Lundqvist staying sharp as hunt for IndyCar opportunity continues

Linus Lundqvist is ready to get back to work in the IndyCar Series, embark upon a new path in IMSA, or race in both championships if he can create dual opportunities to pursue.

The 2022 Indy NXT champion, who impressed in a handful of IndyCar outings for Meyer Shank Racing in 2023 and spent his rookie season with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2024, has been searching for a new team home since CGR downsized from five cars to three ahead of the current season. Based in Indianapolis, the Swede has been a regular presence at IndyCar races this year as he follows the well-worn path of his predecessors who’ve hunted for seats. Lundqvist brings his helmet and safety gear to be ready if an unexpected need arises, and frequently speaks with team owners and managers to register his interest in joining their programs.

The job he had and seeks to reclaim has more supply than demand, which complicated matters for a paid professional like the 26-year-old. IndyCar’s 2024 Rookie of the Year fared well in his lone season with CGR, taking pole position at Road America and a pair of podiums at Barber Motorsports Park and the WWTR oval in Gateway, which he hopes to use as a reminder of what he can offer.

“I’m obviously sad to not be racing this year, but I’m doing everything I can to get back into a seat,” Lundqvist told RACER. “I love IndyCar. I want to be here, and I feel like we showed that we deserve another year in the series. So that has been my main goal, and what I've been trying to work towards. It didn't succeed this year, but that is where all of the focus lies for next year, to try to be back on the grid.

“I've also been in touch with a few IMSA teams this year and I’m hoping to do a couple of races later this year. All the while, I’m talking with IndyCar teams, because what I want to do primarily is stay in IndyCar. I'm at every single race that's within driving range from Indy, and I’ve got my helmet in hand ready to go in case somebody were to need help.”

Lundqvist hopes to attract the interest of a team that wants to build around a young driver and aims to demonstrate his capabilities in a simulator or at a track test.

“I know testing is very restricted, so that isn’t the easiest thing to just go do whenever you want,” he said. “So I’m open to however we could do something together to see if it’s the best fit. When I realized that I wouldn't be driving full-time this year, I set out for myself to be at almost all of the races and to be race-ready. That means both physically and mentally ready to drive whenever; immediately if that’s the case.”

Until he can make that happen, Lundqvist’s been arriving at tracks like this weekend’s doubleheader at Iowa Speedway as if he’ll be strapping into a car on Friday to start the opening practice session on the 0.875-mile oval.

“Some people may think it sounds silly or stupid, but I do my own pre-event preparations to the extent that I work like I am racing this weekend,” he said. “So I’m going through my notes, going through everything that I learned last year, and bringing it into this weekend so I’m really ready.

“It’s a lot of spending my own time to do this, which isn’t always fun, because you're preparing for something that, at least so far, hasn't happened yet. But I also tell myself that I do get an opportunity, I know that in this industry, you may only get one shot of showing what you've got. So I'm going to try to stay as prepared as I can and be up to speed if that opportunity comes again.

“It's not just laying home on the couch waiting for the phone to ring. It is very much about staying ready, staying sharp, working out every day, staying fit, and going through everything that I learned last year just like I would if I knew I was racing each weekend.”