We are within the final month of the IndyCar season, and with 25 days until the first race from St. Petersburg, we are heading into the final half of our team previews. We reach Meyer Shank Racing, which is coming off its best season in IndyCar across two entries. Both MSR entries cracked the top eight in the championship, a first for the team, and MSR beat IndyCar stalwarts in the process.
However, for all of MSR’s speed and success, one thing eluded the team. It didn’t win a race, meaning the team still has something to shoot for in 2026 that would be a clear step forward from last season. The toughest thing to do is follow up your best season with something even better. Everyone is improving, and MSR has a mighty task to be just as good as they were the year before.
At A Glance... Meyer Shank Racing is knocking on the door
All things considered, Meyer Shank Racing was about as close as it could be to be a race winner and not win a race in 2025. A couple of podium finishes, a few more top five finishes and both its drivers finished in the top eight of the championship. I don't think it has been stated enough that both Meyer Shank Racing drivers finished ahead of all three Team Penske drivers in the championship last year. Nobody had that before last season began. Meyer Shank Racing has been trending in the right direction in the last two seasons. Since hiring Felix Rosenqvist, the team has been consistently more competitive, and it has been turning out some impressive results. The technical partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing yielded better results last year, and the team was in the picture when it came to winning a race on a few occasions. It just didn't get there.
If things keep trending in the same direction as the last two seasons, MSR is going to remain in the mix, and it is only a matter of time before something goes in their favor and they win a race.
Think about how Ed Carpenter Racing won a race last year, and that was one very good race for the team. ECR wasn't as consistently good as MSR was. There were weekends where ECR was not a factor, and yet on one weekend in Milwaukee, the speed was there and a series of events fell fortunately for ECR, and the team ended up with an unexpected victory. If it can happen to ECR, it can happen to MSR.
You take a win anyway you can get it, and MSR likely does not want to be banking on a timely caution and favorable tire strategy to be what gets them a victory, but the team has done a better job of at least being in the front. It is not going to take a great fluke for MSR to win. It could be their weekend when they are running fourth and end up stopping on the right side of a caution when the top three have yet to stop. It might be stealing a victory, but it would not be a felony robbery.
However, MSR might not even need that. The pace has been so that it could win a race outright. Rosenqvist has constantly been in position, but his biggest issue is converting qualifying pace into race pace. Too often does the Swede start in the top five and never factor. All it takes, though, is one race where it clicks and a top four starting position could turn into a victory. Marcus Armstrong has also improved over each of his first three seasons in IndyCar. It is not unthinkable that everything could click for MSR one weekend and one of its two drivers come out on top.
MSR has come a long way from 2023. It is a legitimate contender. Now is the time for its second breakthrough, approaching five years after it won the Indianapolis 500.
2025 Meyer Shank Racing Review
Wins: 0
Best Finish: 2nd (Road America)
Poles: 0
Best Start: 2nd (Iowa II, Portland)
Championship Finishes: 6th (Felix Rosenqvist), 8th (Marcus Armstrong)
Felix Rosenqvist - #60 SiriusXM Honda
Numbers to Remember:
33: Top five starting positions in his career
5: Times finishing equal or better than his starting position when starting in the top five
12.4545: Average finish when starting in the top five
13.1: Average finish when starting outside the top five
12.9115: Career average finishing position
10.0085: Career average starting position
What is the best possible outcome?
There is a world where Rosenqvist wins two races and finishes somewhere in the top five of the championship. When you look at Rosenqvist's qualifying form, there is a world where he is taking second and third-place starting positions and turning a few of those into victories, finishing in the top five regularly after starting in the top five and it gets him fourth or fifth in the championship. It is unlikely his consistency would be good enough to turn him into a championship contender or even steal a title, but if Christian Lundgaard can get six podium finishes and finish fourth in the championship, Rosenqvist could do something similar.
What is realistic?
When we consider where MSR was in 2023, it is difficult to imagine both cars are going to finish in the top eight of the championship for a second consecutive season. Even both cracking the top ten feels like a stretch. We saw last year the very best of Rosenqvist, and it got him sixth in the championship. In 2024, we saw an inconsistent Rosenqvist, and despite a great start, a rough second half of the season dropped him to 12th in the championship.We aren't sure which Rosenqvist we are going to get. For how well things went in 2025, he still did not have a top five finish in the final eight races. In 2024, he had one top ten finish in the final 11 races. We see a pattern developing. We cannot feel certain he can put together a full season, and a strong start will only take you so far. Outside of his rookie season, he has never really had a complete season.
Just inside the top ten of the championship feels about right for Rosenqvist. He should be able to get a few top five finishes and be in the top ten in about half the races, if not a few more. If he maximizes those top five results, he could be sixth again. If he gets a pair of fifths, then maybe he is eighth, maybe he is ninth.
Marcus Armstrong - #66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda
Numbers to Remember:
11: Top ten finishes in 2025, tied for fourth-most in IndyCar last season
9: Fast Twelve appearances, tied for third-most in IndyCar last season
7: Races led, tied for third-most in IndyCar last season
10.882: Average finish, tied for sixth-best in IndyCar last season
What is the best possible outcome?
The best possible outcome for Armstrong is he finds the speed to usurp the place of his teammate Rosenqvist, and Armstrong is the one who is qualifying in the top five more times than that, he is running in the top five consistently, and he is the best finishing MSR driver a dozen times or so in 2026. There is no reason to not believe that Armstrong couldn't replicate Rosenqvist's results from 2025 and end up finishing sixth in the championship. These two drivers were pretty even last season. Only eight points separated them. The results could flip, and Armstrong could be in position to steal a victory or two. A race could be his where he is one of the fastest cars and strategy lines up right combined with outstanding pace. In that case, the championship top five is in play. Each season, Armstrong gets a little bit better, and I don't see a reason why to believe that will not continue.
What is realistic?
Armstrong had 11 top ten finishes last year. Even if he had a slight decline and had eight top ten finishes, that isn't a bad season for him or the team. He could take a slightly larger step back and only had six or seven top ten finishes. The range is quite wide for both MSR drivers. They both could be pushing for the championship top five. They both could slip and end up outside the top ten but just inside the top 15. It also comes down to how strong the competition is and if the likes of Team Penske and Andretti Global pick up their results.
The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season begins on Sunday March 1 with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Fox's coverage will begin at noon Eastern.
