We hit the halfway of the IndyCar Wrap-Ups, and out of the cellar is Meyer Shank Racing. After a year to forget in 2023, which saw MSR lose its top driver due to injury, the team came into 2024 with a new lineup. There were concerns if this new duo could produce better results than the tried-and-true experience of Simon Pagenaud and Hélio Castroneves. The good news is the speed was there, and MSR was at the top immediately. However, an experiment was aborted early, but the early choice to make a change might have proved to be poignant and earned the team at least $1 million when this season was said and done.
Felix Rosenqvist
After three good but not great years at Arrow McLaren, Rosenqvist moved to the third organization in his IndyCar career. It was a new situation for everyone. Rosenqvist became a team leader after taking secondary roles at his first two stops. Meyer Shank Racing had hired a driver with a somewhat unproven track record. The pace had been there and he had gotten good results, but not with great consistency. For where things were for each driver and team coming into this season, 2024 was a promising sign for the future.
What objectively was his best race?
Rosenqvist's best finish this season was fourth at Barber Motorsports Park after sticking to a two-stop strategy. Rosenqvist was able to pass Álex Palou late in the race to take fourth after spending the entire race in the top ten and competing for a top five for most of that time.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is tough to say St. Petersburg is anyone's best race because the results are a tad misleading. The record book will say Rosenqvist was fifth, but he really finished seventh on the road. Regardless of the finish, this was a great statement to start the season for him and the MSR organization. He qualified second and he was hanging with pole-sitter Josef Newgarden over the opening stint. Rosenqvist struggled on the primary tire and that cost him, especially on restarts. He still got a top ten result, which turned into a top five after the fact, and it was a positive start.
What objectively was his worst race?
Twice did Rosenqvist finish 27th this season. He was 27th in the Indianapolis 500 after losing his engine while running in the top ten. He suffered a tire puncture while running in the top ten at Nashville.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Overall, we could say the let down of Rosenqvist's season was finishing so far behind where he started. Too often would he start sixth or seventh and finish outside the top ten or he would start in the top five and then finish eighth. His 23rd at Toronto was not entirely due to a driver fault. The hybrid let him down, but Rosenqvist was running in contention for a top five result. He had a bad pit stop cost him time and he went off in turn three before the hybrid issue ended his race.
Felix Rosenqvist's 2024 Statistics
Championship Position: 12th (306 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 5
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 5
Fast Twelves: 7
Average Start: 9.411
Average Finish: 13.882
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 5
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 5
Fast Twelves: 7
Average Start: 9.411
Average Finish: 13.882
David Malukas
Nobody had a more chaotic season than David Malukas. Set to drive for Arrow McLaren, coincidentally to replace Felix Rosenqvist at the organization, Malukas suffered a wrist injury in a mountain biking accident less than a month before the start of the season. The injury was so severe that it kept him out for an extended period of time. After the Barber Motorsports Park round, McLaren released Malukas from his contract. It wasn't until there was an opening at MSR did Malukas get his shot to race in 2024, returning for the final ten races of the season.
What objectively was his best race?
While Toronto was one of Rosenqvist's worst races, Malukas had his best race in Canada, starting and finishing sixth, but Malukas did catch a break avoiding all the chaos in this race and he made up spots us other drivers fell out. For a portion of this race, it wasn't certain he would finish in the top ten.
While Toronto was one of Rosenqvist's worst races, Malukas had his best race in Canada, starting and finishing sixth, but Malukas did catch a break avoiding all the chaos in this race and he made up spots us other drivers fell out. For a portion of this race, it wasn't certain he would finish in the top ten.
What subjectively was his best race?
Malukas probably should have been on the podium at Gateway Motorsports Park. After starting on the front row, Malukas was holding his own batting at the front with Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin. Malukas was the best Honda for majority of this race before he was squeezed in turn two by Power, taking Malukas out of the race and placing him 21st.
What objectively was his worst race?
On the opening lap in the first Iowa race, Malukas spun exiting turn two and he was out of the race before completing a lap.
What subjectively was his worst race?
On the opening lap in the first Iowa race, Malukas spun exiting turn two and he was out of the race before completing a lap.
What subjectively was his worst race?
