IndyCar veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay will be racing for Arrow McLaren in the 110th running of the Indy 500 as a one-off entry. As the announcement was made, the American driver came out and revealed the shared agony that brought him and the Papaya team together for the 2026 Indy 500.Ryan Hunter-Reay is a former IndyCar champion who won the title in 2012 as he signed with Andretti Global. The American went on to achieve success at the greatest spectacle in racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by winning the 2014 Indy 500.For the last couple of seasons, Hunter-Reay has been racing as a one-off entry for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing in the Indy 500, with the 2020 IndyCar season being his last full-time season. For the upcoming season, the 44-year-old will partner with Arrow McLaren as a one-off entry.In a video uploaded on Arrow McLaren’s official account on X, Hunter-Reay said,“First day on the job here with Arrow McLaren. Super excited to join this group. A lot of familiar faces and we both have something in common, now working together, is that we've come agonizingly close to that Indy 500 win just last year. Too close to a second one for me. We're all primed and ready to go. Everybody is excited for 2026. Let's get it started.”During this year's Indy 500, Ryan Hunter-Reay started the race from the 9th row but was able to get himself into the lead of the race on Lap 87. He then swapped lead with another driver, but was consistently in the running for the race win when he stalled the car from the lead during his final pitstop, which put an end to his race.Arrow McLaren’s Pato O'Ward, on the other hand, finished P3 at the 109th running of the Indy 500 and also came close to the race win. As Ryan Hunter-Reay announced his drive for the Papaya team at the upcoming Indy 500, he detailed how the shared agony from the 2025 Indy 500 united the two.Arrow McLaren Boss reacts to Ryan Hunter-Reay joining the team for the 2026 Indy 500Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan came out and hailed Ryan Hunter-Reay as the American was announced as the team's fourth driver for the 110th running of the Indy 500. Kanaan has previously raced as one of the entries for Arrow McLaren in the Indy 500 (2022-2023).“Ryan is a great addition to the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team and just who we want in that fourth car this coming May alongside Pato, Nolan and Christian.He’s an Indy 500 champion – and if you look at our history at McLaren – that's the reason we field a fourth car, to have one more contender in the mix,” said Kanaan (via the press release)“He is a proven winner, and we know he will have a strong chance to win this historic event. Ryan is one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, and we’re very excited to get started with him and have him part of our team into next May,” he addedNASCAR champion Kyle Larson raced as the fourth driver for Arrow McLaren in the Indy 500 for the last couple of years, as he attempted the double but decided not to attempt the same in the near future.