Marcus Armstrong leads the IndyCar rookie championship and would achieve a dream by racing at the Indy 500.
The New Zealander is yet to drive on an oval in IndyCar despite scoring multiple top-10 finishes this season.
The Chip Ganassi driver shed light on his future and that he would be happy to remain at the team: “I haven’t exactly kept it a secret, but I’d love to stay here at Chip Ganassi Racing.
“I’ve been reasonably vocal about trying ovals for the first time. It would be a dream come true to compete at the Indy 500.
“At the moment my focus is on just getting good results because my results are going to help me in the long-term. Yeah, it’s not really in my hands on the contractual side, let’s say.”
Armstrong is just competing on road and street circuits whilst sharing the number 11 car with two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato racing on the ovals.
The 23-year-old is entirely focused on what he can control and is being helped by the team’s positive atmosphere.
“All I can do is just compete at the maximum of my ability, try and stay present, which is fairly easy seeing as though it’s going well. The team, it’s a very enjoyable environment.
“I feel like it’s all training in the right direction. I just have to keep pumping out some good results.”
Armstrong performed admirably during his last race on the bumpy streets of Toronto, scoring a career-best P7.
Ahead of the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Armstrong remained confident about his prospects for the rest of the season.
He stressed the importance of being quick in practice before fine-tuning the car over the weekend.
“I feel like we will be able to compete for a podium, as we did at Road America. My target isn’t necessarily on I want to win a race other than I want to get a podium, but I certainly want to be fast enough to win a race and then certainly be in the leading pack.
“Get into a good rhythm, sort of arrive at the next race weekend hitting the ground running, and be at the pointy end.”
The 23-year-old also feels that IndyCar’s fine details are critical, which remains an obstacle for Armstrong.
“Once I get over that hurdle of learning the nuances of this championship, I think that will help me a lot in the future.
“It’s possible that we will have some very good results in the next couple of races.
“I’ve said that from the beginning of the season, really, straightaway right after the pre-season test, there will be a time this year where I feel like everything’s going well and I can achieve the result that I want.”
Ganassi has enjoyed superb success in Nashville’s short history as an IndyCar venue, taking both wins through Marcus Ericsson and Scott Dixon.
