Chip Ganassi Racing has announced that Marcus Armstrong will return to the team next season, driving the full IndyCar season.
The deal allows the 23-year-old to compete on ovals for the first time, as he only contested the road and street courses this year.
Despite the limited schedule, Armstrong leads the rookie points standings and is very likely to take the Rookie of the Year title after this weekend’s season finale at Laguna Seca.
Ganassi’s deal with the New Zealander is a multi-year agreement, meaning he will be racing alongside champions Scott Dixon and Alex Palou for the foreseeable future.
“I am very proud and excited to continue with Chip Ganassi Racing for next year and beyond,” said Armstrong. “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.
“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.”
After joining IndyCar from Formula 2 at the start of this year, Armstrong has become more and more open to the idea of racing on ovals.
There was a chance he would get his first taste of the new discipline late in the 2023 season, but Takuma Sato was eventually confirmed to be running all five oval rounds in the #11.
Armstrong will get his first experience behind the wheel on the banking at a private test session at Texas Motor Speedway on September 13, shortly after this season concludes.
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