Tom Blomqvist will drive for Meyer Shank Racing in the last two races of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Sept. 3 at Portland International Raceway and Sept. 10 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Blomqvist will compete in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda in the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, substituting for Simon Pagenaud, who continues to recover from an accident in early July at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Pagenaud has not been medically cleared by the INDYCAR medical team to run the final two races.
These will be the second and third starts of Blomqvist’s young NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. He qualified 20th and finished 25th in July at the Honda Indy Toronto after he was collected in a crash on the first lap. Blomqvist again will team with four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves at MSR for the last two races of this season.
English driver Blomqvist, 29, earlier this month was named as one of MSR’s full-time drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES starting in 2024.
“Obviously the circumstances are quite tricky with Simon’s recovery and the whole situation surrounding the 60 car,” Blomqvist said. “I know the whole team and myself included are thinking about him as he recovers. I’ve got to thank Jim (Meyer) and Mike (Shank) for getting me in the car and looking ahead now to next season having been confirmed to drive with MSR next year. It’s a good thing to be getting these races under my belt before the season and working in preparation for my full program in 2024. I got a brief test in Toronto under very challenging circumstances - without any real preparation whatsoever.
“Now I’ve got a little bit more understanding and knowledge, and I’m hoping it’s going to be easier this time. I’m going to have the opportunity to get into the simulator, and I know a little bit more of what to expect in terms of the way the weekend runs. I don’t know Portland at all, and I know everyone has been racing flat-out in the summer. It’s still going to be an absolutely huge challenge. The series is so, so competitive, and I am still new to these cars. I’m not putting any pressure on myself, and I’m just going to go out there and do my best.”
Blomqvist is moving to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES after a stellar career in sports cars. He won the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the DPi class with MSR. He also won the Rolex 24 At Daytona with the team in 2022 and 2023.
Live coverage of the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix at Portland starts at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 3 on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.