Helio Castroneves has confirmed that Meyer Shank Racing will add a third car for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in 2024 after it was announced that the Brazilian has taken up an ownership role with the team.
“First I want to thank Mike, Jim and Liberty for accepting me as part of the ownership group. “Throughout my career I’ve been very fortunate to surround myself with an amazing group of people and this journey will be my next chapter and I can’t wait for that. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a lot of fuel to burn inside in terms of driving and I will do that at the Indy 500 as I continue my pursuit of the Drive for Five.”
Castroneves will Drive For Five and will work as a driver coach in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with the team next season and speaking about the news, Tom Blomqvist who made is NTT INDYCAR SERIES race debut with the team a number of races ago and speaking about the news he said:
“Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to Mike and Jim and all the partners – AutoNation, SiriusXM, Arctic Wolf, Clopay and Cleveland-Cliffs – for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. “It’s been a good ride the last two years in IMSA, but I’ve been itching to make the step up to INDYCAR and this is an opportunity I’m eager and motivated to make the most of. INDYCAR is an incredibly competitive series and I’m under no illusions in how difficult this championship can be, but I am extremely motivated to make the most of this exciting new challenge.”
Team co-owner Mike Shank commented saying:
We are thrilled to bring Tom (Blomqvist) over to our INDYCAR program full-time starting next year, and to be able to keep Helio as a key part of our program moving forward and go for a fifth Indianapolis 500 victory next year. “I feel like all the planets aligned for us to be able to do this, so I’m really grateful for us to be making this next step as a team. Helio brings so much to what we do overall as a team, both in terms of our competition package and all of his experience, as well as how he’s able to engage with our partners. So having him transition to this role is really exciting for everyone involved.”