Dixon’s confirmed exit from CGR triggers early INDYCAR Silly Season scramble
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Scott Dixon’s days at Chip Ganassi Racing truly are numbered.
Scott Dixon will leave Chip Ganassi Racing at the conclusion of the NTT IndyCar Series season. – Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo
Specifically, the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series schedule will end in 65 days _ on Sunday, Sept. 6 _ at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. At the fall of the checkered flag in Northern California, Dixon will take his six series championships, his impeccable race craft and 25 years of memories and exit CGR.
That fact was confirmed Thursday, when CGR officials issued a statement on Dixon’s impending departure. Industry-wide speculation has Dixon headed for Arrow McLaren under a two-year contract that will see 45-year-old New Zealander replace Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 Velo Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Ironically, Lundgaard scored the third victory of his NTT IndyCar Series career in dramatic fashion on June 21 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. The 24-year-old native of Denmark drove from last-to-first after opening-lap contact with Dixon in Turn 1, damaging the left front wing on Lundgaard’s car and deflating one of his Firestone Firehawk tires. Lundgaard pitted on Lap 2 for tires, fuel and a new front wing, with Arrow McLaren strategists devising tactics on the fly.
Lundgaard is the only Arrow McLaren driver with a victory this season, having also won on May 9 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course. Lundgaard scored his first series win in 2023 on the Streets of Toronto with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Neither Dixon nor Arrow McLaren officials have confirmed Scott’s hiring _ or the addition of reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden _ as new teammates to de facto team-leader Pato O’Ward of Mexico in the No. 5 Chevrolet. Dixon is being counted on to mentor O’Ward _ a 27-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas _ on the art of winning an INDYCAR championship. Dixon won his titles in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020.
Felix Rosenqvist – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by Chris Owens
Rosenqvist recently announced he would be vacating Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 60 Honda at season’s end. Rosenqvist is widely ticketed to replace Nolan Siegel in Arrow McLaren’s No. 6 NTT DATA Chevrolet.
But Dixon’s exit from CGR remains the headline-grabber of an unusually early Silly Season heading into Sunday’s The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid.
“Scott Dixon has recently informed the team that he will not be returning in 2027,” CGR said in its statement. “Scott has meant so much to CGR over the past 24 years. Together we’ve shared championships, many victories and countless moments that have helped define this organization. Because of everything we’ve accomplished together, the legacy Scott has built here, we believed it was important to give him the opportunity to finish his career at Chip Ganassi Racing, and we made him a multi-year offer to do just that.
“We respect that he’s chosen a different path and wish him nothing but continued success. Scott will always be a special part of this team’s history, and we’re grateful for everything we’ve accomplished together.
“Our focus now is on finishing this season strong with the No. 9 PNC team while also preparing for the future at Chip Ganassi Racing.”
Arguably the greatest INDYCAR driver of the current generation, “Dixie” has compiled 59 wins _ including the 2008 Indianapolis 500 _ and 218 top-fives in 429 series starts. Dixon is 10th in the current driver standings led by teammate Alex Palou of Spain with one top-five and five top-10 results in 10 starts. Dixon’s average finish of 11.6 is his worst since 2005 as he seeks to extend a streak of winning at least one series race for a 22nd consecutive season.
In any event, Dixon is poised to make his 367th consecutive series start at Mid-Ohio, extending his record streak.
Kyle Kirkwood, Marcus Ericsson and Will Power – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by Chris Jones
Andretti Global teammates Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood placed 1-2 on the speed chart as the Fourth of July holiday weekend began Friday on a 95-degree afternoon at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Power turned a lap of 1-minute, 5.5540-seconds/124.002 mph in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda as the 25-car field opened preparations for Sunday’s The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid (12:30 p.m. EDT, FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). Kirkwood’s best lap in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda was 1:05.6674-seconds/123.787 mph.
SEE: Practice Results
If Friday’s practice was any indication, the 90-lap/203.22-mile main event will seriously tax each driver. Temperatures are expected to remain in the low 90s at least through Saturday’s qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (2:30 p.m. on FS1, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).
