Christian Lundgaard will be replacing six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon in the famed No. 9 car for Chip Ganassi Racing.
The team announced Tuesday that the 25-year-old Lundgaard had signed a multiyear deal. He will join Alex Palou and Kyffin Simpson as part of a full-time, three-car lineup for the 2027 season, which opens March 7 at the Streets of St. Petersburg.
“It is an honor and a privilege to join Chip Ganassi Racing beginning next season," Lundgaard said. “The fact that it is in the iconic No. 9 PNC Bank Honda makes it even more special. CGR has set the standard in IndyCar for decades, and the opportunity to be part of that legacy is something I’ve worked toward my entire career. I’m incredibly excited about what’s ahead.”
Lundgaard made his IndyCar debut in 2021, spent his first four seasons with Rahal Letterman Lanigan and won his first race in the series two years later in Toronto. The Danish driver moved to Arrow McLaren for the past two years, winning the road course race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the race at Road America this past season.
Lundgaard also had three second-place finishes and was third in points behind new teammate Palou and Kyle Kirkwood.
The 46-year-old Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing parted ways after 25 seasons, 59 wins and a victory in the Indianapolis 500. Dixon and reigning Indy 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist will be joining Pato O’Ward at Arrow McLaren for next season.
“We’re looking forward to helping him reach that next level with the No. 9 team,” Chip Ganassi said of Lundgaard. "He’s already proven he can win races, and it isn’t often a driver of his caliber becomes available. Throughout our history, one of the things we’ve done best is identify young talent, help them maximize their potential and develop them into championship contenders.
"We believe Christian has all the talent to be the next driver to do that.”
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FILE - Christian Lundgaard is seen during driver introductions before the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Rasmus Dahlin arrived in Buffalo for the start of training camp with a clear head and a refreshed objective following the shortest summer break of his nine-year NHL career.
This is a far different place for the Sabres captain to be than a year ago, when Dahlin was dealing with the emotional weight of his fiancée requiring life-saving heart transplant surgery in Europe and facing familiar questions regarding Buffalo’s NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.
A year later, Carolina Matovac is healthy and rejoined Dahlin in Buffalo in March. The drought is a thing of the past: The Sabres clinched their first Atlantic Division title and won their first playoff series since 2007 before losing to Montreal in Game 7 in the second round.
“Night and day. I can actually focus on hockey and not have to worry every day of what’s going on,” Dahlin said. “I’m ready to go.”
Don’t confuse his readiness for satisfaction. Having enjoyed his first taste of the postseason, the 26-year-old Swede is hungry for more.
“Last year was hard. This year is going to be harder,” Dahlin said. “We have higher expectations on ourselves and higher expectations around the league. We’re not the same old Sabres any more in other teams’ eyes.”
The challenge is to prove last year was no fluke in preparing to open this season at Columbus on Thursday. The Sabres will do so with a young roster that got even younger following a summer in which top-line forward Alex Tuch was traded to Washington and defenseman Bowen Byram to Chicago.
Though both played key roles in Buffalo’s breakthrough season, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is banking on the promise a brimming crop of youngsters showed last year.
It’s a 24-and-younger forward group that includes Josh Doan, Zach Benson, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius. They’re being counted upon to provide Buffalo a three-line scoring attack alongside veterans Tage Thompson, Josh Norris, Peyton Krebbs and Jason Zucker.
On defense, Buffalo shored up its core of Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power by acquiring Louis Crevier and Olen Zellweger in trades.
“With the talent that we have internally, I think we need to believe in the work that we’ve put in to develop them, grow with them, and now they’re ready,” said Kekalainen, who is entering his first full season on the job in Buffalo.
He declined to address speculation surrounding Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner who has gone public with his trade demands. Kekalainen would only say he is confident in Buffalo’s three-goalie rotation headed by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon, both coming off 20-win seasons.
“By no means are we satisfied,” Kekalainen said, in assessing last season’s success. “'Pretty good,' I said to the team. Pretty good’s not good enough.”
His promotion from senior adviser following Kevyn Adams’ firing in mid-December spurred the Sabres’ turnaround. Buffalo went from last in the Eastern Conference standings to its first 50-win season since 2006-07, closing the year on a 39-9-5 run.
The Sabres are counting on a better start to this year, while building on their scrappy identity and consistency in play.
“We’ve been battle-tested,” said Thompson, before cautioning last year’s results don’t count for anything this year. “It doesn’t give us a free ride to the same spot. We’re going to have to earn it.”
At 66, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was rewarded with a two-year contract extension in May, and enters his third season in his second stint in Buffalo. He ranks third on the NHL list with 1,938 games coached and fourth with 950 wins. Ruff laughed when reminded a 50-win season would get him to 1,000.
“I’ve been around too long,” Ruff said with a chuckle. “But 50 would be really important for our team, because if you get 50, you’re going to be a playoff team. I think that’s a great goal for us as a group for sure.”
Ruff on Tuesday said Samuelsson (lower body) is “very close” to returning a week after getting hurt blocking a shot. ... Lyon (upper body) is anticipated to resume practicing soon after missing a week. Luukkonen practiced on Tuesday after pulling himself from Buffalo's preseason finale on Saturday. ... Veteran forward Conor Sheary was loaned to AHL Rochester, but must first clear waivers.
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FILE - Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) carries the puck over the blue line during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, April 9, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)
FILE - Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff looks on after an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, March 19, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Thien-An Truong, File)
