Detroit, Mich. (30 May 2023) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) drivers Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / Cleveland-Cliffs Honda) and Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) won’t get much time to recover from a grueling Month of May in Indianapolis, as they will head north to the streets of Detroit for this weekend’s Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday (NBC, 3:00pm ET, SiriusXM Ch. 160).
Castroneves posted his second-highest finish of the 2023 campaign, leading the race and finishing 15th in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Meanwhile Pagenaud’s run of bad luck this season continued, as he was in contention for a top-10 finish when he was hit from behind while slowing for a spinning competitor, forcing contact with the wall that ended his race.
Looking to turn things around, MSR and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will be greeted by a brand-new challenge in Detroit. After many years of racing on the temporary road course on Belle Isle, this year’s event takes place on the all-new 1.7-mile, 10-turn street course running through downtown Detroit.
Castroneves will also be welcome Cleveland-Cliffs back onboard as co-primary sponsor in his No. 06 Honda for the Detroit weekend. Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel producer and the largest supplier of steel to the automotive industry in North America.
Similar to Long Beach, the Detroit street circuit began as a Formula 1 race in 1982 before IndyCar (then CART) took on the track in 1989. This current circuit is nearly a full mile shorter than the previous street layout, and the lack of space creates a pitting situation unlike any in IndyCar racing. Teams will enter pit lane and then split, with half the field pitting on the left side and half on the right side.
Meyer Shank Racing will reach a milestone this weekend, as the Ohio-based team will make its 100th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start when the green flag waves to start Sunday’s race. The team made its maiden start in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and has gone on since that debut to earn a win the 2021 Indianapolis 500, earn three podium finishes and 29 top-10s in its previous 99 starts.
Both Castroneves and Pagenaud are eager for a new challenge this weekend in Detroit. Both drivers earned their first-ever IndyCar victories on Belle Isle. Castroneves has three Detroit victories and two runner up finishes (one in Indy Lights in 1999). Pagenaud scored a podium finish in his maiden start on Belle Isle in 2012 and came back the following year to win the event in 2013.
Now both drivers will have to learn an entirely new course as they aim to keep their history of success going in Detroit. Sunday’s 100-lap race will air on NBC on Sunday starting at 3:00pm ET, with the green flag set to wave at approximately 3:30pm ET. SiriusXM will also host live race coverage on XM Ch. 160.
Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:
Helio Castroneves:
“Detroit has always been special for me and I have had a lot of success there, now it will be very interesting with the new track layout. All of the drivers are in the same position with having to learn the new track, so there are a lot of unknowns for us all, but I am looking forward to see how it goes.”
Simon Pagenaud:
“I’m excited about the change in circuit at Detroit this year! A new circuit is always fun for the drivers and the teams to try and figure out the best package for the race car over the weekend. We had a lot of positives come out of the Indianapolis 500, so we will capitalize on that and I look forward to racing in downtown Detroit.”
