A large contingent of Firestone Indy Lights drivers continue to seek the sponsorship to graduate to the IndyCar Series, with 2012 Lights champion Tristan Vautier, who’s looking for a team to place his sponsors and the $500,000 advancement prize he earned for winning the title, at the top of the list.

At present, he’ll need more money to secure a full-time ride, which makes everything from a partial schedule to just running the Indy 500 as possibilities for the rapid Frenchman. In what has become something of a standard note so far, Vautier has spoken to RLL, among others, about 2013.

Gustavo Yacaman, who finished third in the championship, has been working closely with Ganassi Racing on measures to find the dollars necessary to land the ex-Rahal ride. But with the recent instability in the series, the young Colombian is taking more of a wait-and-see approach to those plans. He’s also linked with Michael Shank Racing, who he drove for at the Rolex 24 At Daytona earlier this year.

Back from an impressive year in the GP3 series, Conor Daly is in contention for a ride with at least one IndyCar team. The second-generation driver doesn’t have a contract in place for 2013, and with his Indy Lights experience plus two seasons of racing in Europe to draw from, the American could be a fascinating option for a team to consider.

Sebastian Saavedra impressed at times in limited outings for Andretti Autosport as its fourth entry, and remains in the frame for some level of activity in 2013. Add the likes of Esteban Guerrieri, Victor Carbone and Jorge Goncalvez to the Lights drivers looking for the money to take the next step with their careers.

If one thing has become apparent during this off-season, it’s that if the IndyCar Series can find ways to reduce a competitive operating budget from a minimum of $5 million per entry to something in the $3 million range, its teams would be overflowing with funded drivers. 30-car grids would be a common sight.

With most teams struggling to find major sponsors on their own due to poor television ratings, an even greater reliance on full-funded drivers has become the norm.

TEAMS

A.J. Foyt Racing: The Foyt team continues to hold the most desired seat in the series for professional drivers in search of a drive. That has given team director Larry Foyt plenty of latitude to keep his options open and search for the best candidates to represent the Honda-powered, ABC Supply-sponsored team. After scratching Ryan Briscoe from the list of options—a driver that seemed to be a perfect fit, could they be looking at an American driver to lead the team into the future, or could it be another funded European?

The second car, a possible timeshare, is by no means a guarantee, but if the team chooses an up-and-coming driver for the primary No. 14 entry, a veteran teammate (or teammates) in the No. 41 would be more of a necessity than a goal.

Foyt has retained respected engineer Don Halliday and has added more engineering talent from the UK to bolster the team.

Entries: 1 Dallara-Honda for a driver TBD. Possible second Dallara-Honda.

Andretti Autosport: The reigning series champions have all three of its full-time drivers, Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe and Marco Andretti, returning for 2013. The sign of the financial times has even reached the champs as they continue stitch together the final pieces of their sponsorship puzzle.

The team continues to work on a fourth full-time entry, and came close to signing Sebastien Bourdais, but could split the No. 17 among a few drivers as it did in 2012. Andretti’s Carlos Munoz, who drives for the team in Indy Lights, has already signed on to compete in the 2013 Indy 500, and could run Sebastian Saavedra and Ana Beatriz in the No. 17 at select events.

After stepping down to run another season of Lights in 2012, Saavedra is especially keen to make a full-time return to IndyCar, but based on what his funding will allow, moving to a smaller team might be the path he’s forced to take.

Entries: 3 Dallara-Chevys for Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe and Marco Andretti. Likely fourth Dallara-Chevy on at least a part-time basis.

Barracuda Racing: The IndyCar team formerly known as Bryan Herta Autosport has been a model of consistency in the off-season and will return in 2013 with the same driver, Alex Tagliani, once all of the budget is secured. Other than revamping its Indy Lights program, things have been status quo, but team owners Bryan Herta and Steve Newey continue to work on fielding a second Indy car.

Most drivers with a wish or a budget have spoken to the team, but if there’s one thing Herta and Newey have demonstrated since forming BHA, it’s that they won’t do something that compromises the team. While some teams might be tempted to sign a driver with most of a budget, this isn’t one of them. If the driver and the funding aren’t going to improve BHA in a fairly substantial way, its owners will walk away from the deal.

Entries: 1 Dallara-Honda for Alex Tagliani. Possible second Dallara-Honda.

Chip Ganassi Racing: After missing out on its fifth consecutive IndyCar championship, Ganassi’s two-car Target program and two-car G2 outfit will see either a reduction or a late addition to its program next season. Discussions have been ongoing to find Graham Rahal’s replacement in the No. 38, but there’s a significant difference between those interested in the opportunity and those with the ability to pay for it.

Ganassi told this writer he expects the fourth seat to be filled late in the off-season, and based on the drivers looking for homes and their available budgets, it sounds about right unless something unexpected happens. If the fourth entry fails to materialize, look for Kimball’s G2 program to be centralized with the Target cars, but all four entries are being prepared to hit the track.

Entries: 3 Dallara-Hondas for Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Charlie Kimball. Possible fourth Dallara-Honda.

Conquest Racing: Team owner Eric Bachelart is actively seeking a return to the IndyCar Series after missing out on the 2012 season, barring running a car at the Indy 500 on behalf of Andretti Autosport. He would need an engine lease of his own to continue.

Entries: None at present