INDIANAPOLIS — The name of this Indianapolis 500 team has changed, and its car now carries a surprising new number. But despite discussions to the contrary, the driver will remain the same.

That was Thursday’s message from 1996 Indy 500 winner Buddy Lazier and his father, Bob, the driving forces behind the Verizon IndyCar Series’ smallest team.

There has been talk of another driver stepping into the program – Gabby Chaves, Jay Howard, maybe even Katherine Legge – but the Laziers said the name above the door is the name that will soon be on the side of the car.

It’s Buddy Lazier.

WILL POWER ON INDY 500: ‘It’s going to be ridculous’

Normally, this isn’t something up for debate given Lazier’s performance history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but these are different financial days. Bob Lazier said this year’s entry wouldn’t have happened without the help of Indianapolis contractor Tom Burns, whose name also is part of the organization now known as Lazier Burns Racing.

Burns has a history with the 500, having fielded the likes of Dominic Dobson and Jeff Andretti in the early 1990s. His return to the sport was driven by a desire to participate in the 100th running of the 500. Once he hooked up with the Laziers, funding came flowing in.

Team manager and expected engineer Larry Curry called Burns “a godsend.” Bob Lazier goes further than that.

“We’re not here without him, no way,” he said.

Burns brought a sponsor, although Buddy Lazier was still home in Vail, Colo., on Thursday trying to add another large piece to the financial puzzle.

“Just got off the phone with a great call,” Buddy Lazier said. “It’s that last little push.”

Last year wasn’t the team’s finest hour, and it wasn’t the fault of the driver. The bodywork wasn’t right, the mechanical bits weren’t right, and the combination of those meant the results weren’t right either.

The first laps were turned two days before qualifying, and as Lazier threw shakedown laps on the board, frontrunners went screaming past. It was dodgeball of the most dangerous kind, and the veteran driver with five career top-five finishes here, including a pair of runner-ups – didn’t have a sporting chance. He missed the show.

Things look entirely different this time around. The car is already in Gasoline Alley, and Curry has been working on it since October. Exactly a year ago, he joined the team’s 2015 entry; he vowed never to do that again.

JAMES: IndyCar drivers try to focus on present as Indy 500 looms

It quickly became clear how far off last year’s car was. The wiring didn’t work because it had been part of the Lotus program in 2012. A dashboard had to be acquired. The uprights needed rebuilding by one of IndyCar’s full-season teams. Even the gearbox went to Xtrac for an overhaul.

Everything got put back together at Snakepit Customs, an Indianapolis restoration shop owned by former IndyCar chief mechanic Damon Sturrock. How grass roots is that?

Then there’s the number on the nose — 4, which Panther Racing had success with a decade ago. The Laziers had been using 91, which was on the 1996 winner, but that has been a Hemelgarn Racing number, and Ron Hemelgarn isn’t involved here. So, the Laziers (and Burns) asked for a fresh start.

So maybe all this comes together in a better way next week. There is bona fide activity in the team’s garage, which is important as the car count stands at 33. The Chevrolet-powered entry is nearly ready to go. A stronger ownership arrangement, with better funding, is in place.

Buddy Lazier is 48 years old and clearly the oldest driver eyeing a spot in the historic 100th Indianapolis 500, scheduled for May 29th. But he’s preparing to see his name on the car.

Cavin writes for The Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK