Tag: Marcus Armstrong

Armstrong Stays at MSR for 2026

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Meyer Shank Raving has resigned Marcus Armstrong for the 2026 IndyCar Series season. The announcement from Meyer Shank Racing:

Pataskala, Ohio (18 August 2025) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) is pleased to confirm that Marcus Armstrong will return the team and drive the No. 66 Honda for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Armstrong has quickly become a consistent and competitive force in his first season with MSR, delivering strong performances throughout the 2025 campaign. The 25-year-old New Zealander has recorded ten top-ten finishes so far this season, highlighted by a podium at Iowa Speedway — the second of his INDYCAR career.

With momentum building through the second half of the year, Armstrong is aiming to finish the season inside the top ten of the championship standings for the first time in his career — a testament to the growth and promise he’s shown in the No. 66 SiriusXM Honda.

“I’m very pleased and grateful to be back with Meyer Shank Racing and my crew for 2026,” said Armstrong. “The professionalism and attention to detail is a benchmark throughout the field and we have certainly improved with time together which has been great. We’ll look to build on our momentum and work hard to climb the points standings.”

Armstrong has also impressed in qualifying, matching his career-best starting position of third (Toronto), and earning a second-row start with a fourth-place qualifying effort to kick off the season in St. Petersburg.

“We’re thrilled to have Marcus back for 2026,” said Mike Shank, co-owner of Meyer Shank Racing. “He’s really grown a lot this season and we’re seeing that in his results as the season has gone on. His performance this year has shown that he has all the tools to fight at the front. We’re excited to continue building on this progress together.”

Armstrong and Meyer Shank Racing still have two races left on the 2025 calendar and are looking to close out the season on a high note.

Armstrong Crash Mars Practice

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Update: Marcus Armstrong was treated and released from the infield care center just moments ago.

Marcus Armstrong suffered a heavy crash in the first minutes of morning practice prior to Indianapolis 500 qualifying. The number 66 Meyer Shank Racing machine got loose enteringt urn 1 of his third lap and made hard contact with the wall, spun into the short chute, ten hit the wall near turn 2.

Armstrong was placed on a stretcher and taken to the infield care center, where he was held for observation for more than an hour.

Only 23 cars ran during the session, which was extended a few minutes due to the lengthy cleanup from Armstrong’s accident.

Results

Armstrong Signs with Meyer Shank Racing

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Marcus Armstrong signed with Meyer Shank racing this morning. It was an expected move and keeps Armstrong affiliated with Chip Ganassi racing since MSR will have a technical partnership with Ganassi in 2025.

The official announcement from MSR:

Marcus Armstrong Joins Meyer Shank Racing for 2025 INDYCAR Season

Pataskala, Ohio (19 September 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will add a new face to its 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES stable with the addition of Marcus Armstrong who will run the No. 66 MSR entry alongside current MSR driver Felix Rosenqvist. 

Coming from a strong open wheel background that includes F4, Formula 3 and Formula 2, Armstrong is now looking to build on his first two seasons of INDYCAR competition as he joins MSR in 2025. 

Armstrong was quick to adapt to the INDYCAR series, earning Rookie of the Year in 2023 despite only contesting the road course rounds, taking five top tens in his 12 starts.

The New Zealander added ovals to his INDYCAR calendar in 2024, running the full 17-points paying races this past season, taking three top five finishes including his first INDYCAR podium  in Detroit.

“I’m very proud to be joining Meyer Shank Racing in 2025,” said Armstrong. “I had a great feeling when I met both Mike Shank and Jim Meyer, their passion for performance and meticulous work ethic was obvious from our first conversation and I want to thank them both for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone at MSR over the off-season with the goal of hitting the ground running at the first race of the season in St Pete.

“This year I got closer to where I want to be performance wise, including oval racing for the first time and I’m looking forward to continuing to push up the order with MSR. We want to be at the front, fighting for wins and I believe we have the recipe to do it.”

