Lundqvist finishes12th in second-ever INDYCAR SERIES race, Castroneves finishes 15th after grid penalty
Indianapolis, Ind. – (12 August 2023) – After starting the weekend by revealing some of its direction for the future, Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) went out on race day and put forth one of its best efforts of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season in Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix.
Just one day after being announced as part of the MSR ownership group as a minority partner, Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / Cleveland-Cliffs Honda) and his teammate Linus Lundqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) each came home in the top 15 after 85 laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, marking the second time this season that MSR has accomplished the feat.
Lundqvist, making his second series start in relief of the injured Simon Pagenaud, started 12th and found consistent pace on both Firestone primary and alternate tires to stay in the hunt for a top 10 result.
The Swedish pilot flashed into the top five after making his starting set of Firestone alternate tires last as long as the leaders before pitting on Lap 22. He would follow the same path for the remainder of the day, rising up the order as some of those off-sequence drivers pitted before settling for 12th place.
Castroneves qualified 12th yesterday, but started 18th after receiving a grid penalty for a fifth unapproved engine change. The Brazilian made up that deficit almost immediately, gaining four positions on an opening lap that only lasted halfway around the 2.458-mile circuit before the one and only caution was brought out.
The four-time Indianapolis 500 champion started on the black-walled primary Firestone tires and made them last longer than anyone else in the lead group before pitting on Lap 18. Like his teammate, Castroneves flashed into the top 10 during pit cycles, running seventh prior to his final stop.
He continued to battle over the last 20 laps to hold on to his top-15 spot, making 11 passes on the day including one in the final laps to snare the 15th position at the race’s end.
MSR will have next week off before wrapping up its 2023 INDYCAR campaign with three races in as many weeks, starting the run to the end of the year with a visit to the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on August 27,
Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:
Linus Lundqvist:
“I just finished my second-ever INDYCAR race here at IMS and 12th place almost feels like a win to us. We always want to break into the top 10, top 5, even a podium, but the way that the last race played out in Nashville, it was about seeing the checkered flag. We struggled a little bit throughout the weekend, both with me and in terms of balance, but the guys on the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda did a great job overnight turning this car into a beast. I felt really good in that first and second stint, but then I started to struggle a little bit just holding on. Overall, I’m very, very proud with these last two races.”
Helio Castroneves:
“What a weekend. There was a lot going on with MSR this weekend and I am super happy with what’s to come in the future. Being a part of a team’s ownership group is something that I couldn’t believe. I can’t thank Jim Meyer, Mike Shank, Liberty Media Group and all of our partners. Today was tough, we finished 15th and having the engine change penalty didn’t help. We had a good balance and a good rhythm for all of us, so let’s keep it going for the next race.”