We have completed another IndyCar season, and 37 drivers started a race this season. In our traditional format, each IndyCar team will be reviewed, looking at the best and the worst from each driver. Unlike past seasons, we start with a different team. New to the cellar, Meyer Shank Racing entered 2023 with concerns, and the year ended with plenty of disappointment. Two of IndyCar's most successful drivers in the 21st century were not enough to produce respectable results for MSR. An accident forced a change midseason, and now the team is set for a significant shakeup.
Hélio Castroneves
Castroneves returned to full-time IndyCar competition last season, and it was a rude-awakening compared to when the Brazilian was last full-time driving for Team Penske. Things did not get better in year two with MSR. In what was his 26th season of competition and 22nd as a full-time driver, Castroneves had the worst results of his career. His second IndyCar exit does not have the same joy as the first one six years ago.
What objectively was his best race?
It was a tenth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Castroneves benefitted from a late wavearound to gain a few more positions and Romain Grosjean's accident on the penultimate lap did give Castroneves an extra spot.
What subjectively was his best race?
This was not a great season for Meyer Shank Racing, and Castroneves did not have many standout days. Texas was good and the only other race where he was a notably gaining ground was Nashville, moving from 17th to 11th.
What objectively was his worst race?
Castroneves was caught in the opening lap accident at St. Petersburg and did not complete a lap. He barely completed three corners, finishing 23rd. He was also 23rd in an unremarkable day at Gateway.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Castroneves was caught in the opening lap accident at St. Petersburg and did not complete a lap. He barely completed three corners, finishing 23rd. He was also 23rd in an unremarkable day at Gateway.
What subjectively was his worst race?
It was tough to watch Castroneves be regularly uncompetitive this season. Each race it felt like you could chalk Castroneves to be somewhere between 16th and 22nd on the starting grid and not finishing much better than that. The Indianapolis 500 was probably the one hope that Castroneves could be toward the front, but he was stuck in the middle of the field all race and was 15th.
Hélio Castroneves' 2023 Statistics
Championship Position: 18th (217 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 1
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 18.706
Average Finish: 17.294
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 1
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 18.706
Average Finish: 17.294
Simon Pagenaud
One of the cleanest drivers in IndyCar, Pagenaud's ability to bring a car home was not enough to produce results. It was not for a lack of trying, but the Frenchman was out of reach from a top ten spot he once regularly occupied. Just as things were getting better, Pagenaud's season, and possibly even his entire career, was thrown for a loop.
What objectively was his best race?
At Detroit, Pagenaud qualified eighth, his best starting position of the season, but then he lost some ground during the pit cycles and then finished 13th.
What subjectively was his best race?
At Detroit, Pagenaud qualified eighth, his best starting position of the season, but then he lost some ground during the pit cycles and then finished 13th.
What subjectively was his best race?
It was Detroit. It was the only strong race of the season.
What objectively was his worst race?
Pagenaud's worst finish was St. Petersburg, where he was 26th after being caught in the opening lap accident, and that was foreshadowing for his season, because it got worse from here. Ultimately, the worst race of the season is the one he did not get to participate in, Mid-Ohio.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Pagenaud's worst finish was St. Petersburg, where he was 26th after being caught in the opening lap accident, and that was foreshadowing for his season, because it got worse from here. Ultimately, the worst race of the season is the one he did not get to participate in, Mid-Ohio.
What subjectively was his worst race?
His accident during Mid-Ohio practice took him out of a race and took Pagenaud out for the reminder of the season. He walked away but the physical toll of rolling six times in the air took him out for multiple months. Missing Mid-Ohio made sense but when it became Toronto and Iowa and then Nashville, it stunned most of us considering Pagenaud never showed any distress or anguish from the accident. Pagenaud did not return to competition this season after the Mid-Ohio accident. His IndyCar career remains a massive question mark.
Simon Pagenaud's 2023 Statistics
Championship Position: 28th (88 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 18.25
Average Finish: 19.75
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 18.25
Average Finish: 19.75
Conor Daly
With Pagenaud out of the car, MSR called upon Conor Daly, who had been released from Ed Carpenter Racing after Detroit in June, to fill-in for the Mid-Ohio round. As Pagenaud remained sidelined, Daly was called upon once more for Iowa.
What objectively was his best race?
In Daly's third start for MSR, he was 17th in the second Iowa race, only finishing two laps down and only one position behind his teammate Castroneves.
What subjectively was his best race?
It was Mid-Ohio. To jump into the car on Sunday just for the morning warm-up and the race and finish 20th, one position ahead of Castroneves, was a good outing and a good rebound after being booted from Ed Carpenter Racing less than a month prior.
What objectively was his worst race?
In the first Iowa race, Daly was 21st, five laps down.
What subjectively was his worst race?
In the first Iowa race, Daly was 21st, five laps down.
What subjectively was his worst race?
In reality, none of these three races were all that spectacular, but it was an accurate showing of MSR's capabilities in 2023.
Conor Daly's 2023 Statistics with Meyer Shank Racing
Championship Position: 25th (32 of his 134 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 21.333
Average Finish: 19.333
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 21.333
Average Finish: 19.333
Linus Lundqvist
As the #60 Honda needed a driver, MSR rotated through a selection of drivers in place of Pagenaud. The 2022 Indy Lights champion Lundqvist was unable to secure a full-time ride at the start of the season. Without receiving offers from anyone else, Lundqvist ran a few races as a substitute at MSR, and the Swede produced some of MSR's best results.
