Question: One of the most important competitive aspects of any NTT INDYCAR SERIES season is the pairing of a driver with a strategist. Given that several teams have announced new pairings for 2026, which one – old or new – strikes your fancy?

Curt Cavin: There are interesting pairings throughout the field, especially new ones like Will Power and Ron Ruzewski at Andretti Global (photo, below) and Graham Rahal and Brian Barnhart at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. But one must beat the champs to become the champs, so it’s important to note that the pairing of Alex Palou and Barry Wanser (photo, above) has produced three consecutive titles and four in five years. I’d also like to stress that while Palou deserves all the credit he’s received, don’t sleep on the fact Wanser is as good as the series has on a timing stand. In addition to being incredibly smart, he has a calmness that would benefit any driver, but it works especially well with the similarly methodical Palou.

Will Power and Ron Ruzewski

Eric Smith: I’m curious to see how Scott McLaughlin adapts to a completely reworked pit box. Not only did he lose longtime strategist Kyle Moyer in the aftermath of the Month of May firings in Team Penske, but his engineer, Ben Bretzman, was promoted this offseason to an engineering role overseeing the team’s entire engineering structure. That leaves the No. 3 Chevrolet with a not-yet-announced, but entirely new brain trust for 2026 -- a pivotal season with important decisions. McLaughlin looks to rebound from just his second winless campaign since joining the series full-time in 2021 (the other was his rookie year). He finished 10th in this year’s standings, a far cry from the pace he’s shown as a seven-time race winner with clear championship-caliber talent. The question now is how quickly can a new driver–strategist–engineer trio find chemistry in a field this competitive?

Kyle Kirkwood and Bryan Herta

Arni Sribhen: It’s easy to forget that the pairing of Kyle Kirkwood and Bryan Herta (photo, above) is still in its toddler years. The 2026 season will be the fourth that Herta, a former INDYCAR SERIES race-winning driver and Indianapolis 500-winning team owner, will be the strategist for Kirkwood, who won three times and finished fourth in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings in 2025. What is the biggest difference in the upcoming season from the previous three? Colton Herta isn’t part of the Andretti Global NTT INDYCAR SERIES lineup. Sure, Bryan Herta has been the guiding voice and routinely makes shrewd calls to help Kirkwood towards the front. And the young Floridian is just reaching his potential as an INDYCAR SERIES star. But you always had to wonder if he held back because his son was always next door. Now that Colton Herta has moved on, the elder Herta can fully focus on the No. 27 ride. The results for Herta and Kirkwood could be epic.