When the confirmation came that Scott Dixon had decided to move on from Chip Ganassi Racing after the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season, ending a run of a quarter of a century with the team, speculation began to heat up regarding who might replace him behind the wheel of the No. 9 Honda.
The obvious answer seems to be Christian Lundgaard, whose contract with Arrow McLaren is due to expire at the end of the year.
For the longest time, it felt mind-boggling that the team didn't extend his deal, and now they may have to pay the price, given the reports that they plan to bring in both Dixon and current Meyer Shank Racing driver Felix Rosenqvist to join Pato O'Ward, with Nolan Siegel also set to depart.
As far as Meyer Shank Racing are concerned, they have avoided the daunting prospect of not only losing Rosenqvist but also Marcus Armstrong after the 2027 season.
Marcus Armstrong won't replace Scott Dixon in 2027
Not only has Armstrong extended his deal with the team, but he is set to move to Rosenqvist's No. 60 Honda, effectively as the new team leader. The team have not announced a new driver for the No. 66 Honda.
Armstrong's extension also removes one of the few possibilities that existed outside of Lundgaard when it comes to replacing Dixon.
Armstrong competed part-time for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 and full-time in 2024 before being jettisoned to Meyer Shank Racing, which formed a technical alliance with Chip Ganassi Racing's team for the 2025 season after Ganassi was forced to downsize from five cars to three as a result of the new charter agreement.
Given the ongoing alliance and relationship between the two Honda-powered teams, the two teams responsible for Honda's four most recent Indy 500 victories dating back to 2021, Armstrong, who continues to get better year after year, also would have been a logical option to replace his fellow New Zealander alongside Alex Palou and Kyffin Simpson.
He has two career podium finishes and would have had a third, likely his first win, without late mechanical issues at Road America three weekends ago while leading. He was 11th in the standings after that race but would have been sixth had he won.
He improved from 14th in 2024 to eighth in 2025 and is currently tied for 11th after a disappointing weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course which still saw him make up a race-high 10 positions after starting 24th.
But with that move no longer on the table, Dixon's departure confirmed and his destination all but solidified as McLaren, plus Rosenqvist thought to be headed to McLaren as well, it almost seems like Ganassi only really has one call to make to fill the six-time series champion's seat.
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