Arrow McLaren has announced that veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay will join the team for the upcoming 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.
The 44-year-old will pilot the fourth car in the team’s line-up, joining Arrow McLaren’s three full time drivers on the grid for Memorial Day weekend.
Hunter-Reay has made 395 IndyCar starts over the past 21 seasons, including a championship win in 2012 and an Indy 500 victory in 2014.
He will be assigned car number 31, calling back to the number he used in his IndyCar debut in 2003.
“Ryan is a great addition to the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team and just who we want in that fourth car this coming May alongside Pato [O’Ward], Nolan [Siegel] and Christian [Lundgaard],” said Team Principal Tony Kanaan.
“He’s an Indy 500 Champion – and if you look at our history at McLaren – that’s the reason we field a fourth car, to have one more contender in the mix. He is a proven winner, and we know he will have a strong chance to win this historic event.
“Ryan is one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, and we’re very excited to get started with him and have him part of our team into next May.”
Arrow McLaren has a long history of running a one-off entry for the Indianapolis 500, dating back to a time before McLaren was involved and the team was run as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
In the past two years, NASCAR champion Kyle Larson has run the team’s fourth entry at the Indy 500. He attempted to run The Double by competing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Hunter-Reay’s Indy 500 attempt in 2026 will be his fourth year competing in a one-off entry, continuing his participation in the largest event after retiring from full time competition after the 2021 season.
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