By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
In what played-out as a high-profile INDYCAR seat swap, Chip Ganassi Racing has signed Christian Lundgaard to a multi-year contract to drive the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda vacated by Scott Dixon.
Lundgaard became an NTT IndyCar Series free-agent in early July, when Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan announced the surprising addition of Dixon, a six-time series champion and winner of the 2008 Indianapolis 500, to a revamped 2027 lineup. “Dixie” will team with Pato O’Ward of Mexico and reigning Indy 500 champ Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden beginning in ‘27.
Lundgaard finished a career-best third in the final 2026 point standings during a season highlighted by victories on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course and at Road America. A 25-year-old native of Denmark, Lundgaard has logged three wins, 16 podiums and 21 top-five finishes in 87 career INDYCAR starts.
Lundgaard finished seventh in the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, Texas, on March 15, an event staged on a temporary street circuit winding around AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of MLB’s Texas Rangers.
Lundgaard joins CGR _ the winningest organization in INDYCAR history _ as teammate to five-time/reigning series champion Alex Palou of Spain in the No. 10 DHL Honda and Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda.
“Super-excited to finally get this announced,” Ganassi said during a ZOOM conference with Lundgaard on Tuesday. “I apologize that it took so long. It was probably one of the not-so-well-kept-secrets around the paddock.
“My opening statement would be…’When is the last time a guy that finished third in the points was available?’ That about says it all to me.”
Lundgaard said he was looking forward to working alongside and challenging the 29-year-old Palou, who has replaced Dixon as CGR’s longest-tenured driver and the series’ performance measuring stick.
“Yeah, obviously just seeing Alex having performed the way he has in the last six years, having won five championships now, he’s been the guy to beat,” Lundgaard said. “I think the first thought that I had when this came on the table and became an opportunity was I am learning from the best driver who learned from the best driver in Scott Dixon, and I think just getting to learn as much as I can from there.
“And obviously joining CGR and Chip and the 18 championships, it’s really just a dream come true. In many ways, time will tell. I think it’s hard to predict where we will stack up. We’ve battled it out on-track multiple times. I think from my own perspective, I know what I’m capable of, and I know why I’ve been hired and the reasons why. So for me, it’s more try to learn as much as possible. Going to get the best out of it.
“The main objective is to have a CGR car in Victory Circle. If it’s one or the other, I’m sure Chip is happy. But ultimately we need to do it consistently across all races.”
Lundgaard’s relative lack of results on the series’ oval tracks has largely been cited as the prime reason why he was bounced by Arrow McLaren.
“It’s still a big question mark to me, and I think it is to many,” Lundgaard said. “I choose to look at it in a very different way, right. I’ve done well and a better opportunity have arose versus what it could have been. I think this is a conversation that Chip and I have already had. We’re just looking forward now. It’s not really look back.
“I think I’ve learned so many things in the past five years, on-track, off-track, matured a lot from when I joined INDYCAR as…what was I, a 20, 21-year-old, to now having the experience that I have. I think it’s really just what I’ve done to achieve this, really, in many ways. I wish them (Arrow McLaren) the best, but it’s definitely big shoes to fill, filling out for Scott.”
Dixon’s stellar 25-year tenure at CGR ended with a 17th place finish in the season-ending Misson Foods Grand Prix of Monterey in California on Sept. 6. Dixon, 46, finished 12th in the final standings after soldiering through his first winless season since 2004.
Ganassi said he and Mike Hull, CGR’s managing director and chief strategist, looked at every available INDYCAR driver to fill Dixon’s seat.
“And there were some options outside of the series, but maybe the timing didn’t quite line up,” said Ganassi, 68, a five-time starter in the Indianapolis 500 and fastest rookie qualifier at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1982. “When you have guys that are in other series that aren’t done or are in a contract and they can’t talk until a certain date or they can’t _ they’re waiting to hear from their team or something. There are a lot of timing issues that come into play on these type of transactions.
“But Christian’s name kept landing back as the obvious one. Like, ‘Wait a minute, we’re not overlooking this guy, are we?’ Yeah, his name kept…every name that came along, we said, ‘OK, well, how does that compare with Lundgaard?’ whether it’s somebody who hasn’t been in the series and did they have to learn the tracks, and are they current with this type of drive style that you need, or are they committed to maybe coming to the U.S.
“All these sort of questions you have to ask when people pop up that aren’t in the normal week-to-week lexicon of drivers available.”
Ganassi said he is a fan of Lundgaard’s overall race craft. “I think he’s very clinical. He seems to be a student of the craft. I’m optimistic,” said Ganassi, who launched his INDYCAR team in 1990. “He didn’t seem to have these sort of oval questions…I didn’t see any of those questions at Milwaukee; he seemed to do OK there. That’s an oval, and he beat all three of our guys. So I’m not overly concerned.”
Lundgaard secured his first career oval podium at The Milwaukee Mile by finishing third in the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Aug. 30, 2026.
Lundgaard logged time as a simulator driver for the Alpine F1 Team before moving to INDYCAR in 2021 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Christian scored his first podium a year later and won his first race in 2023 on the Streets of Toronto _ a victory that made him the first Danish driver to win an INDYCAR race. Lundgaard graduated into single-seater racing after starting in karts and the formula ranks. He spent three seasons in Formula 2, where he won multiple races and scored nine podiums.
