Linus Lundqvist proved he needed seat time, and a study break to regroup.
The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year encountered early-season success with a sixth-place finish in The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge exhibition event March 24 and a third-place result April 28 at Barber Motorsports Park. But that may have thrust Lundqvist into a premature limelight for which he wasn’t ready.
That early success, coupled with three strong starts with Meyer Shank Racing in 2023 where he set the fastest lap in two of the three races, created a mirage of what the NTT INDYCAR SERIES was about.
“I was just like, ‘All right, I kind of know what this is about,’” Lundqvist said. “And then, especially when the season really got going, I never really understood and realized how intense it is and the short amount of breaks that you and the whole team get,” Lundqvist said. “And then knowing how to where to spend your energy, throughout the weekend, throughout the week, throughout those months, and especially the Month of May, it was so intense with everything going around it. That was a big, big learning curve.”
The early-season gaps in the schedule allowed Lundqvist to learn and adapt, which created success on the racetrack. As the schedule picked up, the results dropped.
Beginning from the May 11 Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course until the July 21 race on the streets of Toronto, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES was on track nine of 11 weekends.
Lundqvist had an average finish of 10.75 through his first four starts, which dropped to 18.22 during that nine-race summer stretch.
The three-week Summer Olympics break after Toronto came at a great time. Reflecting on that 11-week stretch allowed Lundqvist to realize this series was harder than he imagined. Lundqvist spent the time learning how to get back to the early-season success but not let that momentum lapse.
He delivered.
In the final five races of the season, Lundqvist had three top-10 starting spots and three top-eight finishes, with an average result of 12th.
“I actually got some time to go back and really ask myself, ‘What did I really learn?’ And then to try to apply it,” Lundqvist said. “Obviously, it's not perfect, because we didn’t win races, but I think we definitely took a step in the right direction.”
The next step of his progression is putting together results for a full season and not just three or four flashes. The 2022 INDY NXT by Firestone champion hasn’t landed a ride yet for 2025, but his race pace is something he hopes can lead to another opportunity.
“That was one of the areas I was a little bit worried about going forward,” he said. “I think, in the past, qualifying experience was my strong side, and it was kind of in my weak side this year. I’m happy about the racecraft and the race pace that we've shown, and managing tires and everything.”
Lundqvist will reminisce about a couple of proud moments from the 2024 season. The pair of podium finishes, at Barber Motorsports Park and World Wide Technology Raceway, were impressive as he climbed from 19th at the start of both races to finish third.
So was his maiden NTT P1 Award, at Road America.
The other moment is the first of the two Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s races Aug. 31. He qualified fifth for both races but finished sixth in the first race of the twinbill and 20th in the other.
“The race one in Milwaukee was a race that I was very, very proud of,” he said. “I think we drove really well. We had some misfortune in the pit stops, because otherwise I think we could have been right up there fighting for the race win, which I think, as well, shows the kind of the progress that we made throughout the year.
“Obviously, it's been a year of up and downs, but I think toward the end we were able to put together strong packages, especially on the ovals, which been fun. We’ve shown when we put everything together, we can be as fast as anybody.”