RACING INSIDER

Cavin: Only a few IndyCar rides remain

Curt Cavin
Veteran IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson is hoping to land one of the remaining rides for the upcoming season.

And then there were four, maybe five.

That's how many vacancies there could be in the Verizon IndyCar Series after Schmidt Peterson Motorsports announced the signing of James Jakes to its No. 7 car this morning.

In less than two weeks, teams will receive the new bodywork kits for their cars, and testing can begin shortly after that (March 13). At that point it will be all hands on deck since the season begins March 29 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

In other words, time is running short.

Dale Coyne's recent history is to announce his team's drivers on the eve of the first open test, which is March 16-17 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. It's also Coyne's history to have one driver funded by the team's sponsors, another that brings funding to the team. Last year, those drivers were Justin Wilson and rookie Carlos Huertas, respectively.

Andretti Autosport is the other Honda-powered team expected to have at least one opening, and it might have two. Based on comments made by team owner Michael Andretti, at least one of those drivers must have a strong connection to funding.

On the Chevrolet side, Ganassi Racing has a possible seat open, but that will go to Sage Karam if a proper level of funding materializes. That leaves KV Racing Technology's second seat as Chevrolet's only true opening.

There are five drivers who competed in all 18 events last year but haven't been confirmed to rides for 2015. That list includes Wilson, a seven-time race winner, and Huertas, who won one of last year's Houston races. Wilson has been hoping for a chance at Andretti, but in this case and in the case of others, no news is not good news.

Follow Curt Cavin on Twitter at @curtcavin