As he reflected on his sports car racing career, Tom Blomqvist expressed a desire to continue racing sports cars even as he embarks on the next chapter of his career as a full-time IndyCar Series driver for Meyer Shank Racing. He’ll get that wish in January at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, where the a two-time and defending winner and 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar champion joins the 2023 champ for the season opener.
Blomqvist will team up with Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken to drive the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races next season.
“We’re thrilled that Tom is going to join our team for the IMSA endurance events,” said Gary Nelson, team manager for Action Express Racing that fields the championship-winning car for Cadillac Racing. “We feel that with his experience and recent successes it’s a natural fit for Jack Aitken and Pipo Derani. We’re looking forward to getting in some work this winter so we can hit the ground running when we get to Daytona.”
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Derani, Aitken and Alexander Sims secured the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup drivers’ and teams’ championships with their sixth-place finish at Petit Le Mans. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R won the Twelve Hours of Sebring, earned two other podium finishes, two pole awards and recorded the fastest race lap four times.
Blomqvist, who turns 30 on Nov. 30, has five wins in 30 IMSA starts since 2019, including three in GTP this season — Daytona, Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and Petit Le Mans. The son of 1984 World Rally champion Stig Blomqvist is looking forward to continuing competition with GTP manufacturers’ and IMEC GTP manufacturers’ champion Cadillac Racing.
“After another great season with Meyer Shank Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, it is an honor to be joining Action Express Racing and Cadillac for the endurance rounds of the 2024 campaign,” said Blomqvist. “It is a series I love being a part of, and I’m delighted to be returning once again. To be able to come back to the series and to try to defend my title at Daytona is a huge motivation and I can’t thank Meyer Shank Racing and Honda Performance Development enough for allowing me the opportunity.”
Aitken moves into a full-season role in 2024 to replace Sims, who will remain in the GM Motorsports family to drive the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in IMSA’s GTD PRO class.
North Carolina-based Action Express Racing has earned six IMSA teams’ and drivers’ championships, as well as claiming the seven endurance titles. Cadillac earned a sweep of the IMSA GTP Manufacturer titles, securing its fourth IMSA prototype championship since 2017 and its fifth IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup manufacturers’ championship.