IndyCar set to end long offseason Sunday in St. Pete

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

IndyCar for years has longed for American stars who could captivate the audience and raise excitement around the slumping open-wheel series.

With Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal in the series, the potential has been there yet neither driver was able to deliver until last year when Rahal became a legitimate title contender.

Rahal won two races — his first victories since his 2008 win on the streets of St. Pete — and he spent the final third of the season thick in the championship hunt.

After a layoff of nearly seven months, IndyCar opens its season Sunday at St. Pete and Rahal believes he is among the title contenders.

“We should be in that conversation,” Rahal said Friday. “I have no doubt coming into this season that I can win races. I’d love to help move this series forward. I think there’s no doubt that a name, whether it be myself or Marco, would have a great impact on that.

“There’s a lot of good, young Americans in this sport. It’s exciting times as a whole. There’s a lot of guys that can help take this to the next level.”

IndyCar had a decent 2015 in which Rahal, Josef Newgarden and Ryan Hunter-Reay combined to win six of the 16 races. The season also came down to a thrilling finish in which Scott Dixon climbed from third in the standings in the season finale to beat Juan Pablo Montoya for the championship on a tie-breaker.

IndyCar goes into 2016 with a deeper lineup than ever.

New to the series this year is American Alexander Rossi, an aspiring Formula One driver who signed a one-year contract with Andretti Herta Autosport. The entry is the fourth under the Andretti banner and came from a late merger with Bryan Herta’s single-car team.

Dale Coyne Racing gave American Conor Daly a full-time ride for the first time in his IndyCar career, and he’ll be part of the rookie of the year race. Chip Ganassi Racing hired Max Chilton, a British former Formula One driver who has adapted to IndyCar quickly.

And while Rahal’s team is expected to be a one-car team for most of the season, they will run Spencer Pigot, an American who won the Indy Lights title last year, in a handful of races.

KVSH Racing is down to just one full-time entry for Sebastien Bourdais, who won twice last year and wants to be in title contention this year.