IMSA Star Tom Blomqvist Prepares For IndyCar Debut In Honda Indy Toronto

Two-time and reigning Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Tom Blomqvist will climb into the No. 60 SiriusXM/Auto Nation Honda on Friday, July 14 on the streets of Toronto. The IMSA star will make his IndyCar debut in Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto in the first step to what may be a full-time IndyCar ride in 2024.

After Meyer Shank Racing IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud was involved in a crash at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 1, the 2016 IndyCar Series champion and 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner was not cleared by IndyCar Medical to return to action.

Pagenaud was re-evaluated earlier this week and was not granted medical clearance for Toronto.

Enter Blomqvist, one of the fastest and most exciting drivers in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Series.

“I got a ‘might be’ a week ago after Mid-Ohio and then I got a ‘it’s happening’ sometime Tuesday evening,” Blomqvist said Thursday in Toronto. “It’s a little bit last minute.

“It will be one of the most difficult race weekends of my career. I’m here. I have to make the most of it. I’m thanking (team owners) Jim Meyer and Michael Shank right now, but I might be hating them after the weekend.

“I’ve got my eyes wide open. There is no pressure. They can’t expect much out of me because I have about 90 laps in an Indy car around the Sebring short track. This is a whole new challenge for me.

“I have my ‘Floaties.’ I don’t know if I will be drowning, but we will see.”

Blomqvist drives for Meyer Shank Racing’s IMSA team in an Acura and has proven to be one of the best sports car racers in IMSA. Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves are the two Meyer Shank Racing drivers in IndyCar.

Conor Daly filled in for the injured Pagenaud in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio because he was already on site as a spectator. Daly was relieved of his ride at Ed Carpenter Racing following the June 4 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

Blomqvist, however, is considered to be the favorite to get a ride with Meyer Shank Racing’s IndyCar team in 2024. Team owner Michael Shank has confirmed that “there will be changes” to his team next season because “we can’t continue with the way things are going.”

Both Castroneves and Pagenaud are struggling in IndyCar. Castroneves is 20^th in the standings and Pagenaud is 25^th, but his standing is affected by missing the July 2 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

Although he is one of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, Castroneves’ best finish this season is 10^th at Texas Motor Speedway on April 22. He has three finishes of 21^st, one 22^nd and one 23^rd place finish this season.

Pagenaud’s best finishes are 13^th at Detroit and 14^th at Road America, but he has two 25^th-place finishes and one 26^th place this season.

Meantime in IMSA, Blomqvist has two victories, including last week’s win at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport) in Bowmanville, Ontario in the No. 60 Acura GTP.

The 29-year-old has four career IMSA wins, all coming in the past two seasons.

He enters Friday’s opening practice at IndyCar without any simulation work.

“I’m coming in here pretty blind,” Blomqvist said. “I don’t have high expectations in myself. I drove the car in testing last year, but before that haven’t driven single seaters in like nine years.

“I’m still a competitor and want to give it my all. This is a big learning weekend and a huge learning experience. I just have to take it all in and try to build on it. That’s the most important thing.”

Blomqvist hopes to leave the weekend satisfied with the performance in a limited time. Simple things like coming in and out of the pit box on a difficult street course and the way IndyCar conducts practice puts him in the “deep end.”

“There are a lot of rumors about what is going on in the future, but this is an extremely big opportunity for me to learn as much as possible,” Blomqvist said. “The team has a lot of faith in me to put me in this situation. I’m hoping to do the best job possible and happy when I leave the weekend and not disappointed that I wasn’t able to perform to respectable with limited running.

“I’m relatively confident I will be OK, but that first practice session will be wild.”

When Blomqvist arrived in Toronto on Thursday, he realized he had plenty to learn.

“I haven’t even had time yet to get together with engineers,” he said. “I’m not a computer and not sure how much data I can put in head, but this is a once-in-life opportunity for me, and I have to take it as it comes.

“Nobody is expecting miracles, but I’m a competitor. I’m a racing driver. I have to figure out quite quickly how to understand to get the most out of the car.

“I have 85 laps to hang on, on Sunday and that is my biggest concern.

“It’s going to be heavy from the start.”