Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Dixon and Rosenqvist Set to Join Arrow McLaren for 2027
Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon is set to leave Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of 2026 after 25 seasons, joining Arrow McLaren for 2027. Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist simultaneously departs Meyer Shank Racing to join Dixon and Pato O’Ward at Arrow McLaren. The move would end the most successful partnership in American open-wheel racing history — Dixon claimed six championships and an Indy 500 victory with Ganassi. Multiple sources within Arrow McLaren confirmed Dixon’s imminent arrival to colleagues, suggesting the deal is effectively sealed despite no official team announcement.
Ganassi’s Coveted No. 9 Seat Wide Open After Dixon Departure
The departure of Scott Dixon from Chip Ganassi Racing leaves the No. 9 Honda as the most sought-after seat in IndyCar for 2027. IndyCar.com’s Inside Line column Wednesday examined the leading candidates: Marcus Armstrong, currently at Meyer Shank Racing under a Ganassi development arrangement, is considered a frontrunner. Christian Lundgaard — who may lose his Arrow McLaren seat in the same shuffle — is also in the mix, as is Dale Coyne Racing rookie Dennis Hauger, the 2025 Indy NXT champion. Ganassi is expected to take its time evaluating options rather than rushing a decision on the marquee seat.
Sources: IndyCar.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Palou’s 60-Point Lead Heads to Mid-Ohio as IndyCar Title Battle Intensifies
Alex Palou enters the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Sunday holding a 60-point championship advantage over David Malukas and 61 over Kyle Kirkwood, with eight races remaining in the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season. Palou has assembled a formidable record at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile Ohio road course, standing on the podium in all five previous starts with Chip Ganassi Racing, including victory in 2023. In 2026, the Spaniard has posted four wins from 10 starts, conceding significant ground only twice. Rivals view Mid-Ohio’s road-course characteristics as among their strongest remaining opportunities to trim Palou’s commanding lead before the season’s oval stretch.
Sources: Read Motorsport Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Lundgaard Eyes Mid-Ohio Upset to Press IndyCar Title Challenge
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard views the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Sunday as a key opportunity to trim Alex Palou’s championship advantage. Lundgaard sits fourth in the standings, 77 points adrift of Palou, but has claimed both of his 2026 wins on natural road courses — at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May and at Road America in late June. He entered the current stretch believing the sequence of road-course venues, including Mid-Ohio and Portland, represents his strongest remaining opportunity to close the gap. His Road America victory arrived despite early wing damage that briefly left him at the back of the field.
Sources: Read Motorsport Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Hauger’s Rookie IndyCar Season Filled With Potential at Halfway Point
Dale Coyne Racing’s Dennis Hauger has impressed in his debut NTT IndyCar Series season, with Motorsport Week calling the Norwegian’s campaign “filled with potential” heading into the second half. The 2025 Indy NXT champion, in the No. 19 Honda alongside teammate Romain Grosjean, has recorded two top-10 finishes, including a career-best eighth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course in May. He leads the Rookie of the Year standings by 30 points over Caio Collet. Mid-Ohio holds personal significance for Hauger — the circuit where he first tested an IndyCar and where he took his final Indy NXT win from pole.
Sources: Motorsport Week Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Hauger Done Playing Patience: ‘I Don’t Want to Fight Midfield’
Dale Coyne Racing rookie Dennis Hauger says his patience with the IndyCar learning curve is officially over. “I don’t want to fight midfield,” the 23-year-old Norwegian declared ahead of Mid-Ohio, insisting his ambition is top-five finishes and race wins. Hauger — effectively on loan to Coyne from Andretti Global — leads the Rookie of the Year standings, buoyed by his gain of 16 positions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course in May to finish eighth. Now fully accustomed to the heavy Dallara, he is benchmarking himself against teammate Romain Grosjean and believes a stabilizing engineering group can unlock the car’s true pace at Mid-Ohio and beyond.
Sources: Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Drivers’ Championship
1. Álex Palou — 374 pts
2. David Malukas — 314 pts
3. Kyle Kirkwood — 313 pts
4. Christian Lundgaard — 297 pts
5. Pato O’Ward — 257 pts
6. Felix Rosenqvist — 248 pts
7. Scott McLaughlin — 248 pts
8. Josef Newgarden — 247 pts
9. Marcus Ericsson — 213 pts
10. Scott Dixon — 211 pts
11. Marcus Armstrong — 203 pts
12. Graham Rahal — 200 pts
13. Rinus VeeKay — 187 pts
14. Will Power — 180 pts
15. Alexander Rossi — 180 pts
16. Kyffin Simpson — 179 pts
17. Santino Ferrucci — 168 pts
18. Louis Foster — 147 pts
19. Dennis Hauger — 143 pts
20. Romain Grosjean — 132 pts
21. Nolan Siegel — 125 pts
22. Christian Rasmussen — 117 pts
23. Caio Collet — 113 pts
24. Mick Schumacher — 102 pts
25. Sting Ray Robb — 100 pts
26. Conor Daly — 24 pts
27. Takuma Sato — 20 pts
28. Jack Harvey — 8 pts
29. Jacob Abel — 6 pts
30. Helio Castroneves — 5 pts
31. Ed Carpenter — 5 pts
32. Ryan Hunter-Reay — 5 pts
33. Katherine Legge — 5 pts
Teams’ Championship
1. Team Penske — 657 pts
2. Chip Ganassi Racing — 640 pts
3. Arrow McLaren — 576 pts
4. Andretti Global — 564 pts
5. Meyer Shank Racing — 451 pts
6. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing — 380 pts
7. Ed Carpenter Racing — 297 pts
8. Juncos Hollinger Racing — 287 pts
9. A.J. Foyt Enterprises — 281 pts
10. Dale Coyne Racing — 275 pts
11. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing — 32 pts
12. Abel Motorsports — 6 pts
13. HMD Motorsports — 5 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.