Two-time Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Takuma Sato will join Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 to drive the No. 11 Honda in oval competition, while Marcus Armstrong will drive that machine on road and street course races.
Sato brings more than two decades of experience racing at the highest level to defending Indianapolis 500 winners CGR, which has won 14 INDYCAR SERIES championships, including nine across the past 15 seasons of competition.
"First of all, I would like to thank Chip (Ganassi) and Mike (Hull) for helping put this all together,” Sato said. “I am extremely excited to join Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2023 season. The organization has been at the top of our sport for decades and, needless to say, extremely competitive.
“Focusing on the oval races is a new chapter for me, but I'm thrilled to have the ability to race with team members and teammates that have won the championships and Indianapolis 500 in the past, which is a tremendous advantage. I just can't wait to get started.”
Sato won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in 2017 with Andretti Autosport and in 2020 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He moves to the Ganassi oval program after driving full time in the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing.
Tokyo native Sato has raced in the INDYCAR SERIES over the past 13 seasons, where he has earned six wins, 14 podiums and 10 pole positions. Sato has made 215 career INDYCAR SERIES starts, the sixth-most among active drivers and the 22nd-most in history.
Sato’s oval teammates will be full-time CGR drivers Marcus Ericsson, the reigning Indy 500 winner; 2008 “500” winner and six-time series champion Scott Dixon and 2021 series champion Alex Palou. There are five oval races this season on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule: the Texas Indy 375 on April 2 at Texas Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 28 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend doubleheader July 22-23 at Iowa Speedway and the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on Aug. 27 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“What a terrific opportunity to have Takuma Sato drive our No. 11 Honda INDYCAR on the ovals in 2023,” CGR Managing Director Mike Hull said. “He is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner who contributes with the experience of knowing how to win, by matching the strength of his three teammates, which equals four who race as one. Chip Ganassi Racing looks forward to the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500.”
Before his INDYCAR SERIES career, Sato raced in Formula One for seven seasons, from 2002-08. He earned 44 points with one podium appearance across 90 career series starts. Sato registered a top-10 finish in the Formula One drivers’ standings in 2004, where he achieved his podium finish at the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Sato also won the British Formula 3 championship in 2001, earning 12 wins and victories in the Marlboro Masters of F3 at Zandvoort and the prestigious Macau F3 GP.