Power remains someone to watch in any INDYCAR qualifying session. His mark of 71 career poles is the sport’s all-time best, and the native Australian will be chasing his first pole of the season and first with Andretti Global. Kirkwood also has yet to start a race from P1 this season and add to his three previous career poles.
Completing the top-five on Day 1 were series point-leader Alex Palou of Spain in the No. 10 Open AI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda at 1:05.7557-seconds/123.621 mph, followed by Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard at 1:05.8924-seconds/123.365 mph and Pato O’Ward at 1:06.0340-seconds/123.100 mph. Lundgaard, of Denmark, has won two of three road-course races this season; Palou won the other.
“It’s pretty toasty out there,” Lundgaard joked post-practice. “It was a good session. I feel like we are somewhat there. We need to find some time for the No. 10 car. Ultimately, I feel like it’s where we left off. We’re on the right path. I’m trying to stay hydrated and trying to stay cool. That’s the most important thing right now. We’ll keep digging.”
Power (2020), Palou (2023) and O’Ward (2024) are former Mid-Ohio race-winners.
Through 10 of 18 races, Palou _ the four-time/reigning series champion _ holds a 60-point lead over Team Penske’s David Malukas, whose best lap Friday was 1:06.2534-seconds/122.693 mph to rank 10th. Kirkwood sits third in the standings _ 61 points out of the lead _ with Lundgaard fourth, 77 points in arrears.
Friday’s practice followed Meyer Shank Racing’s announcement that Marcus Armstrong had signed a multi-year contract extension beginning in 2027. Currently in his second season with Mike Shank’s Ohio-based organization, Armstrong he will move from the team’s No. 66 Honda into the No. 60 Honda driven by Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden in each of the past three seasons.
Rosenqvist, reigning champion of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, recently confirmed that he would be leaving Ohio-based MSR at season’s end. Armstrong finished fifth in that race after leading with one lap remaining.
However, Armstrong’s Mid-Ohio weekend began with what appeared to be a mechanical failure in the rear of the No. 66 Honda that sent him into the Turn 2 barrier.
“What I felt was when I was braking there was one half of the car was just sliding across the ground,” said Armstrong, a 25-year-old native of New Zealand. “From my (seat), one of the corners was hanging off on the rear, and I was just trying to decelerate quick enough. From what I was hearing, it was making a scraping sound so the floor was dragging.
“It’s a shame. I think we only did one push lap and the car felt really good. Fingers crossed that the tub’s all good and we can repair it without any major concerns for (Saturday’s second practice).”
Armstrong’s best lap in the abbreviated session of 1:07.3433-seconds/120.707 mph placed him 24th. Rosenqvist, runner-up in 2019 on Mid-Ohio’s 2.258-mile/13-turn permanent layout, posted the 12th-quickest lap in 1:06.2977-seconds/122.611 mph.
Meanwhile, seven-time Mid-Ohio winner Scott Dixon and his Chip Ganassi Racing crew are working together for the first time since it was announced this week he would be leaving the organization after 25 seasons, the longest partnership in the sport.
Dixon, who won last year’s Mid-Ohio race when Palou drifted wide in Turn 9 with six laps to go, posted the 15th-fastest lap at 1:06.5372-seconds/122.169 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank CGR Honda.
Rookie Caio Collet paced the two-car entries from Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing in 18th. The Brazilian completed a session-high 33 laps with a best circuit of 1:06.6525-seconds/121.958 mph in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet. Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci was 20th after a best lap of 1:06.8111-seconds/121.668 mph after 23 laps in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet.
Turn 9 was problematic for Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman lost control of the back end of the No. 18 BMax Honda late in the session, sliding off-track and hitting the tire barrier with the rear. Like Armstrong, Grosjean was not injured.
Sting Ray Robb – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by Chris Owens
INDYCAR Officiating has issued a six-position starting grid penalty for No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet driven by Sting Ray Robb for an unapproved engine change following a team test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Tuesday, June 23.
The entry was in violation of Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Approved Engine Change-Out if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine Change-Out.
