Meyer Shank Racing Opens 2026 INDYCAR Season with 11th and 12th Place Results in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Fla. (March 1, 2026) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) opened the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with a competitive and hard-fought performance on the streets of St. Petersburg, as Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong secured an 11th- and 12th-place finish in Sunday’s 100-lap Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Both MSR Hondas showed strong pace throughout the event, with Armstrong firmly in podium contention through the opening half of the race. The driver of the No. 66 Root Insurance Honda battled inside the top four and was fighting for third near the conclusion of his second stint. A bold move into Turn 1 just prior to his pit window ultimately shuffled him back to sixth, but Armstrong remained in the fight and brought the car home just outside the top 10 in 11th, collecting valuable early-season points.
Rosenqvist and the No. 60 SiriusXM Tom Petty Radio Honda squad managed tire degradation in the opening stint by transitioning strategy early, switching to the Firestone primary compound to improve the balance. The strategic call paid dividends later in the race, as smart fuel management during an extended third stint elevated Rosenqvist as high as second before his final pit stop. He ultimately crossed the line in 12th after rejoining in traffic, capping off a race that demonstrated the team’s adaptability and long-run pace.
While the final results did not fully reflect the speed shown throughout the weekend, MSR leaves St. Petersburg with encouraging momentum and a strong foundation to build on as the 2026 season gets underway.
2026 Meyer Shank Racing Lineup:
Driver: Marcus Armstrong
Car Name: No. 66 Root Insurance Honda
Race Result: P11
Driver: Felix Rosenqvist
Car Name: No. 60 SiriusXM Honda
Race Result: P12
Marcus Armstrong – No. 66 Root Insurance Honda
- Qualified seventh, finished 11th
- Ran as high as third during his second stint.
- Ran in podium contention through lap 65
- A pass for third on Lap 67 saw Armstrong overshoot Turn 1 which set him back to sixth.
- Sporting No. 66 Root Insurance Honda for the first three races – St. Pete, Phoenix and Arlington.
Felix Rosenqvist:
- Qualified 11th- finished 12th
- Ran as high as second on lap 77 before making his final pit stop
- Experienced tire degradation on Firestone alternates early in the race which set Rosenqvist back
- Rosenqvist ran a special SiriusXM Tom Petty Radio (XM channel 31) livery which will be on the car through the Phoenix weekend
- Tom Petty’s brother, Bruce Petty was in attendance of the race on Sunday as a guest of Meyer Shank Racing.
Acura Meyer Shank Racing Qualifying Driver Quotes:
Felix Rosenqvist: “Disappointing race for us. The tires went away from us pretty hard on reds, I did my best to look after them but they really degraded too early and that kind of set us back for the rest of the race. Took some points today, but hoping we can do better next weekend in Phoenix.”
Marcus Armstrong: “I had a really good start and the car was fast in the beginning. I felt like we were going to have ourselves a really solid race. I went in for a pass for third and I felt like the 28 car moved on me twice, so that’s something we’ll have to take a look at. I wish we could have had a better result for MSR and Root Insurance, but we’ll just keep moving on to the next one.”