Indianapolis, Ind. (18 May 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will start three cars in next Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 after a successful Saturday qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, but the team has more to do before the starting order is settled.
Drivers Helio Castroneves (No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Cleveland-Cliffs Honda), Tom Blomqvist (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) and Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) cemented their positions in the field for the Memorial Day classic through four-lap qualifying on the 2.5-mile oval, marking the first time MSR has ever started three cars in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.
But there is still work to do for the Ohio-based squad as Rosenqvist ran the seventh-best average speed on the day, earning a place in Sunday’s top-12 shootout as part of the pole qualifying format. The Swedish driver will make another qualifying attempt Sunday afternoon with the fastest half of the field advancing to the Firestone Fast Six session two hours later that will determine the Indy 500 polewinner.
Rosenqvist ran a consistent four laps to secure his Sunday ticket, dropping just .7mph through a four-lap stint that started with a best effort of 232.547mph average speed. The Long Beach polewinner will be looking to extend his streak of top-10 starting spots in Sunday’s qualifying and could become the first MSR pilot since 2020 to start in the top 10 in five consecutive races.
Castroneves competed in his first qualifying session of his 2024 INDYCAR campaign as the team’s minority owner looks to become the only driver in history to win five Indianapolis 500s. The Brazilian star also had a very consistent set of laps in earning his way into the field, using a four-lap average speed of 231.871mph to take the 20th position on the 33-car grid.
Blomqvist showed well in his first-ever Indianapolis 500 qualifying session, putting his MSR machine solidly in the field with the 25th spot. Blomqvist was the first MSR driver to run on the day and put up a quartet of laps at an average speed of 231.403mph in his first official Indy 500 qualifying outing. Looking at conditions after the full-field made their first runs, the Blomqvist camp decided to make another attempt, and the British sportscar star made it count, with a speed of 231.578mph that moved him up three spots on the grid.
Sunday will see Rosenqvist make an attempt for the Indianapolis 500 pole with top 12 qualifying beginning at 3:05pm ET with coverage on Peacock and SiriusXM Ch. 218.
Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:
Felix Rosenqvist – In Top-12 Shootout Sunday, Four-Lap Avg. Speed 232.547mph: “Qualifying day one finished! We finished seventh, a really good day for MSR and Honda. A super solid run – we had a late draw so it definitely felt as though there might be a bit more in it. I definitely feels as though we’re in contention for the Fast Six tomorrow, we just have to get through Fast 12 first. It’s going to be hot, very similar to today, so it will be challenging – it always is at IMS.”
Helio Castroneves, Starting 19th, Four-Lap Avg. Speed 231.871mph “The Cliffs car was actually very, very good today. We were almost at the end of the field to qualify when we had our first run. We’re not where we want to be but the car is good – and we’re in the race. Let’s go get it.”
Tom Blomqvist – Starting 24th, Four-Lap Avg. Speed 231.578mph: “It’s been a fantastic day. We are in the race, which is great, but it feels weird to celebrate that. I’m a competitor and I want us to be up at the front, not just in the race. It’s been a fantastic experience and I’m grateful for it; I’m really enjoying it. Going around this place at 230 is just something else. I want to be faster and further up, for sure. The car has been working well. We are just missing a little bit of speed and this place is all about speed. The team has done an awesome job, they have worked so hard on everything.”
