Who Is Marcus Armstrong? The Kiwi's Love For NFL, 'Talladega Nights' & Podcasting

“I knew that it would work out, and I was just trying to convince my parents just to let me go and give me that chance to leave school.”

Marcus Armstrong moved away from his native New Zealand as a teen to pursue his dream of racing. That dream eventually became a reality.

The soon-to-be 25-year-old was on a Formula 1 path, having spent three seasons in Formula 2 before making the move to INDYCAR in 2023. 

Now in his third season of INDYCAR racing, the Meyer Shank Racing driver — who currently sits seventh in the standings — talked to FOX Sports about living abroad as a teenager, being a Kiwi here in the United States, his love of sports views on American football, why he no longer has a podcast and the quintessential NASCAR movie.

Who is Marcus Armstrong?

Who is Marcus Armstrong? It’s a good question. Are we talking philosophically or …

How would your friends describe you?

I would say that I’m a Kiwi. And Kiwis are generally very chilled out. And just like to hang out, especially when I’m not working. So I guess I am a Kiwi in that sense. I love sports — a big, big sports guy. I’m usually two, three, four hours a day in the gym and then just following sport in general. I love it. Tour de France is on at the moment, so I’m following that very closely. If I wasn’t a racing driver, I’d probably be doing another sport. So that pretty much explains it all.

Are the Tour de France competitors crazier than you guys?

Yes, 100 percent. Tour de France guys are mental riding in that peloton together. They’re all fighting for every inch, for every corner, and it’s like 25-wide. Plus the extreme measures they have to take to be prepared for the race and to be fit enough to do it. I think it’s the coolest, coolest thing ever.

Via Marcus Armstrong’s Instagram.

When we talked earlier, you mentioned the NFL and NBA. Did you always follow those in New Zealand? Or are you now immersed in American sports because you’re here?

I actually got into the NFL because I started listening to Colin Cowherd, like years ago. I love the NFL, especially. The NBA, I’m getting more into. I didn’t know it quite as much. But there’s just something about [the NFL], very glamorous. In New Zealand, we have rugby and it’s not too dissimilar in many ways, but you have to admit that the NFL has nailed its marketing scheme and the glamor behind it is second to nobody. So it’s kind of cool to follow. And whenever there’s no NFL on, I kind of get a little bit sad.

You also gave me a “Talladega Nights” Ricky Bobby reference before. It seems like you have a lot of American culture. Has it seeped its way into your Kiwi person?

Yes. That movie is world-famous, so you can’t just say it’s because I’m into American stuff. However, it was on TV the other night, and it gave me some good ideas for some TV interviews later this week.

How accurate do you think “Talladega Nights” is to actual NASCAR?

It’s 100 percent accurate. It’s a documentary, is it not?

You used to have a podcast. Why did you get rid of it?

I didn’t get rid of it. It’s just one of those things where I did it for fun with my friends, a couple of other Formula 2 drivers and whoever wanted to come on, basically. And it was a little bit, how would you say, it’s out there? We used to do like wine tasting and stuff like this on the podcast, which is probably frowned upon over here. But the main reason is logistically, we can’t do it. I’m living in the States. My mates live in the UK. We did it because it was fun and we wanted to maintain a really high quality, so we wanted to do it in-person. We didn’t want to do it over Zoom or anything like that. We always got overly dressed up. And it was also produced by my guy … who’s with me full time now, but it was almost too good for the quality of the podcast. Because we were not good podcasters. I would love to do it again. But just logistically, it’s tough and to maintain that quality, you kind of have got to be there in person.

And did you like kind of the showman aspect of it?

It was a fun little distraction when I was in F2. It was just to sort of bro-down with everybody. Americans are very outgoing and social. Let’s say over there, it’s a bit less so like that. And to get to know people, you actually need to spend three, four times as much time with them, as opposed to Americans. So I don’t know if that answers your question. But, yeah, it was good fun.

You’re a Kiwi, but when was the last time you lived in New Zealand? 

I haven’t lived in New Zealand since probably 2013 when I was like, 12 or 13. As a Kiwi or an Aussie or even an American nowadays, you kind of need to go over to Europe really early if you want to fulfill that Formula 1 dream. I did karting over there for maybe three years, and then I moved to Formula 4 and F3 and F2 and all of that. I had to leave at a very young age, and I actually lived alone from when I was 13. So that was kind of interesting as well. I got to do all the stuff that 13-year-olds don’t really think about.

So did you like that? Or did that stress you out? Or did you embrace it? 

Definitely didn’t stress out. I was there for a reason. My parents actually didn’t want me to do it at all. They were very against it at the time. I got my way into a team because I did compete over there before I went over to live there. And basically I said I’ll go over there for six months, and if it’s not working out, and blah, blah, blah, then I’ll come home. But I knew that it would work out, and I was just trying to convince my parents just to let me go and give me that chance to leave school. So it actually was a pretty crazy, crazy thing looking back at it, but I think it’s worked out.

So people say, well, Marcus left school at age 13 and moved, I can do that too, right? Would you recommend it? 

My little brother is 15 at the moment, and I wouldn’t let him go to the shops on his own at the moment. It’s one of those things where you really need to want it, and you need to have a passion. And my passion was racing karts at the time and being the best in the world at that. And that was my goal.

So what do you miss most about not being home?

I think the weather is really good in New Zealand. I always like it when I go back there for the summer. The food, as well, is good. I know everybody — that’s a good thing and a bad thing, I suppose. It’s almost like being a celebrity because you just know everybody, but not really a celebrity, if that makes sense. I don’t enjoy going to a coffee shop or something and knowing like five or six people there. That’s maybe the one con of going to New Zealand.

Via Marcus Armstrong’s Instagram.

 You want to go to a coffee shop and sit by yourself?

No. I just like to be incognito, like wear a cap around. I don’t want people to recognize me at the best of times. But New Zealand is a very calm place. It’s a great place to train, to recenter after a busy season. I think it’s the perfect place.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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