Marcus Armstrong – Page 2 – The Pit Window by Mike Silver

Chip Gansssi Racing Signs Marcus Armstrong to Multi Year Deal

September 7, 2023 thepitwindow

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

April 20, 2023 thepitwindow

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

1	8	Marcus Ericsson	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	224.330	36
2	6	Helio Castroneves	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda	224.280	26
3	10	Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	224.088	27
4	3	Scott McLaughlin	Team Penske	Chevy	223.965	37
5	33	Ed Carpenter	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevy	223.765	35
6	60	Simon Pagenaud	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda	223.540	39
7	9	Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.466	33
8	26	Colton Herta	Andretti Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian	Honda	223.409	31
9	18	David Malukas	Dale Coyne Racing with HMD	Honda	223.390	59
10	20	Conor Daly	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevy	223.114	26
11	2	Josef Newgarden	Team Penske	Chevy	222.874	22
12	12	Will Power	Team Penske	Chevy	222.593	38
13	6	Felix Rosenqvist	Arrow McLaren	Chevy	222.515	32
14	5	Pato O’Ward	Arrow McLaren	Chevy	222.377	31
15	21	Rinus VeeKay	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevy	222.126	44
16	11	Takuma Sato	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	222.012	33
17	29	Devlin DeFrancesco	Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	Honda	220.920	23
18	77	Callum Ilott	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Chevy	220.911	21
19	14	Santino Ferrucci	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Chevy	220.571	30
20	45	Christian Lundgaard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda	220.223	28
21	30	Jack Harvey	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda	220.181	27
22	15	Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda	219.670	32
23	7	Alexander Rossi	Arrow McLaren	Chevy	219.516	31
24	27	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport	Honda	219.463	5
25	28	Romain Grosjean	Andretti Autosport	Honda	219.359	11

Photos

A bit of a shock to see Pato in a black car

Helio Castroneves was second quick this morning

Marcus Armstong Joins CGR for 2023 Road and Street Courses

December 2, 2022 thepitwindow

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