“Throughout our history, one of the things we’ve done best is identify young talent, help them maximize their potential and develop them into championship contenders,” Ganassi said. “We believe Christian has all the talent to be the next driver to do that.
“I’ll be honest with you; drivers that make it to this level of racing, I don’t get into talking about the performance or what setup they like or what springs they like or things like that. I don’t get into the technical side of things. I want to know what they’re made of, what their values are. Christian will tell you, I grilled him pretty extensively in terms of what we expect and what we want, what’s important and what’s not important.
“Yeah, we have a great culture that Mike Hull and his team have built around there, and we try to push that down on other people, whether it’s on-track activities or off-track activities. Yeah, I’m confident that our system will continue to develop Christian in the same manner.”
Sponsor-wise, PNC Bank will continue its long-standing partnership on the No. 9 Honda next season. PNC Bank has been a partner of CGR since 2013 and a primary partner on the No. 9 since 2018. The organization has celebrated six INDYCAR championships with CGR, two of which were with the No. 9 team. With approximately 2,300 branches and 58,000 employees, PNC is one of the largest financial institutions in the U.S.
Lundgaard suggested his personality is a perfect fit for the bank’s “Brilliantly Boring” marketing theme. “Yeah, there for sure is a more mature Christian in there,” Lundgaard said. “By all means, I think that’s very much a given, but not necessarily just on or off-track.
“I think I’ve learned so much understanding from the technical side of the cars, and I think a big reason for me to join CGR is not necessarily that they have the winning car now. It’s what the team stands for. It’s the simplicity. I’m a very simple guy. I will choose a spaghetti Bolognese over a fancy dinner.
“Right. That’s why I think we will work very well together from a PNC and CGR perspective.”
Scott Dixon will wheel the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet beginning with the 2027 NTT IndyCar Series season. Dixon will sport a new car number for the first time in more than two decades after competing in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda with Chip Ganassi Racing for all but one of the past 24 seasons. The 46-year-old New Zealander brandished No. 1 in 2004. Dixon has replaced Nolan Siegel in the No. 6 Chevy.
Pato O’Ward, a 27-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas, will continue in the No. 5 Chevrolet. O’Ward won three races en route to a fourth-place point finish in 2026.
Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden will wheel the No. 7 Chevrolet previously assigned to Christian Lundgaard of Denmark. Rosenqvist, in fact, returns to the No. 7 entry, the same number he carried during his first two seasons with Arrow McLaren (2021-2022). Rosenqvist finished ninth in the final 2026 standings driving the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda for Meyer Shank Racing.
In addition, 2014 Indy 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay will drive the No. 31 Chevrolet during the 111th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Arrow McLaren also unveiled a new font style for car numbers in line with a rebrand that will go into effect in January 2027. The 2027 NTT IndyCar Series season will open March 7 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.
“We’re excited to begin our next chapter in 2027,” Team Principal Tony Kanaan said. “This team has continued to raise the bar year after year, and with Pato, Scott, Felix and Ryan in the cockpit, we believe we have the tools to achieve our goals. While fans will have to wait a little longer to see the 2027 liveries, this announcement offers a fun glimpse of what lies ahead.”
Final 2026 NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 631; 2, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 545; 3, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 535; 4, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 522; 5, David Malukas, Team Penske, 514; 6, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 482; 7, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 429; 8, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 423; 9, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing; 412; 10, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 378;
11, Will Power, Andretti Global, 368; 12, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 331; 13, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 327; 14, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 320; 15, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 307; 16, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 302; 17, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 368; 18, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 267; 19, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 259; 20, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 259;
21, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 245; 22, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 228; 23, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 213; 24, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 203; 25, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 182; 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.
Final 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone Point Standings _ 1, Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR, 585; 2, Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports, 556; 3, Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports, 551; 4, Max Taylor, Andretti Global, 470; 5, Lochie Hughes, Andretti Global, 453; 6, Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing, 442; 7, J.M. Correa, Cusick Morgan Motorsports, 389; 8, Myles Rowe, ABEL Motorsports, 388; 9, Jack Beeton, HMD Motorsports, 382; 10, Max Garcia, ABEL Motorsports, 381;
11, Josh Pierson, Andretti Global, 364; 12, Matteo Nannini, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR, 362; 13, Seb Murray, Andretti Global, 306; 14, Bryce Aron, Chip Ganassi Racing, 298; 15, Niels Koolen, Chip Ganassi Racing, 268; 16, Salvador de Alba, HMD Motorsports, 245; 17, Nicolas Stati, Cusick Morgan Motorsports, 227; 18, Colin Kaminsky, ABEL Motorsports, 222; 19, Jordan Missig, ABEL Motorsports, 216; 20, James Roe, Chip Ganassi Racing, 214;
21, Alexander Koreiba, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 207; 22, Carson Etter, Chip Ganassi Racing, 182; 23, Nicholas Monteiro, A.J. Foyt Racing, 179; 24, Ricardo Escotto, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 142; 25, Jacob Abel, ABEL Motorsports, 101; 26, Nolan Allaer, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 67; 27, Bart Harrison, HMD Motorsports, 51; 28, Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Cusick Morgan Motorsports, 9.
2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SCHEDULE/(RACE WINNER)
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, (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)
Monday, July 20 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, (Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global)
Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, (Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske)
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, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 2, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., (Matteo Nannini, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis., (Max Garcia, Abel Motorsports)
Saturday, Sept. 5 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 1 (Josh Pierson, Andretti Global)
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 2 (Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports)
