Castroneves puts the No. 66 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda P19 after starting P27.
Elkhart Lake, Wise. (9 June 2024) – As he did last weekend in Detroit, Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) fought back after a tough Saturday qualifying session and then used strong tire management and fuel save to overcome contact and lead Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) to a 14th-place finish in Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.
Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES battle at the 4.048-mile Road America circuit got off to a slow, choppy start as three caution periods took place in the first six laps of the 55-lap event. Getting through a first lap melee, Rosenqvist had moved up six positions before the proceeding caution flag was waived.
Rosenqvist, who started 22nd, saw his workload increased even more after the second of the three caution periods when he got shouldered off track in Turn Six by the No. 41 car, causing the Swedish racer to fall down the order. The team opted to bring him into pit lane for a fill up on fuel and tire change on Lap Seven.
The team fought hard after amending its pit strategy and took advantage of competitors’ stops to lead for the third time this season, but needed to stretch Rosenqvist’s Firestone tires for 15 and 16 laps on their final two stops on a day when most other competitors were changing tires every 12-13 laps. The tire management skill and exceptional fuel save enabled Rosenqvist to make just two stops over the second half of the race, but it also meant that he could not battle hard at the end of the race and settled for a 14th-place finish.
Helio Castroneves (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) ran his second race after assuming driving duties in the No. 66 MSR machine, and also had a heavy workload after qualifying 27th on Saturday. He stayed on strategy with the lead group and gained eight positions on the day to finish 19th.
MSR ends a stretch of three races in as many weeks and heads right into a series test at the Milwaukee Mile on Tuesday which will see MSR newcomer, David Malukas get his first laps behind the wheel of the No. 66 car ahead of his race debut at WeatherTech Laguna Seca.
Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:
Felix Rosenqvist: “It was unfortunate we got taken out at the beginning. We were kind of off strategy trying to save some fuel. We didn’t really have enough pace with the fuel save unfortunately. I honestly think that if we did it again we couldn’t have done anything different, except not getting hit. P14, a very average result but we move forward. I think we were decently quick, just not our luck today.”
Helio Castroneves: “Wow. No. 66 The AutoNation / Arctic Wolf machine was actually pretty strong, from starting 27th and finishing 19th. I have to give it up to the guys, they did a great job. Now I pass the baton to David Malukas who is going to take care of it. I’m looking forward to being in his corner. We are going to a test in Milwaukee which I really love so I’ll be there. Hopefully at Laguna we are going to collect more points.”
