Pataskala, Ohio (28 August 2024) – The penultimate weekend of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will go a long way toward determining how the story of the ’24 campaign is told for Meyer Shank Racing (MSR).
A solid year of resurgence for the MSR squad has put the Ohio-based team in line for its most successful season since growing to a two-car INDYCAR effort in 2020, but this weekend’s Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 doubleheader has the potential to either cement those gains or force the Ohio-based team to have a big weekend in the Sept. 15 season finale.
The weekend is uncharted territory not only for MSR, but for the series as a whole. INDYCAR returns to the venerable one-mile Wisconsin oval for the first time since 2015, and does so for a Saturday/Sunday doubleheader, which is a first for open-wheel racing at the Mile.
The world’s oldest operating motor speedway has been a staple of series history and has seen many of the sport’s greatest drivers visit its Victory Lane. But because the famed track has not been on the schedule in recent seasons, neither Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) nor David Malukas (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) have ever competed on the flat oval.
In fact, among MSR personnel, only minority owner Helio Castroneves and team founder and co-owner Michael Shank have ever raced on the track which is on the site of the Wisconsin State Fair. Castroneves has 11 starts and two poles in CART/INDYCAR competition while Shank competed there while running in the 1996 Player’s Toyota Atlantic Championship.
The doubleheader gives Rosenqvist a chance to climb back into the top 10 in the season standings, as he currently sits just nine points out the tenth spot after carding six top-10 results in the year’s 14 points-paying races. Malukas can lock the team’s No. 66 car into the series’ Leader Circle program with a strong finish, which provides important incentive funds to INDYCAR teams. The No. 66 machine is currently 20th in a program that rewards the top-22.
Qualifying for both races takes place Saturday afternoon at 2:15pm ET with the first Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 race taking the green flag at 6pm ET. That race can be seen exclusively on Peacock. Sunday’s green flag flies at 3:00pm ET and can be seen on USA Network and Peacock. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES sessions can be heard live on SiriusXM Channel 218.
Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:
Felix Rosenqvist: “Big weekend and lots of points at play in Milwaukee. We’ve definitely been on a rise on the ovals this year, so it’s pretty exciting to see what we can do for the final three races of the season. It will be my first time racing on the Milwaukee oval, and I think a lot of teams are in similar situations having not raced here in a few years, which hopefully will put us all on an even playing field for the weekend.”
David Malukas: “We’re aiming for a strong comeback this week at the Milwaukee Mile. The Meyer Shank Racing cars have been fast, and we had a great test at the track earlier in June. With the pace we’ve shown and the progress we’ve made, I’m confident we can deliver a standout result, especially with two opportunities this weekend. The entire team is motivated, and we’re ready to capitalize on our momentum.”