What seemed unthinkable 10 days ago, has been confirmed as Meyer Shank Racing announced Indianapolis 500 winning driver Felix Rosenqvist will leave the NTT IndyCar Series team at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
Rosenqvist won the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24 defeating Team Penske’s David Malukas by just 0.0233-of-a-second in the closest Indy 500 finish in history. It was Meyer Shank Racing’s second IndyCar win, both coming in the Indianapolis 500. The team’s first victory was Helio Castroneves becoming the fourth four-time Indy 500 winner in 2021.
After Rosenqvist’s dramatic Indy 500 win when he made the race-winning pass one second before nosing past Malukas No. 12 Chevrolet, there was a tremendous sense of harmony between the driver and team.
Incredible Timing For Felix Rosenqvist
It also came with incredible timing for Rosenqvist, whose contract with the team expires at the end of the season.
Suddenly, the driver was in high demand from other IndyCar Series teams to drive for them beginning in 2027 with some fairly lucrative offers.
Meyer Shank made a counteroffer to keep Rosenqvist over the weekend at Road America. When Rosenqvist and his agent did not accept, the team decided to make Tuesday’s announcement that the winner of the Indy 500 would be leaving at season’s end.
Meyer Shank Racing issued the following statement on Tuesday, June 24.
“It’s unfortunate that Felix has decided to move on from MSR at the end of the season, particularly given everything we’ve accomplished together, including this year’s Indy 500 victory. Over the past several years, Felix has played an important role in helping build this program into what it is today, and we’re grateful for his contributions both on and off the track.
“There are still eight races left on the schedule, and everyone at MSR remains fully committed to achieving the strongest results possible in the championship and delivering for our partners.
“While we wish Felix nothing but success in the next chapter of his career, our focus at MSR is on the future and ensuring we have the right driver in place for the 2027 season. As a team, we’ve made tremendous progress over the last few years and maintaining that momentum is a top priority. We’re actively evaluating our options and hope to have an announcement to make in the coming months, so stay tuned.”
A Week That Was For Felix Rosenqvist And Michael Shank
Before last week’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, news leaked that Rosenqvist was being pursued by other IndyCar teams for next season.
I approached team co-owner Michael Shank Sunday morning, and he lamented the position that was suddenly created. He told me that after winning the Indy 500, he asked Rosenqvist if they were good for next season and was assured that would be the case.
But that was before some enticing offers were directed at the driver.
“We haven’t even had 30 days to celebrate winning the Indy 500 before this happens,” a pensive Shank told me. “We got three weeks to celebrate one of our greatest achievements and now we have to deal with this.”
Shank hoped to re-sign both Rosenqvist and driver Marcus Armstrong to the operation which is having a renewed and energized season. Rosenqvist finished second in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and won the Indianapolis 500. He is sixth in the NTT IndyCar Series standings.
The two drivers work well together, and it seemed to be a great tandem for Meyer Shank Racing to challenge the top teams in IndyCar on a regular basis. Plus, the team has an engineering alliance with Chip Ganassi Racing, the same team that has won the last three-straight IndyCar championships with Alex Palou, who leads the standings by 60 points over Malukas.
Landing Spots For Felix Rosenqvist
It is highly presumed in the paddock that Rosenqvist is set to return to Arrow McLaren, which is ironic considering that was Rosenqvist’s most recent team before joining Meyer Shank. Rosenqvist raced for Arrow McLaren from 2021-2023 before joining Meyer Shank in 2024.
Prior to that, Rosenqvist spent two seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing, including 2021 when he scored his first career win in 2020 by outdueling Pato O’Ward at Road America.
O’Ward is currently the No. 1 driver at Arrow McLaren, although teammate Christian Lundgaard has won two races in 2026 while O’Ward is winless so far this season. Nolan Siegel is expected to be released at the end of this season when his contract expires Rosenqvist could move into that slot.
O’Ward continues to have a strong friendship with Rosenqvist and would likely welcome him back to the team. But there is also other intrigue that may come with this major move.
Other Potential Moves That Could Happen
Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing, a six-time IndyCar Series champion, did not sign a contract to remain with the team during the “exclusivity period” that CGR had to negotiate a new deal with Dixon. That means the driver that has been with CGR since 2022 can test the market and see what others are willing to offer.
Dixon is one of IndyCar’s greatest drivers with 59 wins and six NTT IndyCar Series Champions. During a previous contract year, he was courted heavily by Arrow McLaren before re-signing with Ganassi.
Times have changed since that last offering, however, as longtime friend and sometimes racing foe Tony Kanaan is the Arrow McLaren Team Principal. Kanaan sees Dixon as a driver that can continue to win races and could be a positive mentor to O’Ward.
Dixon is a winner and Chip Ganassi Racing is dominating IndyCar, but it’s the No. 10 team with Palou that is winning the races and championships and that has at times frustrated Dixon.
He might be looking for a late career change of scenery to return to glory and that could take him to Arrow McLaren because Lundgaard is also in a contract year. He said after winning Sunday’s race, he wants to be back at Arrow McLaren, but if the team somehow brings in both Rosenqvist and Dixon, Lundgaard would then become another major player in the driver game.
If Dixon left CGR, that would be a tremendous landing spot for Marcus Armstrong, who began his career with Chip Ganassi Racing before joining Meyer Shank. Because CGR and Meyer Shank share an engineering and business alliance, Armstrong is still part of the CGR family of racing.
Armstrong, a driver from Christchurch New Zealand, is a tremendous talent on the race track, but his unique personality and dry wit make him one of IndyCar’s more introverted drivers. Dixon’s No. 9 Honda is sponsored by PNC Bank, one of the more high-profile brands in IndyCar.
In that scenario, Meyer Shank Racing could lose both of its current drivers.
Other potential landing spots for Rosenqvist could be a return to Chip Ganassi Racing, if Dixon leaves, or he could end up at Andretti Global. That would mean Marcus Ericsson would be available and could end up at Meyer Shank Racing.
There are other drivers who are in the final year of their contracts, but none of them won the Indianapolis 500 less than one month ago. That is what makes Rosenqvist’s situation at Meyer Shank Racing so shocking because he was the first “domino” to fall.
Felix Rosenqvist set a chain in motion that will be just as fascinating as the on-track racing in IndyCar.
