Marcus Armstrong has quietly improved as the 2024 IndyCar season has progressed, so much so, that an IndyCar legend believes his first win is around the corner.
The Kiwi driver has scored four top 10 finishes in his last five races, and is starting to find some excellent consistency for Chip Ganassi Racing.
He has no guarantee of a seat for 2025, so every performance will be doing his chances of remaining in the sport no harm.
The problem for his Chip Ganassi team is the incoming charter system, which may force them to reduce their IndyCar offering from five cars to three.
Why Dario Franchitti loved Marcus Armstrong’s ‘low drama’ performance
The Grand Prix of Portland wasn’t the most thrilling encounter of the IndyCar season, with little to shout home about other than an early crash for Scott Dixon and a silly spin for Romain Grosjean.
It meant that drivers were left to fight for the higher positions on race pace alone, and Armstrong managed to impressively compete with the title contenders.
It’s something that IndyCar legend Dario Franchitti – who advises the young Kiwi, was happy with in Portland.
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“I think the speed has always been there, but today was I think a great example for Marcus and the eleven team, is that it was kind of low drama.
“It was P5 and it’s like we thought ‘Ok, that was kind of normal’. So the podiums, more and more podiums beckoning and then the first win. I’m looking forward to the party after the first win.”
Does Armstrong still have a shot at a Chip Ganassi drive for 2025?
With Alex Palou and Scott Dixon the obvious two candidates for a Chip Ganassi drive, it leaves just the one seat for 2025 if their operation is cut down.
It’s a battle between Armstrong and rookies Kyffin Simpson and Linus Lundqvist, with was originally going the way of Simpson.
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But the upturn in fortunes for Armstrong may convince Chip Ganassi that the driver who sits 13th in the drivers’ standings is the one they should keep.
The 24-year-old is still a raw talent, and having a multiple IndyCar champion like Franchitti to advise him should do him a world of good.
It’s not out of the realms of possibility to imagine that a first win (and big after party) could be just around the corner for Armstrong if he stays in the sport.