Castroneves settling in as Super-Sub for MSR
Helio Castroneves – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo)
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Helio Castroneves’ original “one-off” drive for Meyer Shank Racing at the 108th Indianapolis 500 has morphed into a three-race deal, beginning with this weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
A minority partner with MSR, Castroneves is replacing INDYCAR rookie Tom Blomqvist in the No. 66 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda in the Motor City and in the Xpel Grand Prix at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., on June 9.
Helio Castroneves – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Paul Hurley
The decision to park Blomqvist is a consequence of the Brit’s first-lap miscue during Sunday’s Indy 500. Blomqvist, who started 25th in the 33-car field, saw his “Month of May” end moments into the scheduled 200-lapper when he hooked a wheel in Turn 1 of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, spun up the track and into the outside wall. The cars of Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi and 2022 Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson of Sweden were swept-up in the melee, ending the race for all three with credit for zero laps.
An MSR news release stated that Blomqvist “mutually agreed” with management to step aside. Blomqvist, who has won back-to-back Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona races and one IMSA championship for the organization based in Pataskala, Ohio, will remain part of the MSR lineup.
“Making this decision was by far the hardest one we have had to make,” MSR co-owner Mike Shank said in a statement. “Tom is 100 percent still a part of the MSR family and will remain a part of the team for the rest of the season. The decision was not made lightly and after much discussion with Tom, and with back-to-back races coming up, we decided to have Helio drive in Detroit and at Road America.”
Blomqvist, a 30-year-old native of Cambridge, England, drove the No. 66 Honda in the first five races of the NTT IndyCar Series schedule, posting a best finish of 15th in the season-opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Helio Castroneves – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Paul Hurley
“I’m so disappointed for the guys,” Blomqvist said at IMS. “We didn’t make an error all month long and then I clipped the curb and got spun around. I’m gutted for the guys who got involved in that mess, most importantly everyone is fine, but I’m really disappointed for the team. Our cars were really, really good in race conditions. I’m sad for them (his team) more than anything.
“Everyone who knows me knows how much I love being a part of the MSR family and together we have enjoyed some amazing successes and victories. I am looking forward to remaining part of the MSR family and contributing to the MSR vision as we chase down further successes in the future.”
Castroneves, 49, is in his first season as minority partner with MSR after winning a record-tying fourth Indy 500 with the team in May 2021. The popular Brazilian finished 20th, and on the lead-lap, Sunday in the No. 06 MSR with Curb Agajanian Cleveland-Cliffs Honda.
“We were a little on-and-off,” Castroneves said after an event delayed four hours by rain. “Unfortunately, the gears we had on the car really ended up hurting us on the restarts. It was not a very typical race with how the clouds and shadows came in. And I had a mistake on the last pit stop; we just locked-up the rear and went a little long unfortunately. I don’t think we had a car to win to be honest, but we had a shot to be to be in the top-10, for sure.”
Qualifying in Detroit is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. (EDT) today with coverage on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Sunday’s 100-lap race will be broadcast live starting at noon on USA Network and Peacock. SiriusXM also will carry live IndyCar Radio coverage on XM Channel 218.
Alex Palou opened defense of his Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear victory by leading Friday’s first practice with a hot lap of 1-minute, 1.7210-seconds/95.948 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Alex Palou – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Paul Hurley
The two-time/reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion, Palou will aim for his second consecutive pole on the 1.645-mile/nine-turn circuit in Downtown Motown during NTT P1 Award qualifying early Saturday afternoon. Palou, a native of Spain, leads the championship by 20 points over Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and native New Zealander Scott Dixon after five of 17 point-paying races.
“It was busy,” Palou said of the 75-minute session. “I visited the runoff areas a couple of times here-and- there, just trying to find the limit and the grip of the track. The track is grippier – a lot grippier – than last year. Pretty happy. The car feels good so far.”
Pato O’Ward, runnerup to Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden last Sunday in the 108th Indianapolis 500, was second-fast under sunny skies at 1:01.7315/95.932 mph.
“We have some work to do,” said O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio. “The important thing is getting the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to a good working window to extract lap time out of it. It’s quite difficult to navigate all of the bumps on the braking zones, and that can make or break your lap. It will be important to be precise for qualifying.”
Colton Herta was third at 1:01.7968/95.830 mph in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. Kyle Kirkwood, winner of street-circuit races last season at Long Beach and Nashville, was fourth at 1:01.8103/95.809 mph in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda as Andretti Global was the only team with two drivers in the top-five. Indy 500 pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand completed the top-five at 1:02.0959/95.369 mph in the No. 3 Gallagher Team Penske Chevrolet.
Newgarden, who earned his second straight win in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” last Sunday, was sixth at 1:02.2377/95.151 mph in the No. 3 Hitachi Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet despite contact with Kirkwood when traffic backed-up on the course. Santino Ferrucci, a resident of Dallas, was the only other driver to crack the 95 mph barrier in the field of 27 at 95.014 mph in the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet fielded by A.J. Foyt Racing.
Dixon, a six-time series champion, was 12th on the chart at 94.449 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank CGR Honda.
Wall contact by Jack Harvey forced a red flag with less than 15 minutes remaining in the session. Harvey clipped the left-side barrier in Turn 7, careening across the track and hitting the right-side barrier before his No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda stopped between Turns 7 and 8. The Brit was uninjured.
Six-position starting grid penalties have been announced by sanctioning body INDYCAR for the No. 4 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda driven by rookie Kyffin Simpson and the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda driven by Graham Rahal for unapproved engine changes following last Sunday’s 108th Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The teams were in violation of:
Rule 16.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.
According to Rule 16.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street-course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear Sunday on the Streets of Detroit.
Louis Foster charged to the top of the INDY NXT by Firestone leaderboard late in Friday’s opening practice for the Detroit Grand Prix. Foster’s best lap on the 1.645-mile/nine-turn temporary street circuit in Downtown Motown was 1-minute, 6.8356-seconds in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car fielded by Andretti Global. Nolan Siegel was second at 1:07.2513 in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports machine.
“There are a few places where the track organizers have smoothed over some of the bumps,” Foster said. “But it’s still very bumpy, it’s still quite aggressive and it’s still quite hard to drive. But that’s what makes it so much fun. We just continue to do what we’re doing, push forward and hope to get some more wins.”