MSR, which will be entering its ninth season running in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, is eager to build on its momentum from the 2024 season which saw the team qualify in the top six, 15 times and finish in the top ten, 10 times. MSR team co-owner, Mike Shank is confident that with the addition of Armstrong for 2025, the team is in a position to produce consistent results next year.

“We’re very excited to welcome Marcus onboard,” said Shank. “He’s really shown a lot of growth and consistency in his first two years in INDYCAR, which is really difficult to do. This series is probably one of the most competitive series out there and he has proven himself to be a real contender. We are going to do everything we can to give him the car and the tools to produce results next year.”

With the 2024 season closing out this past weekend, MSR will begin preparations right away to be ready for the 2025 season opener in St. Petersburg in March. 

Armstrong Fastest in Warmup; O’Ward Loses Engine

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Marcus Armstrong turned the quickest lap, 1:09.8485, in the 30 minute warmup session for this afternoon’s 85 lap Sonsio Grand Prix.

The session ran green untill the final minute when Pato O’Ward lost an engine. McLaren is also changing the engine on Alexander Rossi’s car.

Santino Ferrucci seemed to push Romain Grosjean up close to the outside wall.

NBC goes on air at 3 pm Eastern. Green flag is at 3:45 pm.

Results

Rosenqvist Tops Practice 1

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Maybe a new team is exactly what Felix Rosenqvist needed, The Swedish driver lead the new format first practice for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this afternoon with a time of 1:00.3390. Pato O’Ward was 0.4722 seconds behind Rosenqvist, and Marcus Armstrong ended the day third, anothet0.007 seconds back.

The new practice session format accomplished its goal of creating more on track action during a session that usually has some dead periods.

Will Power, who was fourth, said he liked the new format. “It has a similar flow to qualifying. It’s been very difficult in the past to get a run in.” He also noted that turn 3 is a lot smoother this year.

Rosenqvist said the transition to Meyer Shank Racing has been “super easy.” He is Impressed with how the team is working.

Marcus Armstrong’s third place run was impressive. He ran just 12 races last year, and he will do the entire 2024 schedule. I think he may be a surprise top 10 contender all season.

Photo by Kyle McInnes

Results:

Champions Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Take Spotlight at Victory Lap Celebration ; Rasmussen Saluted for INDY NXT by Firestone Title

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INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023) – Alex Palou was honored for his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship during the Victory Lap Celebration on Sept. 21, the headline of an incomparable 2023 season for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Palou dominated this season to earn another title to join his 2021 championship for Chip Ganassi Racing. He won a series-high five races in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda, with a total of 10 podium finishes in 17 races. Palou finished eighth or better in all 17 races this season and became the first INDYCAR SERIES driver to clinch the championship at least one race early since Sebastien Bourdais in 2007.
Spanish driver Palou won the Astor Challenge Cup for the title by 78 points over teammate and six-time series champion Scott Dixon, earning the 15th INDYCAR SERIES championship for Chip Ganassi Racing and the organization’s third in the last four seasons.
Palou was one of six members of Chip Ganassi Racing to receive special honors at the ceremony, which took place at the Gallagher Pavilion at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Marcus Armstrong of New Zealand received the Rookie of the Year Award as the top-finishing first-year driver in the standings. Armstrong scored five top-10 finishes in just 12 starts in the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda to surpass full-time rookie Agustin Canapino of Juncos Hollinger Racing by 34 points in the standings.
Team owner Chip Ganassi accepted the Championship Owner Award, and Palou’s chief mechanic, Ricky Davis, was presented the Pennzoil Chief Mechanic Award. Additional season honors for the Ganassi team included the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Team Manager award to Barry Wanser and Blair Julian.
The awards haul was a reward for a dominant year by Indianapolis-based Chip Ganassi Racing. The team achieved the unprecedented feat of taking the top two spots in the driver standings and winning the Rookie of the Year title in one season.
While Palou’s winning margin in the driver standings was the largest since 2016, the Manufacturers Award race came down to the final laps at the season finale Sept. 10 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Chevrolet edged Honda by just 16 points to win its second consecutive engine manufacturer title and eighth overall since it returned to the series in 2012.
Mark Stielow, General Motors director of motorsport competition engineering, accepted the award on behalf of the Chevrolet team.
A successful first season with a rebrand and Firestone sponsorship for INDYCAR’s development series also was recognized at the Victory Lap Celebration, as Christian Rasmussen of HMD Motorsports was honored as 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone champion.
Rasmussen won a series-high five of the 14 races this season in the No. 6 HMD Motorsports with DCR entry. He beat Andretti Autosport’s Hunter McElrea to the title by 65 points.
Danish driver Rasmussen’s HMD teammate, Nolan Siegel, was named INDY NXT by Firestone Rookie of the Year. Siegel, from Palo Alto, California, finished third in the series standings with two victories. 
 

