Pagenaud enters race weekend as reigning Toronto winner
Pataskala, Ohio (11 July 2022) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) returns to NTT INDYCAR SERIES action with a trip north of the border for this weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto, the team’s first race on the streets of the Canadian city (Sunday, 3:00pm ET, Peacock, SiriusXM Ch. 160).
Defending race winner Simon Pagenaud will drive the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda in the race at the Exhibition Place circuit, while Helio Castroneves will be at the wheel of the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda.
Pagenaud won the most recent event in Toronto, dominating the 2019 race when he led 80 of the 85 laps from the pole on the challenging 11-turn, 1.786-mile layout. Pagenaud also finished second in 2018 and won the pole in 2017. The Frenchman raced 14 times at the Toronto street circuit, qualifying in the top four for the last seven consecutive races.
Castroneves is a 15-time competitor in Toronto, finishing second three times among four podium finishes. Castroneves was the 2014 pole winner, qualifying six times in the top three.
MSR will lean on the strength of its driver pairing with the Ohio-based team heading to the Honda Indy Toronto for the very first time with the event having been cancelled the last two race seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The race will be televised on Sunday on Peacock at 3 p.m. ET. The event will also be broadcast live on SiriusXM Channel 160.
Driver Quotes:
Helio Castroneves:
“I’m super excited for Toronto and first of all, coming back after so many years – my last race in Toronto was in 2017 and I remember we were having a blast there. I’m sure the Canadian fans are really excited to have IndyCar back there again as well. Myself and Simon are really looking forward to it, especially after Detroit qualifying. We showed a lot of speed on the street courses, so hopefully we can have another strong weekend.”
Simon Pagenaud:
“I can’t wait to go back to Toronto, it was such a great event back in 2019 and I won the race! It’s a race track that I really enjoy. I love the rhythm of the track and it’s a place that I feel very comfortable at. We have an amazing street course package with Meyer Shank Racing, so obviously it’s a weekend that I’m really looking forward to. Hopefully we execute perfectly all weekend and end up with some hardware at the end.”
