“My opening statement would be when is the last time a guy that finished third in the points was available. That about says it all to me.”
Those words by team owner Chip Ganassi set the tone during Tuesday afternoon’s media call following the worst kept secret in the IndyCar Series paddock that finally became official: Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) signing Christian Lundgaard.
The 25-year-old Danish driver was confirmed in a multi-year deal to pilot the #9 PNC Bank Honda beginning with the 2027 IndyCar Series season. He takes over the seat following six-time champion Scott Dixon’s departure to Arrow McLaren after a storied 25-year run, placing Lundgaard alongside newly-crowned five-time series champion Alex Palou and Kyffin Simpson.
The blockbuster move represents a rare alignment of timing and mutual admiration. Ganassi saw an elite driver coming off a standout 2026 campaign with Arrow McLaren – highlighted by wins at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and Road America, a first career oval podium at Milwaukee, and a career-best third-place finish in the championship.
“Yeah, I think I like his approach to driving. I think he’s very clinical. He seems to be a student of the craft. I’m optimistic,” Ganassi said. “He didn’t seem to have these sort of oval questions — I didn’t see any of those questions at Milwaukee; he seemed to do okay there. That’s an oval, and he beat all three of our guys. So I’m not overly concerned.”
For Lundgaard, the move to CGR was an irresistible chance to step into an 18-time championship-winning setup and team alongside the sport’s benchmark driver.
“Yeah, obviously just seeing Alex having performed the way he has in the last six years, having won five championships now, he’s been the guy to beat,” Lundgaard said. “I think the first thought that I had when this came on the table and became an opportunity was I am learning from the best driver who learned from the best driver in Scott Dixon, and I think just getting to learn as much as I can from there. And obviously joining CGR and Chip and the 18 championships, it’s really just a dream come true in many ways. It’s one of those opportunities you never expected to rise, and I’m just super excited to join Chip Ganassi and PNC Bank.”
The foundation for the pairing was built during a high-pressure stretch mid-season when Lundgaard learned he would not be returning to Arrow McLaren despite, at the time, having two wins and five podiums through the opening 11 races. Rather than letting the distraction stall his season, Lundgaard channeled it into results that made him CGR’s top target.
“A lot of long nights. A lot of long race weekends, in all honesty. Obviously I found out a couple of hours before the media found out back right after Mid-Ohio,” Lundgaard recalled. “I sort of had an idea midway through the season that that was a possibility, and I tried to just keep my head down. I know the media likes to talk about the relationship between the teammates there. For me it was I need to just keep my head down and do the best that I can. I knew there was an opportunity here, and we made it work. I think it’s been the best for both parties.”
While Lundgaard’s unexpected availability puzzled many in the paddock, both team owner and driver view the transition not as a reaction to the past, but as the validation of Lundgaard’s growth.
“It’s still a big question mark to me, and I think it is to many. I choose to look at it in a very different way, right. I’ve done well and a better opportunity have arose versus what it could have been. I think this is a conversation that Chip and I have already had. We’re just looking forward now. It’s not really look back,” Lundgaard said.
“I think I’ve learned so many things in the past five years, on track, off track, matured a lot from when I joined IndyCar as — what was I, a 20, 21 year old, to now having the experience that I have. I think it’s really just what I’ve done to achieve this, really, in many ways. I wish them the best, but it’s definitely big shoes to fill, filling out for Scott.”
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