Note: This continues a series of 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES team previews on INDYCAR.com from Feb. 26-March 1. The season starts Sunday, March 10 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.
Starting Lineup: Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda), Tom Blomqvist (No. 66 Arctic Wolf Honda), Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge).
2023 in Review: The organization’s challenging year included Simon Pagenaud’s violent flip through the gravel trap at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the ninth event of the season. The team used three different drivers in place of the Frenchman the rest of the way, with Conor Daly, Linus Lundqvist and Blomqvist competing in three races each. Castroneves’ final full season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES was highlighted by a 10th-place finish in the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway. He led a single lap at Indy. Blomqvist was able to gain experience, although he was collected in a first-lap incident in the Honda Indy Toronto. Blomqvist also competed in the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey to end the season.
New for ’24: Rosenqvist and Blomqvist provide an all-new look for the team co-owned by Jim Meyer and Michael Shank. Rosenqvist is entering his sixth full season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and he is a former race winner (Road America 2020). Blomqvist will make his fourth series start at St. Petersburg, although the early exit from last year’s Toronto race almost doesn’t count. Castroneves will return to an Indy-only ride, a role he essentially had twice with Team Penske (2018, 2019) and once with Arrow McLaren (2020).
Keep an Eye on This: Rosenqvist will be as motivated as any driver in the field this season. He is coming off two seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing and three years with Arrow McLaren, but this is the first time he has been the team leader, and he is hungry to capitalize on that.
Little-Known Fact: In May, Castroneves will take his third shot at winning a record-setting fifth “500.” Among the other four-time winners of the race, A.J. Foyt took 15 such shots, Al Unser five and Rick Mears one. Mears needed the fewest number of starts to win four times – just 14 – while Foyt needed 20, Castroneves 21 and Unser 22.