IndyCar 2022 Preview: Top Storylines, Driver Chart and Race Schedule
It’s that time of year again!
This Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg marks the start of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season, and once again North America’s premier open-wheel racing series looks to offer plenty of excitement.
The next seven months will see 17 IndyCar races from coast to coast with a diverse schedule consisting of ovals, road courses and street courses. A very healthy field with a minimum of at least 26 cars is expected for every event, and new stars join seasoned veterans in what should be an amazing season.
Let’s take a look at the top storylines heading into the new season:
Rookies Galore
Whoever earns IndyCar Rookie of the Year honors this season will certainly deserve them. This year’s rookie class is the most stacked the sport has seen in several years. Six drivers will compete for rookie of the year honors, all of whom have plenty of open-wheel racing experience.
Perhaps no rookie has more of an anticipated debut than Kyle Kirkwood, who is the 2021 Indy Lights Champion. Kirkwood, the first driver to ever win championships at all three levels of the Road to Indy ladder system, will make his debut this weekend driving the legendary No. 14 car for A.J. Foyt Racing.
Kirkwood’s teammate, Tatiana Calderon, will also compete for ROY honors, though she will only run the road and street courses this year. Also competing for the Rookie of the Year title are Devlin DeFrancesco for Andretti Autosport, David Malukas for Dale Coyne Racing, Callum Ilott for Juncos Racing and Christian Lundgaard for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
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Jimmie and Romain Take on Indy
This year’s IndyCar rookie class may be one of the biggest of all time, but last year’s was certainly the most popular of all time. Both seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and Formula One veteran Romain Grosjean made their IndyCar debuts to much fanfare.
Both drivers originally were scheduled last season to run only the series’ road and street course events (though Grosjean eventually decided to run Gateway).
Now, both drivers have committed to running the full slate of events this season, including the 106th running of the Indy 500 on May 29. The addition of two-world class drivers to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” adds even more excitement and prestige to one of the greatest races in the world.
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Helio’s Drive for Five
At 46, Helio Castroneves is at the age where most drivers hang up their helmets. But the fan favorite has no intention of slowing down this year as he is able to do something that no other driver has ever done before: win the Indy 500 five times.
After driving for Team Penske for two decades, Helio found himself with a new team last season. Running a partial schedule for Meyer Shank Racing, he was able to win a record-tying fourth 500 -- in his first race for MSR, too! -- joining legends A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., and Rick Mears.
Now Helio has the chance to be in a league of his own by winning a fifth 500. He’ll also be running a full-time IndyCar schedule for the first time since 2017 with MSR.
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Driver and Team Lineups
There will be 26 full-time entries in the NTT IndyCar Series this year, plus a variety of partial and Indy 500-only entries. Below is a list of currently confirmed entries by team for this season. Additional part-time and Indy 500-only entries may be announced at a later date.
A.J. Foyt Racing - Chevrolet
No. 4 - Dalton Kellett
No. 11 - Tatiana Calderon (R) (road and street courses only)
No. 11 - Driver TBA (ovals only)
No. 14 - Kyle Kirkwood (R)
Foyt will field three full-time entries this season with two new faces behind the wheel. Joining the returning Dalton Kellett are 2021 Indy Lights champ Kyle Kirkwood and former Super Formula driver Tatiana Calderon. Both Kirkwood and Calderon will compete for Rookie of the Year honors, although Calderon will only run the road and street courses. A fourth competitor will drive the No. 11 Chevy for oval events, though that driver’s name has yet to be announced. There's still time for that, as the first oval race isn't until March 20, practically in Houston resident Foyt's backyard, Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
Andretti Autosport - Honda
No. 26 - Colton Herta
No. 27 - Alexander Rossi
No. 28 - Romain Grosjean
No. 29 - Devlin DeFrancesco (R)
No. 98 - Marco Andretti (Indy 500 only)
Once again, Andretti will field four full-time entries this year, with the No. 28 seat previously occupied by Ryan Hunter-Reay now filled by potential title contender Romain Grosjean. Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi will once again return to their familiar rides, and rookie Devlin DeFrancesco will drive the No. 29 Honda which was previously driven by fellow Canadian James Hinchcliffe. And like last year, team owner Michael Andretti's son, Marco, will once again compete in a one-off entry for the Indy 500.
Arrow McLaren SP - Chevrolet
No. 5 - Pato O’Ward
No. 7 - Felix Rosenqvist
No. 6 - Juan Pablo Montoya (Indy GP and Indy 500 only)
No major changes were made over the offseason at the McLaren camp as their driver lineup remains the same. After becoming an IndyCar winner for the first time in his career last year, Pato O’Ward was in title contention up until the very last round at Long Beach. If all goes well this year, he should be a contender once again. Felix Rosenquist also returns to the team’s No. 7 entry, and once again Juan Pablo Montoya will join the team for the month of May for both races at Indianapolis.