It is Gateway because this felt like Malukas' best chance at victory. He was in the picture for the entire race and he was probably going to finish on the podium if it wasn't for the contact. Malukas did nothing wrong, and it was surprising Power did not receive a penalty for what looked to be avoidable contact.
David Malukas' 2024 Statistics
Championship Position: 24th (148 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 19
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 3
Average Start: 8.7
Average Finish: 16
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 19
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 3
Average Start: 8.7
Average Finish: 16
Tom Blomqvist
The Tom Blomqvist experiment had already been put into motion in 2023. Blomqvist ran three races as a substitute for the injured Simon Pagenaud. Those were some rough days, but Blomqvist was returning to open-wheel competition after having been away from it for practically a decade. Expectations were low, and Blomqvist looked more comfortable than his IndyCar sampling the year before, but the results were not good enough and pressure forced MSR to make a difficult decision.
What objectively was his best race?
Blomqvist's best result was 15th in the season opener at St. Petersburg. It was better than any of his first three results in IndyCar from the previous season. It was an improvement of two spots from his starting position.
What subjectively was his best race?
What subjectively was his best race?
It was St. Petersburg, though Blomqvist had a good showing at Barber Motorsports Park. He made a surprise appearance in the second round of qualifying at Barber, and he did well though he slid back to 19th. Blomqvist did complete all the laps.
What objectively was his worst race?
It was 31st in the Indianapolis 500 after Blomqvist spun in turn one after getting a little too low on the opening corner of the race.
What subjectively was his worst race?
It was 31st in the Indianapolis 500 after Blomqvist spun in turn one after getting a little too low on the opening corner of the race.
What subjectively was his worst race?
It is Indianapolis because Blomqvist's season ended right then and there. His best finish through five races was 15th, his average finish was 22nd, he had only scored 46 points, and he was 24th in points as was the #66 Honda 24th in the entrants' championship. Meyer Shank Racing could not afford to have this entry not be in the Leader Circle for a second consecutive season, and a change had to be made.
Tom Blomqvist's 2024 Statistics
Championship Position: 30th (46 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 19
Average Finish: 22
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 19
Average Finish: 22
An Early Look Ahead
We know the 2025 lineup. Rosenqvist is staying and Marcus Armstrong is being farmed out to the #66 Honda from Chip Ganassi Racing as Meyer Shank Racing will form a technical alliance with Ganassi after having run in partnership with Andretti Global since its IndyCar debut in the 2017 Indianapolis 500.
MSR should be feeling significantly better than it did at this point last year. Last year, MSR was coming off a year where nothing went right and it didn't appear the team could do anything right. This year, MSR look competitive and had good days, but there is still another step this team must take.
The qualifying pace is there, but the race pace was notably absent. That hurt the team on a consistent basis. The team must work on having better cars over entire races and also employing correct strategies to yield the best result. Too often did we see the MSR cars go backward after everyone was enthused to see them at the front at the end of qualifying on Saturday.
Before this season, I questioned if Rosenqvist could be a leader. He did a great job qualifying and putting MSR at the front, but the race results must follow in 2025. Not all his bad days were entirely driver error. MSR is a team that has struggled to maximize strategy to get a result and Rosenqvist is a driver that has struggled to maximize turning single-lap pace into a result. It is a rough combination when neither side's strength can make up for the other's weakness.
Considering how 2023 went, 12th in the championship is a great result for Rosenqvist and MSR. This team was not going to leap into the top five in the championship, but this was the step it had to see. Top ten in the championship looks reasonable, especially if it can have its race finishes more close match its qualifying efforts.
Marcus Armstrong will lift this team and Armstrong will push Rosenqvist. These are two drivers that should be able to work off one another. Armstrong had some teething moments in his sophomore season, but he had flashes and if he can have a car that is regularly starting in the top ten and occasionally making the Fast Six, Armstrong could be lined up to improve from his second season.
The Ganassi relationship should help. Rosenqvist has history with the team and it seems he is still well regarded at that organization. This could feel like a five-car team even if these are two separate entities. Top ten in the championship is possible, but MSR could reach new heights. This could be the sleeper team that wins a race or two in 2025. All the pieces are there on paper. It is a matter of what they do in reality starting March 2.
