HOMESTEAD, Fla. — There will be nine rookie drivers in the combined IndyCar Series this season after Indy Racing League officials determined which of the former Champ Car drivers meet that classification and which are considered veterans.
The nine rookies include Firestone Indy Lights graduates Jay Howard of Roth Racing and Hideki Mutoh of Andretti Green Racing. The next seven drivers are former Champ Car participants, including Enrique Bernoldi of Conquest Racing, Mario Moraes of Dale Coyne Racing, Franck Perera of Conquest Racing, Will Power of KV Racing Technology, Ernesto Viso of HVM Racing, Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan and Graham Rahal of Newman/Haas Lanigan.
Of the nine rookie drivers, Mutoh had one career IndyCar start on an oval in last year’s Chicagoland Speedway finale. Wilson made five career starts on ovals in Champ Car and Power made two while none of the other rookies had competed on an oval prior to Saturday night’s Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300.
Two former Champ Car drivers who were given veteran status include Bruno Junqueira and Oriol Servia. Junqueira has 21 career stands on ovals including four Indianapolis 500s. He won the pole for the 2002 Indianapolis 500. Servia has made 27 career starts on ovals.
“How it arrives at where we’re at from a rookie standpoint, we simply looked at what we are,” Barnhart said. “We’re still very much an oval-based racing series that centers around the Indianapolis 500. We looked at the backgrounds of the drivers that are joining us.
“With the exception of Bruno Junqueira and Oriol Servia, who have started somewhere between 20 and 27 oval-track races themselves, none of the other seven had started more than five. So based on sheer numbers of oval experiences, we decided it makes sense, based on what our series is, that we would classify them as rookies.”
This will be the most rookie drivers since the Indy Racing League began competition in 1996 with eight rookies. In 2003, Champ Car had nine rookies start the season opener in St. Petersburg and had eight rookie starters in the 2007 season opener at Las Vegas.
In 1994, NASCAR had eight rookies in the Cup Series.