delayed for an additional season, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

Contracted teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers have been announced to compete in the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season. All teams use a spec Dallara IR18 chassis with universal aero kit and Firestone tires.

Team Engine No. Driver(s) Round(s)
A. J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet 4 Dalton Kellett[2] All
14 Sébastien Bourdais[3] All
Andretti Autosport Honda 26 Colton Herta[4][5] All
27 Alexander Rossi[6] All
28 Ryan Hunter-Reay[7] All
29 James Hinchcliffe[8] All
Andretti Herta Autosport w/ Marco Andretti & Curb-Agajanian 98 Marco Andretti[9] 6
Arrow McLaren SP[10] Chevrolet 5 Patricio O'Ward[10][11] All
7 Felix Rosenqvist[12][13] All
TBA Juan Pablo Montoya[14] 6
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 8 Marcus Ericsson[15] All
9 Scott Dixon[16] All
10 Álex Palou[17] All
48 Jimmie Johnson[16]  R  1–2, 5, 7–13, 15–17
Tony Kanaan[18] 3–4, 6, 14
Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing[19] Honda 51 Romain Grosjean[20]  R  1–2, 5, 7–13, 15–17
TBA 3–4, 6, 14
52 TBA TBA
Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan 18 Ed Jones[21] All
Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 20 Conor Daly[22] 1–2, 5, 7–13, 15–17
Ed Carpenter[10] 3–4, 6, 14
21 Rinus VeeKay[23] All
TBA Conor Daly[24] 6
Meyer Shank Racing[10] Honda 06 Hélio Castroneves[25] 1, 6, 13, 15–17
60 Jack Harvey[26] All
Paretta Autosport[27] Chevrolet 16 Simona de Silvestro 6
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 15 Graham Rahal[28] All
30 Takuma Sato[29] All
Team Penske Chevrolet 2 Josef Newgarden[30] All
3 Scott McLaughlin[31]  R  All
12 Will Power[30] All
22 Simon Pagenaud[30] All
R Eligible for Rookie of the Year

Driver changes

Team changes
  • On October 28, 2020, it was announced that DragonSpeed, who competed on a part-time basis in the previous 2 seasons, will be leaving the IndyCar Series and they have sold their Dallara DW12 chassis to Meyer Shank Racing, who are fielding a second car for the 2021 season.[39]
  • Team Penske ended their partnership with Supercars team Dick Johnson Racing (with whom McLaughlin won his three titles) to make room for another IndyCar entry and thus returned to competing with four cars for the first time since 2017.
  • Chip Ganassi Racing also returned to a regular four-car team for the first time since 2017.

Schedule

On October 1, 2020, a seventeen-race calendar was announced.[40] Iowa Speedway did not return from the 2020 IndyCar Series calendar, while all tracks that were unable to host races in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic returned to the calendar with the exception of Circuit of the Americas and Richmond Raceway.[41][42] A second road course race at Indianapolis will be held once again, as part of a doubleheader on Brickyard weekend in August.[43][44]

On December 17, 2020, it was announced that in order to provide "the best opportunity to provide our guests with a fun and exciting experience in a safe and unrestricted environment", the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach would be rescheduled from April 18 to September 26, becoming the season finale. Combined with the Portland and Laguna Seca events, this will form a three-race west coast swing to conclude the season.[45]

On January 6, 2021, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was rescheduled to April 25 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the season opener being moved to Barber Motorsports Park.[46]

On January 22, 2021, the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama was rescheduled to April 18 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and will now be on NBC network television.[47]

Rd. Date Race name Track Location
1 April 18 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Presented by AmFirst  R  Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama
2 April 25 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg  R  Streets of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg, Florida
3 May 1 Texas 300  O  Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas
4 May 2 Genesys 300
5 May 15 GMR Grand Prix  R  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Speedway, Indiana
6 May 30 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway
7 June 12 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix  R  Belle Isle Street Circuit Detroit, Michigan
8 June 13
9 June 20 REV Group Grand Prix at Road America  R  Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
10 July 4 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio  R  Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio
11 July 11 Honda Indy Toronto  R  Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario
12 August 8 Music City Grand Prix[48]  R  Nashville Street Circuit Nashville, Tennessee
13 August 14 TBA[49]  R  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Speedway, Indiana
14 August 21 Bommarito Automotive Group 500  O  World Wide Technology Raceway Madison, Illinois
15 September 12 Grand Prix of Portland  R  Portland International Raceway Portland, Oregon
16 September 19 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey  R  WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California
17 September 26 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach  R  Streets of Long Beach Long Beach, California
O Short oval/Superspeedway
R Road/street course