What objectively was his best race?
In his second career start, Lundqvist started and finished 12th in the August IMS road course race.
What subjectively was his best race?
Though the better finish came at Indianapolis, Nashville was a stout debut drive for Lundqvist. He made the second round of qualifying on debut. He was solidly in the top half of the field before he brushed the barrier on exit of the final corner. He also picked up fastest lap on debut.
The IMS road course race deserves a mention because Lundqvist was on the edge of the top ten for a portion of the race, but then settle back in 12th. He didn't really run lower than 12th for the entire race.
Since he only made three starts, Gateway should not be ignored. Lundqvist was faster than Castroneves the entire weekend, the first oval weekend for Lundqvist in IndyCar. The Swede faded late in the race but was running in the middle of the field for most of it. He was 18th, but picked up his second fastest lap in three appearances.
What objectively was his worst race?
That accident at Nashville meant Lundqvist was 25th with 69 laps completed.
What subjectively was his worst race?
That accident at Nashville meant Lundqvist was 25th with 69 laps completed.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Lundqvist was hard on himself after the Nashville accident, which is understandable. He was slightly off line and the marbles tripped him up, but he showed over the first 69 laps of the race that he fits in IndyCar and the moment was not too big for him. Chip Ganassi apparently agreed in that assessment.
Linus Lundqvist's 2023 Statistics
Championship Position: 31st (35 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 11.667
Average Finish: 18.333
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 11.667
Average Finish: 18.333
Tom Blomqvist
MSR did not have to look far to find a fill-in for the #60 Honda. It didn't even have to look further than its own building. Called up at Toronto, MSR took its sports car driver Blomqvist and gave him his IndyCar debut after having tested the Briton earlier in the year. This turned out to be more than just a substitution. It was the start of an entire change of scenery.
What objectively was his best race?
At Portland, Blomqvist completed 109 of 110 laps and finished 24th.
What subjectively was his best race?
Portland is not much to write home about, but Blomqvist did make it to the end of the race in his second career start, which is much further than he got on debut, but that wasn't on him.
What objectively was his worst race?
Blomqvist was 26th at Laguna Seca after contact with Santino Ferrucci on a restart ended his race. The Briton's day was not going great up to that point, but his race ended after completing only 61 laps.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Blomqvist was 26th at Laguna Seca after contact with Santino Ferrucci on a restart ended his race. The Briton's day was not going great up to that point, but his race ended after completing only 61 laps.
What subjectively was his worst race?
That would be his debut in Toronto, where Blomqvist was collected in the opening lap accident exiting turn one and he failed to complete a lap, placing him in 25th. This was not Blomqvist's fault. He was caught on the outside and got bumped into the barrier. There was nothing he could do and it was a harsh welcoming to IndyCar.
Tom Blomqvist's 2023 Statistics
Championship Position: 34th (16 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.667
Average Finish: 25
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.667
Average Finish: 25
An Early Look Ahead
Meyer Shank Racing will flip the lineup for the 2024 season. Tom Blomqvist will move over from the sports car program to run IndyCar full-time. Joining him will be Felix Rosenqvist, who is leaving Arrow McLaren, and will be joining his third team in six seasons.
The issues are greater than the drivers. Castroneves was in his mid-40s and spent a handful of seasons out of full-time IndyCar racing prior to his stint with MSR. The results were not going to be great for this second act of his career. However, Pagenaud joined the team only three years removed from winning the Indianapolis 500 and he had finished in the top ten of the championship in six consecutive seasons and in nine of the previous ten seasons.
Something happened in July 2022 that sent MSR in a downward spiral it has not gotten itself out of. After Toronto 2022, Pagenaud was ranked tenth in the championship and he had six top ten finishes in the first ten races of that season. Since the 2022 Toronto weekend, Pagenaud had one top ten finishes. In that same timespan, Castroneves had one top ten finishes. Out of 48 entries, MSR had two top ten finishes. The bottom fell out on MSR in July 2022 and the team has not figured out how to correct the issue.
The team will now bring together a quick but inconsistent IndyCar veteran and a successful sports car driver whose only single-seater experience in the previous nine years is Formula E.
Rosenqvist left us impressed as a rookie in 2019, but he has yet to run at the level again outside a few races over the last four seasons. Blomqvist showed he has a lot of work to do in his three appearances this season. Nothing shouts that this is going to work in 2024. Of all the moves MSR could have done, this feels like one of the more riskier ones.
Pagenaud's health forced the team's hand, but the steadiness of a veteran is not there. Rosenqvist is unproven to be a driver to build around. He is primed for a second seat, not a lead seat at this time, especially with a teammate that is behind a learning curve.
The hope is MSR improves because IndyCar needs MSR around. Mike Shank is a young car owner with an interest in IndyCar. It wasn't long ago IndyCar was drawing 21 cars to a race and it had gone over five years since a new team appeared on the grid. MSR slowly got into the IndyCar waters and won an Indianapolis 500 with a one-off entry in its second season as a full-time competitor.
MSR can be a competitive team but it has lost its way. In the right hands, MSR could re-establish itself as a regular top ten finisher while occasionally showing the pace to push for the podium. That rise feels unlikely to come in 2024.
