Chip Ganassi Racing has confirmed that Takuma Sato will remain in the #11 entry for the remaining oval rounds this season.
Sato was originally announced as the driver for all five of the season’s oval events, but word came as the season was getting under way that the confirmed portion of the deal only involved the races at Texas Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500.
Marcus Armstrong is driving the #11 for the season’s road and street races, and had shown an increasing desire to try out a short oval for the first time as the year progressed.
The 22-year-old told Motorsportweek.com at the recent event at Road America that he would be love to try out the discipline soon.
“I would love to do it,” said Armstrong. “It’s something that interests me a lot. And the decision is not mine.
“It’s entertaining and extremely challenging. It’s something that I want to learn about quickly so I can understand how to get the results. Something that I never experienced.
“The more experience you have, the better you can ultimately perform.
“A lot of European guys have done really well, like Marcus [Ericsson], Alex [Palou], and everyone really. All the lads that I’ve raced with in the past have done quite well on ovals.
“I’d be keen to do it given the opportunity.”
Even though Armstrong would have been happy to have a few more races to run this season, he will have to wait until at least the end of the year to sample the new type of track.
A Ganassi representative confirmed that the rookie could be given a change to try out an oval at a test session near the end of the season.
Sato finished 28th at Texas Motor Speedway following a crash, but earned a seventh place result at the Indy 500.
The 46-year-old will be back in the #11 next month for the doubleheader from Iowa Speedway, and then again in August for the race from World Wide Technology Raceway.
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