Christian Lundgaard inherits the No. 9 that Scott Dixon made famous
The 25-year-old Dane, third in the 2026 standings, signs a multi-year deal as Dixon heads to Arrow McLaren in a straight swap
Christian Lundgaard will drive the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing from 2027. The team announced on Tuesday that the 25-year-old Dane has signed a multi-year contract, completing a straight swap with Arrow McLaren, where Scott Dixon moves after more than two decades at Ganassi.
“It is an honor and a privilege to join Chip Ganassi Racing beginning next season. The fact that it is in the iconic No. 9 PNC Bank Honda makes it even more special,” Lundgaard said. Team owner Chip Ganassi said the team knows Lundgaard is “capable of accomplishing even more in the NTT IndyCar Series”.
Third in the championship, two wins in 2026
Lundgaard arrives on the back of his best season. He finished third in the 2026 standings and won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and at Road America. According to IndyCar, he has three wins, 16 podiums and 21 top-five finishes from 87 starts, first with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and since 2025 with Arrow McLaren.
His oval form was the question mark. Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan had publicly doubted it, but Lundgaard answered in August with third place at Milwaukee, his first podium on an oval.
Dixon’s number for more than two decades
The No. 9 has belonged to Scott Dixon since 2003, apart from 2004 when he carried the No. 1 as champion. The six-time IndyCar champion told Ganassi in July that he would not return in 2027, even though the team had offered him a multi-year deal to finish his career there. Arrow McLaren confirmed his signing days later, and Dixon will race the No. 6 alongside Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, IndyCar reported. It is the first time in more than two decades that he changes numbers, and the move also takes him from Honda to Chevrolet power.
Lundgaard’s teammates at Ganassi will be Álex Palou, who clinched his fifth title at Milwaukee, and Kyffin Simpson. Palou’s championship gave Ganassi a record 18th IndyCar title.
Our take: the heaviest number in IndyCar
Lundgaard is the logical choice. He is young, he has just finished third in the championship, and he wins on road courses, which make up much of the calendar. But the No. 9 comes with a weight no contract can remove. Every result will be measured against six championships, and next to Palou, who has won five of the last six titles, there is nowhere to hide. The swap also sets up a storyline for 2027: every time Lundgaard and Dixon meet on track, both will be racing their old team as much as each other. If Lundgaard can turn Ganassi’s car into a regular winner in his first season, the question of who replaces Dixon is answered quickly.
Who comes out of this swap better in 2027: Lundgaard at Ganassi, or Dixon at Arrow McLaren? Tell us in the comments.
St. Petersburg opens 2027 on 7 March
Lundgaard’s first race in the No. 9 will be the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg on 7 March. See the confirmed dates in our IndyCar 2027 schedule, and look back on how the season ended in our report of Scott McLaughlin’s win in the Laguna Seca finale.
