For Felix Rosenqvist and Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian, the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season has delivered something valuable: confidence.
When confidence is backed by results, that is a powerful thing.
With a determined second-place finish in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR on June 22, Rosenqvist delivered the fastest race lap and surged from sixth in points into fourth in the championship standings.
Rosenqvist trails Chip Ganassi Racing driver and two-time defending series champion Alex Palou by 155 points with eight races remaining in the season.
Fourth is the best position Rosenqvist has been this deep into an NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and a clear sign MSR is no longer building – it is competing.
“I feel like we’ve definitely taken it to the next step,” Rosenqvist said. “We’re sitting pretty good.”
Entering the 2024 season, Rosenqvist’s first with MSR after spending two years with Chip Ganassi Racing (2019-20) and three at Arrow McLaren (2021-23), few would have predicted this kind of rise. In 2023, MSR’s No. 60 Honda finished a distant 25th in the entrant standings.
Also, both had produced one career win, Rosenqvist in 2020 at Road America and MSR in the 2021 Indianapolis 500, where Helio Castroneves earned his record-tying fourth victory in the iconic race.
But after their first season together in 2024, the No. 60 driven by Rosenqvist catapulted to 12th in points, a leap no other car matched.
The positive results continued this season with six top-10 finishes in the first nine races.
“There’s some really smart people on the team,” Rosenqvist said. “I feel like it’s a confidence thing, as well. Everyone’s just more relaxed. The pit crew is happier. It’s just a big confidence boost, and I think that’s what’s really been missing.”
Rosenqvist’s Road America podium two weeks ago also didn’t come amid smooth sailing but after a turbulent stretch. A sign of improvement.
Rosenqvist placed 21st in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on June 1, a race marred by a wild crash in the closing laps with rookie Louis Foster, which forced a complete rebuild of the car.
Then, a 16th-place finish in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway followed on June 15, capping a brutal six weeks of racing that included the gauntlet of the Sonsio Grand Prix and 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500, in addition to the Barber Motorsports Park race weekend that opened May.
“Behind the scenes, we’ve had a lot of technical stuff going on,” he said. “We had to split the car apart (after Detroit crash) and build it back together. This stretch had been wearing on the guys. It’s hard. This is a really tough championship for everyone.”
Last season, a similar midyear slump derailed what began as a promising campaign. After producing six top-10 finishes in the first seven events, Rosenqvist managed one more in the final 11 events.
This time, when exhausted and battered, MSR didn’t break. It rebounded.
In a season dominated by powerhouse duos Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Global, which have won all nine races thus far, Meyer Shank Racing’s climb into the top five of points is one of many compelling developments.
MSR and Rosenqvist proved they can run and belong with the best the sport has to offer.
The next step to gain is to become a winner, which Rosenqvist believes he and the team can deliver.
“We’re always quick, so it’s all about the details,” he said.
Maybe that comes in Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a track that carries personal and professional significance to Rosenqvist.
Not only is Mid-Ohio the place where Rosenqvist earned his first podium in a photo finish with Scott Dixon as a rookie in 2019, it’s also the home track for MSR, which is headquartered in nearby Pataskala, Ohio, approximately 75 miles from the track.
“I love Mid-Ohio,” Rosenqvist said. “Honestly, Road America and Mid-Ohio are two of my favorites. Mid-Ohio, I had my first podium, and I had my first win at Road America (in 2020).
“I can’t wait to go back to Mid-Ohio. I don’t just say that because it’s like a home race. I literally love that place. A lot of fans come there, the track layout, it’s just a really cool race. True race car fans.”