Marcus Armstrong was announced as a Meyer Shank Racing driver for the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season on Sept. 19.
New Zealand native Armstrong joins Felix Rosenqvist, who on Sept. 16 signed an extension to remain with the organization after a strong maiden season with the team in 2024 when he finished a team-best 12th in points. The previous best points finish was 13th by Jack Harvey in 2021.
Armstrong was handpicked by co-owners Michael Shank and Jim Meyer.
“It’s very flattering,” Armstrong said. “Motorsports, especially INDYCAR, has a lot of talent involved. I’m glad they saw the potential in me. Both Mike and Jim have an eye for talent because they signed Felix, and in my opinion, Felix is one of the fastest drivers over one lap. So, for them to put all their confidence and trust into me, it’s really a privilege, and we need to turn that into results which I’m sure we can do.”
Rosenqvist earned NTT P1 Award honors for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and consistently delivered strong results this season in his No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda. He and teammate David Malukas, who drove the No. 66 Honda for MSR in the final 10 races after replacing Tom Blomqvist and Helio Castroneves, qualified 15 times in the top six and finished 10 times in the top 10.
Armstrong noticed the pace but also the culture Meyer Shank Racing is building as the team enters its ninth NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
“There’s something to be said about winning culture and not just getting aero balance/roll balance correct,” Armstrong said. “There is more to be gained from everybody in the building believing you can win.
“I think that with the success that they've had toward the end of the year and the potential that they've shown, that is a great sign and something I’m certainly going to try and build on straightaway when I get inside the building.”
Armstrong drove for three Formula 2 teams in three years and learned a lot from joining a new culture at each stop. That was a big character-building exercise that he could bring with him to this venture.
“This situation is probably the easiest,” he said. “When I was doing the changes in Europe, it was very culturally different from, let's say an Italian team to a French team to an English team. There's that to take into account. I do feel like it does take some time to jell properly, but it’s just a different culture here. The American culture is very warm and almost like a family vibe. It’s very easy to get to know people personally.”
Returning to some tracks, including the March 2 season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg for a third time, will lessen the learning curve. Armstrong is excited to hop into the race car and know the track layout and how to attack each corner with the right balance of aggression. That’s something he didn’t know as a rookie in 2023, when he had never seen any of the tracks.
He flashed enough speed, with five top-10 finishes in 12 starts, with Chip Ganassi Racing to earn Rookie of the Year honors despite racing on just road and street circuits.
That led this season to competing in all 17 rounds, including ovals for the first time in his career. Armstrong earned three top-five finishes overall, including his first podium by placing third June 2 at Detroit.
“I loved the ovals,” Armstrong said. “I had a lot of fun, certainly toward the end of the season when I started to get a rhythm with the racing. It is very different to road and street courses. Learning how the car moves because the car is so asymmetric, but it just doesn't feel the same way. So, I needed that learning curve. And I really enjoyed it. Then, the road and street courses are my passion.”
Armstrong knows he’s only as good as his last race and wants to do a good job to reward owners Meyer and Shank for picking him.
“Just trying to make the most of every day and get better every single day, because it's just so competitive you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow,” he said.