By Luis Torres, Staff Writer
All the talk and preparation is over as the 2024 INDYCAR season kicks off at the popular St. Petersburg Street Circuit in Florida. Several headlines will be made throughout the 18 sanctioned events, highlighted by the million-dollar exhibition race at Thermal Club, and the return of both Milwaukee and Nashville Superspeedway.
The stories range from veterans moving onto new teams to others looking to reclaim their reputation as racers.
As always, you’ll have a new breed of competitors ranging from Indy NXT grads to a former NASCAR winner. For some, they’re apart of INDYCAR’s elite organizations while others look to get the program in the right direction.
When it comes down to it, there are three full-time rookies on the grid with an additional three running a limited schedule. Out of the part-time trio, two of them are in a waiting game as to how many more races they’ll compete in after the first third of the year is over.
Without further ado, here are the six men that fans will look to become acclimated of throughout 2024.
Tom Blomqvist — No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Age: 30
Nation: England
2023 INDYCAR Starts: 3 (Best Finish: 25th at Toronto)
Accomplishments: 2x Rolex 24 at Daytona winner (2022 & 2023) and 2022 IMSA SportsCar Champion (DPi class)
An accomplished sports car racer, Blomqvist will continue to prove his worth at Meyer Shank Racing as he’ll look to play a key role into the team’s turnaround in 2024.
No secret, MSR struggled immensely last season, highlighted by Simon Pagenaud’s season-ending crash during practice at Mid-Ohio. Blomqvist was given an opportunity to compete in three races and while he endured rough outings, it was much-needed valuable experience.
Moreover, to get himself acclimated into something different where the challenge is visible.
Blomqvist will be teammates with series veteran Felix Rosenqvist, who came from Arrow McLaren and is aware of the challenges that lies ahead. Among those challenges include getting back into open wheel racing after nearly a decade away from his days in junior formula where he ended up runner-up in European F3 before diving into touring and sports car competition.
“This is the first time in a while where I’ve got this sort of, this anxious energy about getting started because it’s so new,” said Blomqvist in January. “Obviously I’ve been…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Motorsports Tribune…