It’s all change at Meyer Shank Racing in 2024 as the team has announced Tom Blomqvist is taking the seat of Helio Castroneves.
Photo credit: Penske Entertainment | Joe Skibinski
Castroneves has been a full-time driver for Meyer Shank Racing since the start of 2022. The Brazilian took a memorable win on what was an initial one-off appearance at the 2021 Indy 500 — his fourth time taking glory at one of the biggest Motorsport events in history. The Brazilian would go on to compete in five more rounds before returning to the series permanently the following season.
Unfortunately for the highly experienced Castroneves, it has been mainly a difficult spell for him as the likes of Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing, Arrow McLaren and Andretti Autosport have tended to lock out the wins and podium positions in that period. He’s also generally struggled to match teammate Simon Pagenaud, too.
However, his journey is not completely over as he will run in a third car at the Indy 500 for the team next year as he looks to become the first driver ever to win the historical race five times. Castroneves remains part of the stable outside of the car as a driver mentor and team ambassador.
Helio Castroneves
“First I want to thank Mike, Jim and Liberty for accepting me as part of the ownership group. Throughout my career I’ve been very fortunate to surround myself with an amazing group of people and this journey will be my next chapter and I can’t wait for that. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a lot of fuel to burn inside in terms of driving and I will do that at the Indy 500 as I continue my pursuit of the Drive for Five.”
With Castroneves stepping aside from competing full-time, Tom Blomqvist gets his opportunity.
The 29-year-old has tonnes of experience in various categories throughout his career to date, including the IMSA Sportscar Championship, World Endurance Championship, DTM and Formula E.
Blomqvist won the IMSA Sportscar Championship last year with Meyer Shank Racing. The team handed him his IndyCar debut at Toronto in place of the injured Pagenaud, but he unfortunately didn’t get to run a race distance as he was taken out in the first corner on the opening lap by Jack Harvey.
“Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to Mike and Jim and all the partners – AutoNation, SiriusXM, Arctic Wolf, Clopay and Cleveland-Cliffs – for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. It’s been a good ride the last two years in IMSA, but I’ve been itching to make the step up to INDYCAR and this is an opportunity I’m eager and motivated to make the most of. INDYCAR is an incredibly competitive series and I’m under no illusions in how difficult this championship can be, but I am extremely motivated to make the most of this exciting new challenge.”
