Helio Castroneves becomes IndyCar minority owner; Will Drive Indy 500

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winning driver Helio Castroneves will shift gears in his remarkable IndyCar career, while still maintaining a chance to win a record-breaking fifth Indianapolis 500 beginning in 2024.

The popular driver from Brazil will throttle back to an Indy 500-only effort beginning next season but will move into the team ownership role as a minority partner at Meyer-Shank Racing.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us, no question about,” Castroneves said. “But this is another chapter in my career. I want to be very clear: I am not retiring, okay? I just want to make sure people understand that.

“Actually, my line is open now to do other series. I can do SRX, IMSA, NASCAR, Stockcar Brazil, whatever the lines ring.

“Obviously, the main focus IndyCar, in my role, as Jim Meyer (team co-owner) just alluded to, is different hats, and also ‘Drive for 5.’

“I still have a lot of fire inside me, a lot of energy that I want to burn, but now I’m going to focus that burn in the Indy 500.”

IMSA Sports Car star Tom Blomqvist will take over Castroneves’ full-time ride beginning next season.

“It’s obviously a step up in terms of career trajectory,” Blomqvist said. “That’s something I’m really excited about.

“Also, I’m coming back to my roots. It’s been almost I think nine, eight years since I last stepped foot properly in a single-seater series. It’s something I grew up with the goal of obviously chasing that Formula 1 dream. I kind of sidestepped that for quite a while really.

“This opportunity only arose since joining Mike and his team, then just kind of proving to them that I was capable and worthy of getting given the shot in INDYCAR. I’m super, super grateful for that.

“I’m extremely excited. It’s been a while. I’ve been doing something so different for so long, but I think time will tell. I’m pretty confident I’ll figure this thing out.”

Among Castroneves new roles will be working with the team’s driver lineup, including Blomqvist as he begins his rookie season in IndyCar.

“That’s a great thing is the experience that I create, and I build all these years, I definitely can help Tom, for example, in this case just starting with IndyCar,” Castroneves said. “The great part of it, he’s going to definitely have to call me boss, no question about it. I can’t wait for the other driver, whoever is going to be, to call me boss (laughter).

“No joke aside, we do have a lot of work ahead of us. The best for me in this condition is step aside on that, help Mike and everyone to go to the next level.”

“With the sponsors and partners that we have, for sure it’s going to help looking forward to the future. Again, the ‘Drive for 5’ is alive and it’s not going to go away, and we will get that number five for sure.”

Blomqvist is also switching gears from the Meyer Shank IMSA Acura program to the team’s Honda Indy car.

The team made the announcement Friday morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of this weekend’s IndyCar/NASCAR Race Weekend at the Brickyard.

MSR will expand its IndyCar program starting with the 2024 season, signing a promising young talent, and making a new addition to the ownership group.

The team has signed Blomqvist, who won the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as the 2022 and 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona with MSR, to a multi-year agreement to pilot the team’s first of two full-season entries starting in 2024.

After Castroneves won a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory with MSR in 2021, Castroneves will continue his ‘Drive for 5’ with the Ohio-based team in 2024 and will enter the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 as the third entry for MSR.

“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,” team owner Mike Shank. “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.”

The move from IMSA to IndyCar marks a return to open-wheel competition for Blomqvist, who first forged his name in European competition with outstanding campaigns in Formula Renault and the highly competitive Formula 3 championships.

His career then saw him move to DTM ahead of making his Formula E debut in 2017. Most recently, Blomqvist’s accolades include an LMP2 second place finish in the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans on his way to taking a runner-up result in the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship.

In addition to Blomqvist’s role with MSR in major wins at IMSA’s 24 Hours at Daytona and Motul Petit Le Mans, he has also been an integral part in the team’s development of the all-new Acura LMDh Prototype hybrid in 2023. The British racer ran an astounding single-lap effort to deliver Acura the first-ever IMSA GTP class pole at Daytona and added to the tally of success with a victory alongside Colin Braun last month at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Blomqvist made his IndyCar debut filling in for the recovering Simon Pagenaud in Toronto, but his race unfortunately came to an early end after he was taken out in a first turn, first lap accident that put him out of the race.

“Firstly, I would like to say a huge thank you to Mike and Jim and all the partners – AutoNation
AN
, SiriusXM, Arctic Wolf, Clopay and Cleveland-Cliffs
CLF
– for believing in me and giving me this opportunity,” Blomqvist said. “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.”

Meyer Shank Racing has placed great value in Castroneves’ abilities on and off the track. The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner will stay onboard with Meyer Shank Racing full-time, serving as driver mentor, team ambassador and partner of MSR’s growing list of sponsors which include AutoNation, SiriusXM, Arctic Wolf, Clopay and Cleveland-Cliffs. The Meyer Shank Racing ownership group now includes Mike Shank, Jim Meyer, Liberty Media, and now Castroneves.

“First I want to thank Mike, Jim and Liberty for accepting me as part of the ownership group,” said Castroneves. “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.”

Meyer Shank Racing is still finalizing plans for its second full-season entry in 2024 and will announce soon.