See also

References
  1. Pruett, Marshall (October 3, 2020). "IndyCar confirms engine plans". Racer. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  2. "Kellett lands full-time Foyt seat for 2021". Racer. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. December 15, 2020.
  3. "Sebastien Bourdais to drive the No. 14 Chevrolet in 2021". Foytracing.com. September 15, 2020.
  4. Pruett, Marshall (September 10, 2020). "Andretti looking to finalize 2021 IndyCar lineup". Racer. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc.
  5. "Herta switching to Andretti's Gainbridge-backed No. 26". RACER. December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  6. Cheek, Adam (July 27, 2019). "Andretti Autosport Signs Alexander Rossi, Honda to Extension". frontstretch.com. Front Stretch. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  7. Pruett, Marshall. "Hunter-Reay finalizes new Andretti deal". racer.com. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  8. Malsher-Lopez, David (January 26, 2021). "Hinchcliffe secures Andretti Autosport return on full-time deal". autosport.com.
  9. Crask, Andrew (January 15, 2021). "Marco Andretti steps aside from full-time driving, will race at Indy only". Racer. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc.
  10. Pruett, Marshall (September 12, 2020). "IndyCar Silly Season 2020, Ep. 1". Racer. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  11. Pruett, Marshall (October 13, 2020). "O'Ward signs new deal with AMSP". Racer. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc.
  12. "Oliver Askew to leave Arrow McLaren SP at the end of 2020". Arrowmclarensp.com. October 12, 2020.
  13. "Felix Rosenqvist joins Arrow McLaren SP for 2021". arrowmclarensp.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  14. "Juan Pablo Montoya to join Arrow McLaren SP for the Indianapolis 500". arrowmclarensp.com. December 9, 2020.
  15. "Marcus Ericsson and Chip Ganassi Racing Continue INDYCAR Partnership in New, Multi-Year Deal". Chip Ganassi Racing. Chip Ganassi Racing Teams. October 28, 2020.
  16. Fryer, Jenna (September 9, 2020). "Jimmie Johnson teams with Ganassi on 2-year IndyCar program". The Associated Press. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  17. Malsher-López, David (October 29, 2020). "Chip Ganassi Racing expands to four cars for 2021 IndyCar season with Palou". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  18. Fryer, Jenna (November 23, 2020). "Kanaan to pair with Johnson to drive oval races for Ganassi". AP NEWS. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  19. Malsher-Lopez, David (January 29, 2021). "Coyne partners with Rick Ware for two IndyCar entries". Motorsport.
  20. Pruett, Marshall (February 3, 2021). "Grosjean confirms road/street IndyCar move with Coyne". RACER.
  21. Pruett, Marshall (January 27, 2021). "Jones lands full-time IndyCar return with Coyne Vasser Sullivan". RACER.
  22. "U.S. AIR FORCE, CONOR DALY RETURN TO ED CARPENTER RACING FOR 2021 SEASON". edcarpenterracing.com. December 18, 2020.
  23. "Rinus VeeKay to continue with Ed Carpenter Racing for 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season". Edcarpenterracing.com. October 25, 2020.
  24. "U.S. AIR FORCE, CONOR DALY RETURN TO ED CARPENTER RACING FOR 2021 SEASON". edcarpenterracing.com. December 18, 2020.
  25. Pruett, Marshall (November 9, 2020). "MSR signs Castroneves to six-race 2021 IndyCar deal". Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  26. "Castroneves signing another step in MSR's planned growth - Shank". Racer. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. November 10, 2020.
  27. "Female-led ownership group launches new NTT INDYCAR SERIES team". IndyCar.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  28. Hawkins, Stephen (June 9, 2018). "Rahal signs 5-year extension with Rahal Letterman Lanigan". The Associated Press. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  29. Malsher-López, David (October 24, 2020). "Indy 500 winner Sato to stay with RLL in 2021 IndyCar Series". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  30. Brown, Nathan (August 17, 2020). "Roger Penske doesn't rule out another run with Helio Castroneves; Power, Pagenaud, Newgarden to return". Indy Star. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  31. "TEAM PENSKE WILL NOT RETURN TO SUPERCARS IN 2021". October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  32. "Chip Ganassi Racing's Instagram post: "Same number, but a new look for @jimmiejohnson in 2021. Welcome to the team, @gocarvana! 🙌🏼 . . . Check the link in our bio for more info...."". Instagram. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  33. "Sebastien Bourdais signed to drive the No. 14 Chevrolet in 2021". Foytracing.com. September 15, 2020.
  34. "TEAM PENSKE WILL NOT RETURN TO SUPERCARS IN 2021". October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  35. Pruett, Marshall (December 9, 2020). "Montoya returning to Indy 500 with Arrow McLaren SP". RACER. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  36. Miller, Robin (January 26, 2021). "Hinchcliffe secures full-time Andretti ride for 2021". RACER.
  37. "JONES RETURNS TO INDYCAR WITH COYNE, VASSER SULLIVAN IN 2021 SEASON". IndyCar. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  38. Brown, Nathan. "Ex-F1 driver Romain Grosjean to run road and street races for Coyne, Ware IndyCar entry". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  39. Pruett, Marshall (October 28, 2020). "DragonSpeed shutters IndyCar program". Racer.com.
  40. "NTT IndyCar Series announces 17-race schedule for 2021 season". IndyCar Series. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  41. Malsher-López, David (October 1, 2020). "IndyCar reveals 2021 calendar, two ovals gone". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  42. Dejewski, Kevin (October 1, 2020). "IndyCar reveals 2021 schedule without COTA, Iowa, Richmond". Motorsport Week. Motorsport Media Services Ltd. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  43. Ryan, Nate (September 30, 2020). "IndyCar teams with NASCAR on IMS road course doubleheader in 2021". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  44. Ryan, Nate (October 1, 2020). "IndyCar announces its 2021 schedule". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  45. "Long Beach moves 2021 event to September; becomes IndyCar season finale". RACER. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  46. "IndyCar season opener will be Barber after St. Pete moved - NBC Sports". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  47. "INDYCAR Announces Update for 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Opener". IndyCar.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  48. "Nashville to host IndyCar street race in 2021". Autosport. Motorsport Network. September 16, 2020.
  49. Speedway, Indianapolis Motor. "NASCAR, INDYCAR Teaming Up for Historic Brickyard Weekend". www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
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