IndyCar silly season update: the Nashville edition

The current state of IndyCar’s silly season is slow and measured, all thanks to the paddock’s collective waiting to see what happens to two of the biggest names on the market.

The curiosity starts with championship leader Alex Palou and the most coveted available seat in all of open-wheel racing, the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. No answers on Palou’s replacement are expected before September 1, which is the first day the 2021 IndyCar champion is eligible to sign with another team.

Once Palou confirms where he’s driving, the logjam of talent scrambling to gain access to the No. 10 car will start to untangle itself. Ask any of the free agents who aren’t Palou, and they all want is clarity on who will drive that 10 car, because if it isn’t them, they will need to pursue their second and third options.