Chip Ganassi Racing - Honda
No. 8 - Marcus Ericsson
No. 9 - Scott Dixon
No. 10 - Alex Palou
No. 48 - Jimmie Johnson
No. TBA - Tony Kanaan (Indy 500 only)
Ganassi may just be the team to beat this year. Defending series champion Alex Palou looks to make another big splash in what will be only his third season of IndyCar competition. Scott Dixon always is a title favorite, and should he win his seventh championship this year he would tie the record set by A.J. Foyt. Marcus Ericsson won his first two IndyCar races last year and looks to win more this season. And Jimmie Johnson will finally get his taste of IndyCar oval racing, as he will run a full schedule this year. Veteran Tony Kanaan will join the team in a one-off entry at Indy.
Dale Coyne Racing - Honda
No. 18 - David Malukas (R)
No. 51 - Takuma Sato
Two new faces will compete for Coyne this year. Rookie David Malukas will drive the No. 18 Honda previously driven by Ed Jones and veteran and two-time Indy 500 champ Takuma Sato will drive the No. 51 which was vacated by Romain Grosjean.
Dreyer and Rienbold Racing - Chevrolet
No. 23 - Santino Ferrucci (Indy 500 only)
No. 24 - Sage Karam (Indy 500 only)
As usual, the Indy 500 will be the only race DRR will compete in this season. And as usual, Sage Karam will be the driver of the No. 24 Chevy. However, the team will field a second entry at Indy this year for Santino Ferrucci.
Ed Carpenter Racing - Chevrolet
No. 20 - Conor Daly
No. 21 - Rinus VeeKay
No. TBA - Ed Carpenter (Indy 500 only)
Conor Daly and Rinus VeeKay return to their regular rides, with Daly now running a full-season in the No. 20 Entry. As of now, team owner Ed Carpenter is only expected to run the Indy 500.
Juncos Hollinger Racing - Chevrolet
No. 77 - Callum Ilott (R)
Thanks to the investment of new team co-owner Brad Hollinger, Juncos will run a full IndyCar schedule for the first time as a team. Callum Illott ran the final three races last season for the team and will compete for this season’s Rookie of the Year honors.
Meyer Shank Racing - Honda
No. 06 - Helio Castroneves
No. 60 - Simon Pagenaud
Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves will look to score his fifth Indy win come May. This season marks the first time since 2017 he’s run the full schedule. Joining Castoneves at MSR will be his former Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - Honda
No. 15 - Graham Rahal
No. 30 - Christian Lundgaard (R)
No. 45 - Jack Harvey
After years of rumors, RLR has finally become a three-car team. Graham Rahal returns in his familiar No. 15 Honda, while Jack Harvey joins the team in the No. 45 entry. Rookie Christian Lundgaard made one start for the team in 2021 and will run a full schedule this season.
Team Penske - Chevrolet
No. 2 - Josef Newgarden
No. 3 - Scott McLaughlin
No. 12 - Will Power
As usual, Team Penske remains a perennial contender for the championship. All drivers from last season sans Simon Pagenaud return to their same cars. Scott McLaughlin won the Rookie of the Year award last season and looks to pick up his first race win this year.
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2022 NTT IndyCar Series Schedule (all times Eastern)
February 27 Streets of St. Petersburg (FL) 12:00 PM NBC
March 20 Texas Motor Speedway (TX) 12:30 PM NBC
April 10 Streets of Long Beach (CA) 3:00 PM NBC
May 1 Barber Motorsports Park (AL) 12:30 PM NBC
May 14 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (IN) 3:00 PM NBC
May 29 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 (IN) 11:00 AM NBC
June 5 Streets of Belle Isle (MI) 3:00 PM USA
June 12 Road America (WI) 12:30 PM NBC
July 3 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (OH) 12:00 PM NBC
July 17 Streets of Toronto (ON) 3:00 PM Peacock
July 23 Iowa Speedway (IA) 4:00 PM NBC
July 24 Iowa Speedway (IA) 3:00 PM NBC
July 30 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (IN) 12:00 PM NBC
August 7 Streets of Nashville (TN) 3:00 PM NBC
August 20 World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (IL) 6:00 PM USA
September 4 Portland International Raceway (OR) 3:00 PM NBC
September 11 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (CA) 3:00 PM NBC