Pataskala, Ohio (17 July 2024) – The summer stretch that features four NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in a three-week stretch will wrap up this weekend in Toronto and Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) is looking to reclaim some momentum after a pair of hard-luck weekends.
Both MSR machines will enter the Toronto race weekend with new looks as the No. 60 and No. 66 MSR cars will adorn SiriusXM Canada branding with the series set to race across the border. David Malukas’ No. 66 SiriusXM Honda will feature a special livery in collaboration with SiriusXM Canada to showcase Canadian rock band, The Tragically Hip (SiriusXM channel 757).
After starting the season with four consecutive top-10 results, MSR has been in the top half of the 27-car field in most races since, but has struggled to card a top-10 result in the last five events. The team has made solid progress since putting Malukas (No. 66 SiriusXM Honda) in the cockpit of the No. 66 car as the young driver has taken that mount to its best finishes of the 2024 season including a season-best 12th-place run at Mid-Ohio after starting third.
Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda) has maintained his solid qualifying form with top-five starting positions at Laguna Seca and the second Iowa Speedway race, but has suffered some unforeseen problems such as the mechanical failure last Sunday that scuttled a potential top-five run in Iowa.
Rosenqvist has led the team’s efforts thus far in 2024, scoring seven top-10 qualifying results through the year’s 11 points-paying races. He brought MSR its first-ever NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole when he led Long Beach qualifying and is just seven points out of the top-10 in the championship standings.
Toronto would seem to be a proper launching point for a Rosenqvist turnaround as the Swedish driver has always shown an affinity for the 11-turn, 1.786-mile street course that weaves throughout the city’s Exhibition Place. Rosenqvist has three previous Toronto starts and has started eighth or better in all of them and has top-10 results in all three starts – capped by a third-place run in 2022. Malukas has two starts, highlighted by a fifth-place qualifying results in his 2022 debut.
MSR will wrap up a three-weekend streak of racing with the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, which takes place on the streets of the Canadian city. Qualifying takes place on Saturday 2:45 p.m. E.T., with the race broadcast set for 1p.m. on Peacock. The races, along with all other INDYCAR action can be heard live on Sirius XM Radio, Channel 218.
Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:
Felix Rosenqvist: “We had a rough weekend in Iowa and the last few rounds have been a little but disappointing for different reasons, especially with the pace that we started out the season with. Toronto is certainly a track that I have been good at in the past and I have enjoyed racing there. Normally our street course car is pretty good. We’re excited because we have a new chance to bounce back from Iowa.”
David Malukas: “I’m looking forward to switch things up at my first street course this season at the Honda Indy Toronto! Although our recent race results haven’t been what we hoped for, we’re focused on turning things around and are optimistic about what this weekend holds. The Meyer Shank Racing team has been working hard, and I have full confidence in our abilities. Together we’re ready to rise to the occasion and show what we can do on track.”