Indianapolis, Ind. (26 May 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) came into Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 with a high degree of optimism after putting all three of its cars in the top eight in Friday’s final practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
But a lot of things can happen to derail a team over 200 laps, and MSR experienced a fistful of them as a long day, caused by a four-hour weather delay, turned longer as all three of its cars met with issues that blunted their attempt to win the Memorial Day classic.
Drivers Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda), Helio Castroneves (No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Cleveland-Cliffs Honda) and Tom Blomqvist (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) started ninth, 20th and 25th respectively but saw things unravel as two cars failed to finish while four-time Indy winner Castroneves led the team by finishing on the lead lap and in 20th place.
The oldest and most-seasoned driver on the squad showed the way today as Castroneves made his 24th Indy 500 start in fine fashion. The Brazilian made quick work of thing early, gaining seven spots in the first 23 laps prior to the first round of pit stops. He continued climbing through the first quarter of the race, carving his way up the scoring pylon to reach ninth by Lap 82.
The veteran held close to the top 10 for the next 50 laps, running seventh through Lap 120 with the tea confident in Castroneves’ abilities to take the No. 06 car to the front. Unfortunately, his chance at becoming the only five-time Indy 500 champ ended on his final pit stop when he locked up his rear brakes going into the pit stall and lost crucial time in pit lane. He fought back once back out on track and ended his day in 20th place.
Rosenqvist saw a promising run literally go up in smoke on Lap 56. The Swedish star, who had started ninth, had run in the top 10 for the first quarter of the race but saw his day end coasting down the backstretch of the 2.5-mile oval when his engine failed.
Blomqvist’s first Indianapolis 500 ended in the first turn as the hard-charging Brit hooked a wheel on the inside curb and spun up the track and into the wall. The rookie was uninjured but was unable to rejoin the race due to the crash damage.
MSR will have a chance to get back on the beam next weekend as the team journeys to Detroit for the Detroit Grand Prix. Qualifying takes place Saturday with coverage on Peacock beginning at 12:15 p.m. Sunday’s race will be broadcast live starting at Noon E.T. on USA Network and Peacock. SiriusXM will also host live INDYCAR Radio coverage on XM Ch. 218.
Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:
Helio Castroneves (No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Cleveland-Cliffs Honda) Finished 20th – “Well first of all great job for the entire Cliffs and SiriusXM team. What a great job everyone did. We were a little on and off today. But unfortunately the gears we had on the car really ended up hurting us on the restarts. It was not a very typical race with how the clouds and shadows came in. And I had a mistake on the last pit stop, we just locked up the rear and went a little long unfortunately. I don’t think we had a car to win for to be honest, but we had a shot to be to be in the top 10, for sure. But great job this month for the whole MSR team, I’m focused on next year and being back here again!”
Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) Finished 27th, retired on Lap 56 – “It’s a shame, the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM car was probably one of the best cars that I’ve had here [IMS]. Big thanks to everyone on the team for their efforts, we got better and better every session. I think we had the best car all month during the race. Unfortunately these kinds of things happen, but we’ll press on to Detroit and forget this quickly.”
Tom Blomqvist (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) Finished 31st after Lap 1 crash– “I’m so disappointed for the guys. We didn’t make an error all month long and then I clipped the curb and got spun around. I’m gutted for the guys who got involved in that mess, most importantly everyone is fine, but I’m really disappointed for the team. Our cars were really really good in these race conditions. I’m sad for them [the team] more than anything.”
