Meyer Shank Racing has parked Tom Blomqvist (pictured above), whose rookie marketing campaign within the No. 66 Honda has been an escalating disappointment. MSR’s Helio Castroneves will substitute Blomqvist for no less than the following two NTT IndyCar Collection races beginning with Sunday’s race at Detroit and the next weekend’s race at Street America.
“Making this resolution was by far the toughest one we have now needed to make,” stated MSR co-owner, Mike Shank. “Tom is 100% nonetheless part of the MSR household and can stay part of the group for the remainder of the season. The choice was not made flippantly and after a lot dialogue with Tom, and with back-to-back races arising, we have now determined to have Helio drive in Detroit and at Street America.”
The decision to tug Blomqvist from the seat comes after an encouraging run to fifteenth at St. Petersburg was adopted by a twenty second at Lengthy Seaside, a nineteenth at Barber, a twenty third on the Indy GP, and an early crash and Thirty first-place end on Sunday on the Indy 500.
“It’s truthful to say that the final couple of days have been among the hardest in my profession,” stated Blomqvist. “Everybody who is aware of me is aware of how a lot I like being part of the MSR household and collectively we have now loved some wonderful successes and victories. I’m trying ahead to remaining a part of the MSR household and contributing to the MSR imaginative and prescient as we chase down additional successes sooner or later.”
It’s unclear if Blomqvist will return to the seat afterwards, however he’s recognized to be signed to a multi-year deal and MSR is predicted to return to IMSA the place Blomqvist gained the 2022 DPi championship for the group. Returning to steer an MSR Acura IMSA GTP program could be a pure answer for each side in 2025.
If the Indy 500 was Blomqvist’s final IndyCar race for the group, Shank and co-owner Jim Meyer have a restricted variety of choices to pursue amongst veterans to maintain the No. 66 Honda in movement till the season finale.
If the semi-retired Castroneves doesn’t keep within the automobile, latest Arrow McLaren stand-in Callum Ilott may very well be a chance, though he does have quite a lot of FIA World Endurance Championship conflicts to think about. Conor Daly subbed for the injured Simon Pagenaud at MSR final 12 months, after which there’s David Malukas, whose pre-season damage prevented him from racing for Arrow McLaren earlier than he was minimize by the group.
Together with his confirmed abilities on ovals, Malukas may very well be an interesting proposition for MSR as soon as his hand and wrist have healed.
