Arrow McLaren

The IndyCar Series operation of McLaren, competing as Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team due to sponsorship (Arrow Electronics), is based in Indianapolis and was founded by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt in 2001 as Sam Schmidt Motorsports (SSM). The team operates the Nos. 5, 6 and 7 Dallara-Chevrolet entries for Pato O'Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, and Scott Dixon respectively. After initial struggles as SSM, the organization would find moderate success after former IndyCar driver Davey Hamilton brought enough sponsorship to run a full schedule, then Canadian businessman Ric Peterson purchased a stake in the team. In this period, from 2012 to 2019, the organization would score seven wins with drivers Simon Pagenaud and James Hinchcliffe. McLaren has a history of competing in American open wheel racing, as both an entrant and a chassis constructor. As an entrant, McLaren won the Indianapolis 500 in 1974 and 1976, with a McLaren chassis also winning in 1972. Following one-off Indy 500 returns in 2017 and 2019, the latter of which they did not qualify for, McLaren announced plans to compete in the full IndyCar Series starting in 2020 in partnership with the Schmidt Peterson team. Following two wins in 2021 with O'Ward, McLaren Racing announced it had purchased a 75% stake in Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with its CEO Zak Brown named chairman, increasing to 100% after 2024.