By Andrew Cutler
April 1 2009

If you have been following this site over the past 17 months, then you have already figured out that the car & driver count in the IndyCar, even from one race to the next, can be a somewhat "fluid" situation. Given the current economic woes and the resultant sponsorship difficulties that it entails, that seems to be especially true this year.

As we head into the opening round of the 2009 campaign, this Sunday on the streets of St. Petersburg FL, there are still some unresolved questions and supposedly pending deals out there. Here is the latest that I can find on those situations that are not yet set in stone.

The offical entry list for the St. Pete race shows 21 cars; 4 for AGR, 2 each for Ganassi, Penske, N/H/L & Vision and 1 apeice for Panther,HVM, KVRT, Coyne, Foyt, Luczo-Dragon, D&R, 3M & Conquest. All entries list assigned drivers EXCEPT for Vision's 2nd car, which will be filled by Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Conquest's car, which is expected to be filled by Jamie Camara.

Of those drivers still on the outside looking in, two seem to have particularly good chances of joining the fray by Long Beach, 2 & 1/2 weeks from now. Alex Tagliani is still putting togeather a sponsorship package to return to Conquest.

The other, "suprise" - because he had esentially fallen off of everyone's radar over the past few months -, candidate for a seat is Tomas Scheckter (pictured above), who seems to have put togeather an estimated $3 million in funding. The main question is; who is he trying to sign with? The rumor mill says that his deal would have been announced already but for the fact that whoever he wants to drive for doesn't have any spare cars at the moment! With KVRT, Coyne and D&R all fielding fewer cars this year than last, this would seem to eliminate them from contention. HVM & Foyt should also have no problems pulling another Dallara/Honda out of their hats, so they don't appear to be likely candidates either.

One driver who's deal was thought to already be done now looks to be left on the sidelines. N/H/L gave Milka Duno a car to test with last month at Homestead-Miami, but now all signs are that her CITGO sponsorship $ has dried up and she will be without a ride, at least for the time being.

Then there are all of the other drivers who competed at one point or another during the 2008 season who are currently without a seat. Oriol Servia had the best year overall of all of the former CCWS drivers, yet he is on the sidelines. Coyne has yet to make any mention of what happened to Bruno Junqueira. Darren Manning, Franck Perera, Jay Howard, Buddy Rice & A.J. Foyt IV are all M.I.A. One can only assume that all of the above-mentioned folks are still knocking on doors, looking for sponsorship help in order to land the occaisonal drive this year.

And then of course there is Paul Tracy, the driver that fans of the CCWS, and those of us who remember the pre-schism days of AOWR, most want to see back in the fold. Perhaps, at the least, we will see him in the two Canadian rounds of the 2009 campaign.