Christian Lundgaard has signed a multi-year deal to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing from the 2027 IndyCar season. He takes over the #9 PNC Bank Honda from six-time champion Scott Dixon. The move was confirmed this week, ending months of speculation over where the Dane would land after Arrow McLaren decided not to keep him.
Confirmation of the Christian Lundgaard Chip Ganassi Racing agreement comes just weeks after Lundgaard was told, right after the Mid-Ohio race, that he would not be staying at Arrow McLaren for 2027. He still finished third in the championship that year. That result clearly caught Chip Ganassi’s attention.
Ganassi and Lundgaard React to 2027 Switch
Chip Ganassi did not hide his enthusiasm when explaining the decision to sign Lundgaard. “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,” Ganassi said, as reported in the Motorsport.com report on the Ganassi agreement.
Lundgaard’s arrival fills the gap left by Dixon, who ended a 25 year stay at Ganassi. Dixon left as part of his move to Arrow McLaren, a switch that set off the initial driver market shock back in July. Readers can also revisit our full coverage of the Lundgaard announcement from when the move first broke.
Lundgaard, for his part, pointed to the irony of his own situation rather than dwelling on the uncertainty.
“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”
Strong 2026 Campaign Prepares Lundgaard for #9 Honda
Lundgaard arrives at Ganassi on the back of his best IndyCar season yet. Driving for Arrow McLaren in 2026, he won at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and at Road America, two of the most demanding road circuits on the calendar.
He also claimed his first oval podium at Milwaukee. It was proof that his game now extends well beyond road and street courses. Those results added up to third place in the championship, a career-best campaign by some distance.
That record is exactly what persuaded Ganassi to move. The team wanted a driver who could win straight away, not a long term project. A third place championship finish made that case on its own.
Timeline and Next Steps for IndyCar Grid Transition
The chain of events moved quickly once Mid-Ohio weekend was done. Lundgaard learned right after that race that Arrow McLaren would not keep him for 2027, leaving him on the market just as frontline seats were closing up.
Dixon’s own decision to leave Ganassi after 25 years had already reshaped the grid before Lundgaard’s situation became public. The two moves are now linked at the top of the 2027 driver market.
Lundgaard is set to begin his Chip Ganassi Racing career when the 2027 IndyCar season opens, taking over the #9 PNC Bank Honda full time. No pre-season test date has been announced yet. Given the team’s recent history of integrating front runners quickly, Lundgaard should be settled well before the season opener.
