Meyer Shank confirms Rosenqvist’s exit at end of season

Meyer Shank Racing is searching for a new headline driver after Felix Rosenqvist informed its ownership of his intention to accept an offer at a rival IndyCar team.

The Swede shared the news with MSR heading into last weekend’s Road America race, and will vacate the No. 60 MSR Honda he drove to victory in May at the Indianapolis 500.

Rosenqvist will shift to his new team, which has not been named but is rumored to be Andretti Global or Arrow McLaren, after the September 6 championship finale at Laguna Seca.

"It’s unfortunate that Felix has decided to move on from MSR at the end of the season, particularly given everything we’ve accomplished together, including this year’s Indy 500 victory,” MSR co-owner Mike Shank told RACER.

“Over the past several years, Felix has played an important role in helping build this program into what it is today, and we’re grateful for his contributions both on and off the track.”

RACER began to hear of a sizable offer being made to Rosenqvist after his epic Indy 500 win, and with his elevated value on the free agent driver market, he opted to pursue a new opportunity in the series.

The two-time IndyCar race winner, who turns 35 in November, is undergoing a career revival with MSR and currently ranks sixth in the championship; he placed sixth as a rookie with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019, fell out of the top 10 in four out of the next five seasons, and returned to sixth last year on his debut with MSR.

“There are still eight races left on the schedule, and everyone at MSR remains fully committed to achieving the strongest results possible in the championship and delivering for our partners,” Shank added.

RACER understands the team owned by Shank and Jim Meyer made a significant counteroffer to keep Rosenqvist. As news of his expected departure began to circulate last week, MSR found itself on the receiving end of considerable interest from many of the free agents in the paddock, and others who are outside of IndyCar.

With the technical support and race engineering staffing provided by Chip Ganassi Racing, MSR has two of the most coveted seats to fill. Although he wouldn’t be drawn on candidates, Shank is feeling bullish about the prospects to fill the No. 60 Honda, and also has the surging Marcus Armstrong – who nearly won the Road America race in the No. 66 MSR Honda – to try and sign to an extension.

“While we wish Felix nothing but success in the next chapter of his career, our focus at MSR is on the future and ensuring we have the right driver in place for the 2027 season,” Shank said.

“As a team, we’ve made tremendous progress over the last few years, and maintaining that momentum is a top priority. We’re actively evaluating our options and hope to have an announcement to make in the coming months, so stay tuned."