MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Marcus Armstrong, a 22-year-old race car driver from Christchurch, New Zealand, will compete in the street and road course races in the No. 11 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series.
Chip Ganassi Racing made the announcement at 1 p.m. (ET) on Friday.
For the past two seasons, that entry was the No. 48 Carvana/American Legion Honda driven by Jimmie Johnson on a full-time basis in 2022. In 2021, Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, drove that entry on the street and road courses and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan was the driver on the ovals.
A similar arrangement will take place this season with the driver for the oval races announced at a later date, according to Chip Ganassi Racing. Armstrong is set to make his North American professional debut after competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship from 2020 to 2022 where he earned four wins and eight podiums.
Armstrong scored his first victory in the series in 2021 at Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia, and then registered three wins across the 2022 campaign in Italy, Austria and the Netherlands. Armstrong also served as a development driver for the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team in 2021.
“I’m ecstatic to be a part of the IndyCar Series, but especially with Chip Ganassi Racing because it is such an iconic and successful team,” Armstrong said. “I have an extraordinary opportunity in front of me to learn from people that have been performing at the absolute highest level in this sport.
“As a Kiwi, I’ve always watched Scott Dixon succeed in the championship with this team, so on a personal level this is quite special for me. I am a hard worker that looks to improve every single day. With the knowledge and personnel that this team has, I’m very excited to take on this new challenge.”
The New Zealand native launched his racing career behind the wheel of go-karts at 10 years old. He won five go-karting national championships in New Zealand before moving to Europe in 2015 to compete on the world stage. In 2017, Armstrong made the jump to Formula 4 where he won the Italian Formula 4 championship in his first season competing in the series.
Armstrong competed in Formula 3 across the 2018 and 2019 seasons, where he tallied four wins, four pole positions and 16 podiums.
“Marcus driving the No. 11 car for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 is exciting. As a 22-year-old, what is in common to others who have climbed into IndyCar with CGR is that at that age, he already knows how to win,” said Mike Hull, managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing. “That’s been repeatedly proven at the highest global level. Besides talent, the intangible that he brings creates measurement through opportunity. Bring on 2023.”
Armstrong is set to meet his Chip Ganassi Racing teammates in Indianapolis next week. He will become the first driver in Chip Ganassi Racing history to pilot a No. 11 entry when he races the Streets of St. Petersburg on March 5.