Sports car ace Tom Blomqvist will substitute for Simon Pagenaud for Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) at the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday, July 16.
Two-time defending and reigning Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona winner Blomqvist will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut this weekend, taking the reins of the No. 60 AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda. The move was made necessary Tuesday after the series’ medical staff did not clear Pagenaud to compete this weekend as the Frenchman continues his recovery from the effects of a dramatic, barrel-rolling crash July 1 in practice at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Blomqvist, 29, who won the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with MSR, has run primarily in sports cars and prototypes in the last seven seasons after having started his career in open-wheel racing. Last weekend, Blomqvist claimed pole position at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on his way to victory with co-driver Colin Braun.
"First and foremost, I'm thinking of Simon and hoping that he recovers as quickly as possible so that he can get back behind the wheel,” Blomqvist said. ”I have to thank Mike (Shank) and Jim (Meyer) for considering me to fill in this weekend. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what INDYCAR has to offer.
”Diving straight into the deep end is an understatement after only having one test in the MSR Indy car last year. I’m excited but aware of the challenges getting up to speed during a race weekend, so I’m not putting any pressure on myself. Just going to go out there soak it all in and give it all I’ve got.”
The Toronto outing will not be his first on board an INDYCAR SERIES race car, as Blomqvist tested MSR machinery in October 2022 at Sebring. The British-born driver came up through the karting ranks and ran four seasons in various Formula 3 series in Europe, scoring 12 wins. He also broke Lewis Hamilton’s record as the youngest champion of the Formula Renault UK series, taking the crown at the age of 16.
This weekend’s MSR lineup features drivers on both ends of the seat time spectrum as rookie Blomqvist will be joined by veteran Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda). Castroneves has five front-row starts to his credit in Toronto, including pole positions in 2000 and 2004. The Brazilian has led laps in seven of his starts in Canada’s largest city.
"Simon says he’s feeling fine and absolutely ready to get back in the car once he is cleared, but he knows there is an INDYCAR protocol in place to protect the drivers, so we just have to follow those guidelines,” team co-owner Mike Shank said. ”I know he was disappointed to end his long streak of starts, but everyone wants him to be as healthy as possible so we just have to follow the INDYCAR medical guidance on this.
”We are fortunate to have Tom available to jump in on such short notice. He’s a champion, has a little bit of experience in the car and is coming off another big IMSA win last weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, so this was not a tough call for us to make.”
The 85-lap race will air live at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on Peacock, with live coverage also on the INDYCAR Radio Network.