Chip Gansssi Racing Signs Marcus Armstrong to Multi Year Deal

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Marcus Armstrong, the likely 2023 Indycar Rookie of the Year, signed a multiyear deal with Chip Ganassi racing to drive full time beginning in 2024. Armstrong drove only the road and street courses this season but will also drive ovals next year. The announcement from Chip Ganassi Racing:

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 7, 2023) – Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that the team has signed Marcus Armstrong to a multi-year contract extension. 

Armstrong, 23, currently leads the Rookie of the Year standings in his debut NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with 190 points. The Christchurch, New Zealand, native has competed exclusively in road and street course races. Throughout his first 11 races in the series, he has recorded three top-eight finishes and led the field for five laps.

The Kiwi will be expanding his driving duties to compete on ovals with a full season beginning next season. Armstrong will drive an INDYCAR on an oval for the first time when he tests at Texas Motor Speedway on September 13.

“I am very proud and excited to continue with Chip Ganassi Racing for next year and beyond. Together with this very talented and experienced team, I am confident we can compete at the highest level in this championship. I feel very grateful that Chip has given me the time to adapt to INDYCAR and has helped me every step of the way in what has been a good season,” said Armstrong. “I’ve spent the year learning from a great group of people, including my teammates and Dario. I’m very grateful for how much help I’ve received from each team member. With a season under my belt, I now want to turn these lessons into results. I will be racing on the ovals for the first time next year and it’s an exciting challenge that I’m confident I can learn quickly. I spent the entire month of May either in the engineering office or in the pit stand this year, trying to familiarize myself with the details of oval racing. It’s a challenge that excites me a lot.”

“Marcus Armstrong has proven in 2023 his quick adaptation to INDYCAR road and street tracks. He’s ready to be a full-time Chip Ganassi Racing INDYCAR driver,” said Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull. “Winning is integrated into his racing resume. This includes his pursuit of the 2023 INDYCAR Rookie of the Year. He knows how to win as a teammate. Next comes ovals at the highest global level. We look forward to a long-term relationship driven by growth and opportunity in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with Marcus.”

Armstrong made the jump to race in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with Chip Ganassi Racing after competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship from 2020 to 2022 where he earned four wins and eight podiums.

Veterans Session Complete- Ericsson on Top

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The first session of the day just finished with Marcus Ericsson posting the fast time of 224. 330 miles per hour, folowed by Helio Castroneves at 224.280 miles per hour. 25 cars took part in the session. Takuma Sato was allowed to run with the veterans since he raced at Texas.The three full time rookies- Augustin canapino, Sting Ray Robb, and Benjamin Pedersen, have begun their rookie tests. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Katherine Legge, Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, and Stefan Wilson are also on track for their refresher tests.

Notes

The weather is warm and overcast. Drivers noted the wind was a factor.

Marcus Ericsson hit 235 mph in the turn 3 speed trap.

The three Penske cars led the no tow list. Josef Newgarden was the fastest at 221.353 mph.

