Andretti Autosport announced Monday that Robert Megennis will return to Andretti Autosport to pilot the No. 27 entry for the 2020 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season. Andretti Autosport won last year's Indy Lights championship with Oliver Askew driving.
As a rookie, the 19-year-old Megennis scored his first Indy Lights win with the team on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after starting from the pole position.
The New York native followed the success in early May by capturing the pole for the series crown jewel, the Freedom 100. Megennis went on to stand on the podium six times and recorded 12 top-five finishes throughout his rookie campaign.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Robert back to the team,” said J-F Thormann, President of Andretti Autosport. “From the moment he climbed in the car, Robert has been determined to fight for results and it has paid off, earning a victory and a handful of podiums last season. He was a strong contender in the Freedom 100 and we’re happy he’ll have another chance to claim that title. We’re really looking forward to watching Robert mature even more in the car and anxious to see what results he can capture in 2020.”
Throughout his career in the Road to Indy ladder system, the veteran driver has scored 15 podiums and collected 52 top-10 finishes. Heading into his fifth year of Road to Indy competition, Megennis has never finished outside of the top six in each championship run he has competed in.
Starting his career in 2016, Megennis earned Rookie of the Year honors along with the Hard Charger award in Cooper Tires USF2000, where he finished the season as the top American driver in sixth place. He went on to compete as a sophomore in Cooper Tires USF2000 in 2017 and ran the Indy Pro 2000 Championship in 2018.
“I’m super excited to join Andretti Autosport for another year in Indy Lights," Megennis said. "We had a great 2019 season and 2020 will be even better. I’m confident that we’re only going to grow and get stronger together as a team. Thanks to everyone at Andretti Autosport, SailPoint, Sirius Computer Solutions, Juniper Networks, CyberArk and my family for giving me this opportunity. Let’s go win some races.”
The No. 27 machine will receive support from a wide portfolio of partners including SailPoint, Sirius Computer Solutions, Juniper Networks and CyberArk.
“Robert’s work ethic and commitment to the sport is nothing short of impressive. We are eager to put our name behind a racer who we believe is the future champion of Indy Lights,” said Juliette Rizkallah, Chief Marketing Officer for SailPoint. “Robert and his team have been an invaluable partner to us and we look forward to extending our partnership in the year ahead.”
"Sirius is proud to team up with Andretti Autosport and RKM Racing in 2020. This partnership is a great opportunity for us to showcase our focus on technology, innovation and agility," said Michael Harwood, SVP of Marketing at Sirius.
Megennis will join rookie teammates Kyle Kirkwood (No. 28 Dallara) and Danial Frost (No. 68 Dallara) as the Indy Lights season kicks off on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., for the first doubleheader of the 2020 season March 14-15.