According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid July 5 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Enzo Fittipaldi – Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio – INDY NXT Presented by Firestone – Photo by Chris Jones
Enzo Fittipaldi waited until the closing minutes of INDY NXT by Firestone practice Friday to top the speed chart and kick off this weekend’s double-header program at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The HMD Motorsports rookie posted a lap of 1-minute, 10.7286-seconds/114.929 mph in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports entry with less than two minutes remaining in the 45-minute session. Temperatures reached 94 degrees during the afternoon practice, easily the hottest conditions of the season.
“It’s very hot out there…super-hot,” said Fittipaldi, the 24-year-old nephew of two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil. “I think it was a good practice. We had a good session there. We made some good changes throughout the session, and we made very good progress throughout the whole session. Very happy about it.”
SEE: Practice Results
Fittipaldi edged HMD Motorsports teammate Tymek Kucharczyk, the rookie from Poland who led much of the session before settling for second at 1:10.7736-seconds/114.856 mph.
Andretti Global’s Lochie Hughes of Australia was third at 1:10.8710-seconds/114.669 mph, followed by A.J. Foyt Racing’s Alessandro de Tullio at 1:10.9097-seconds/114.636 mph and championship leader Nikita Johnson of Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR at 1:11.0264-seconds/114.448 mph. Four teams were represented in the top-five.
Johnson entered the weekend with a six-point lead over Kucharczyk in the championship standings, while Fittipaldi sits 27 points behind in third.
Qualifying for both races was scheduled for Saturday morning, followed by Race 1 _ set for 35 laps/79.03 miles/55 minutes _ at 1 p.m. (EDT). Both sessions will air live on FS1 and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls. Sunday’s Race 2 is booked for 30 laps/67.74 miles/50 minutes.
“The track’s going to be quite a lot colder in the morning,” Fittipaldi said. “It’s quite early in the morning, so it could change a bit the balance of the cars. It’s just making sure we get the car in in the right window and where we want it to be for tomorrow morning, in which is the day that counts, which is qualifying.”
De Tullio, a native of Miami, will aim to continue his remarkable qualifying form. The Foyt Racing driver enters the weekend with seven poles in 10 races, including three of the last four. He has claimed five of six available poles during road-course double-header weekends this season at Barber Motorsports Park, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course and Road America.
The INDY NXT by Firestone single-season record is nine poles, set by Pato O’Ward of Mexico in 2018. Ed Jones of Great Britain (2016) and Thiago Medeiros of Brazil (2004) each earned eight.
The No. 14 Foyt Racing driver has started from the front row in every race this season except the opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., where he qualified eighth.
NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 374; 2, David Malukas, Team Penske, 314; 3, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 313; 4, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 297; 5, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 257; 6, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 248; 7, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 248; 8, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 247; 9, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 213; 10, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 211;
11, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 203; 12, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 200; 13, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 187; 14, Will Power, Andretti Global, 180; 15, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 180; 16, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 179; 17, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 168; 18, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 147; 19, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 143; 20, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 132;
21, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 125; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 117; 23, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 113; 24, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 102; 25, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 100; 26, Derek Daly, Dryer & Reinbold Racing, 24; 27, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 20; 28, Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 8; 29, Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports, 6; 30, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian, 5;
31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 5; 32, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Arrow McLaren, 5; 33, Katherine Legge, HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing, 5.
FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE/(RACE WINNER)
Note _ All times Eastern
Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)
Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)
Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)
Sunday, May 24 _ 110th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, (Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian)
Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)
Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m., (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)
Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., TBA
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, 4 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, Noon
Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., TBA
Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.
Note _ Dates and times subject to change.
2026 INDYCAR NXT BY FIRESTONE SCHEDULE/(RACE-WINNER)
Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)
Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Max Taylor, Andretti Global)
Saturday, March 28 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)
Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)
Friday, May 8 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 1, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 2, (Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., (Myles Rowe, Abel Motorsports)
Saturday, June 20 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 1, (Lochie Hughes, Andretti Global)
Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 2, (Matteo Nannini, Cape Motorsports powered by ECR)
Saturday, July 4 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 1
Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 2
Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn.
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis.
Saturday, Sept. 5 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 1
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 2