Results

18Marcus EricssonChip Ganassi RacingHonda224.33036
26Helio CastronevesMeyer Shank RacingHonda224.28026
310Alex PalouChip Ganassi RacingHonda224.08827
43Scott McLaughlinTeam PenskeChevy223.96537
533Ed CarpenterEd Carpenter RacingChevy223.76535
660Simon PagenaudMeyer Shank RacingHonda223.54039
79Scott DixonChip Ganassi RacingHonda223.46633
826Colton HertaAndretti Autosport w/Curb-AgajanianHonda223.40931
918David MalukasDale Coyne Racing with HMDHonda223.39059
1020Conor DalyEd Carpenter RacingChevy223.11426
112Josef NewgardenTeam PenskeChevy222.87422
1212Will PowerTeam PenskeChevy222.59338
136Felix RosenqvistArrow McLarenChevy222.51532
145Pato O’WardArrow McLarenChevy222.37731
1521Rinus VeeKayEd Carpenter RacingChevy222.12644
1611Takuma SatoChip Ganassi RacingHonda222.01233
1729Devlin DeFrancescoAndretti Steinbrenner AutosportHonda220.92023
1877Callum IlottJuncos Hollinger RacingChevy220.91121
1914Santino FerrucciAJ Foyt EnterprisesChevy220.57130
2045Christian LundgaardRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda220.22328
2130Jack HarveyRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda220.18127
2215Graham RahalRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda219.67032
237Alexander RossiArrow McLarenChevy219.51631
2427Kyle KirkwoodAndretti AutosportHonda219.4635
2528Romain GrosjeanAndretti AutosportHonda219.35911

Photos

A bit of a shock to see Pato in a black car
Helio Castroneves was second quick this morning
Rinus VeeKay
Callum Ilott
Scott Dixon

Marcus Armstong Joins CGR for 2023 Road and Street Courses

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In a bit of a surprise move, Marcus Armstrong will drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2023 season. Armstrong was rumored to be the full time driver of the number 51 Dale Coyne with Rick Ware entry.

The announouncement from CGR:

Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that Marcus Armstrong will drive the No. 11 Honda in road and street course races across the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. 

“I’m ecstatic to be a part of the INDYCAR SERIES, but especially with Chip Ganassi Racing because it is such an iconic and successful team. I have an extraordinary opportunity in front of me to learn from people that have been performing at the absolute highest level in this sport,” said Armstrong. “As a Kiwi, I’ve always watched Scott Dixon succeed in the championship with this team, so on a personal level this is quite special for me. I am a hard worker that looks to improve every single day. With the knowledge and personnel that this team has, I’m very excited to take on this new challenge.”

“Marcus driving the No. 11 car for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 is exciting. As a 22-year-old, what is in common to others who have climbed into INDYCAR with CGR is that at that age he already knows how to win,” said Mike Hull, Managing Director of Chip Ganassi Racing: “That’s been repeatedly proven at the highest global level. Besides talent, the intangible that he brings creates measurement through opportunity. Bring on 2023!”

Armstrong, 22, is set to make his North American professional debut after competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship from 2020 to 2022 where he earned four wins and eight podiums. Armstrong scored his first victory in the series in 2021 at Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia, and then registered three wins across the 2022 campaign in Italy, Austria and the Netherlands. Armstrong also served as a development driver for the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team in 2021.

The Christchurch, New Zealand, native launched his racing career behind the wheel of go-karts at 10 years old. He won five go-karting national championships in New Zealand before moving to Europe in 2015 to compete on the world stage. In 2017, Armstrong made the jump to Formula 4 where he won the Italian Formula 4 championship in his first season competing in the series. Armstrong competed in Formula 3 across the 2018 and 2019 seasons, where he tallied four wins, four pole positions and 16 podiums. 

Armstrong is set to meet his Chip Ganassi Racing teammates in Indianapolis next week. He will become the first driver in Chip Ganassi Racing history to pilot a No. 11 entry when he races the Streets of St. Petersburg on March 5. 

Chip Ganassi Racing will share an update on the driver of the No. 11 Honda for oval races at a later date. 

Source: Chip Ganassi Racing