Tom Blomqvist – Syndication Server

Rosenqvist stars in stark contrast to Blomqvist’s troubled Friday

Talk about a great first day on the job. Felix Rosenqvist was signed by the Meyer Shank Racing team many months ago, but the part that matters most-the on-track performance side-is where the real work starts. And in that capacity, MSR’s new leader …

Talk about a great first day on the job. Felix Rosenqvist was signed by the Meyer Shank Racing team many months ago, but the part that matters most—the on-track performance side—is where the real work starts.

And in that capacity, MSR’s new leader sprung a welcome surprise to start the new season by running towards the front of the 75-minute opening practice session at St. Petersburg and sealing his debut with a lap that was massively faster than anyone else in the 27-car field. For a team that suffered through a rough 2023 season, it was a long overdue shot of adrenaline for the Honda-powered squad.

“I’m really happy about that,” Rosenqvist said. “The team has just been super, super nice. And you know, it’s obviously a smaller group, which is good, I think, because it’s just so much easier to get to know everyone and get up to speed quickly. A super good start.”

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The 32-year-old from Sweden spent the last three years with the high-profile Arrow McLaren team, and while he had some success there, expectations from both sides weren’t met as the team’s direction on chassis setup did not match Rosenqvist’s needs until the latter stages of their relationship.

With MSR tied to Andretti Technologies for race engineering, chassis setup info, and dampers for both cars, Rosenqvist has found himself quite pleased with the MSR-Andretti IndyCar package.

“I think it’s also no secret when I went to McLaren, there was a big learning curve with a car and obviously I was a bit worried that it was going to be the same here,” he said. “But it’s been a direct opposite. Like, it clicked from lap one and with the [limited] amount of testing we have, that is super important because you really don’t have time to learn the car.”

On the flip side of the MSR garage… Marshall Pruett

Rosenqvist’s shot to P1 was countered by a problematic start to the event for his rookie teammate Tom Blomqvist who spent a long stretch of time at the start of the session parked on pit lane. With a leak in the gearbox spotted by the team, the 30-year-old Briton sat in the car while the No. 66 crew pulled the gear cluster out of the transmission, inspected everything, and then reinstalled and resealed the unit.

It left him playing from behind, and where Rosenqvist was able to turn 24 laps, Blomqvist was limited to 14 and placed 25th as a result of the issue.

Blomqvist getting to grips with the physical challenge of IndyCar

Tom Blomqvist had no problems wrestling IMSA GTP and LMP2 cars around the world, but with his sudden nomination to compete in the NTT IndyCar Series, the Briton realized the physical demands placed on him were unlike anything he’d previously …

With team owners Mike Shank and Jim Meyer nominating the 30-year-old to move from their IMSA program to a full-time role in their No. 66 Honda Indy car, Blomqvist used the offseason to transform his workout routine and focus on building the upper body strength required to overpower the steering wheel which, unlike in IMSA, does not have power steering to assist in the turning the car.

More than 4500 pounds of downforce can be applied to an Indy car on road and street courses, and to ensure muscle endurance and fatigue wasn’t an issue, Blomqvist took his lithe 143-pound frame and added nine pounds of muscle to reach 152 lbs as he arrives in St. Petersburg.

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“It was such a shock to the system the first time; I think I underestimated it,” Blomqvist told RACER. “I did not expect to be dropped partway through my IMSA campaign into IndyCar, and in sports cars, it actually pays to be on the lighter side because not every team can meet the weight limit there, so the lighter you are as a the driver, it’s just free lap time. And I’m not a big guy from the start; I’m quite a slim dude.

“I’ve put in more work on my torso and arms to bulk up for what the Indy car asks of you, and the biggest thing for me is just getting in so many calories if you want to put on like muscle mass. You obviously have to work hard in the gym and stuff like that, but equally, in doing so you need to eat! The gym part has been easy. The hardest thing was getting the calories in.”

If Blomqvist needs to continue gaining muscle, he’ll do so in concert with a new addition to his diet that isn’t fun to consume.

“I take these shakes that are 1200 calories, which make me feel gross, but that’s the way to get the food in without doing big meals, and worked for me,” he said. “I started doing that for a month and slowly started to put on weight until I got to nine pounds. For someone like me who doesn’t weigh a lot in the first place, it’s pretty good. But I’ve still got to keep chipping away at it because I plateaued recently.”

Pounding the pavement at Sebring verified for Blomqvist the benefits of his off-season bulk-up. Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment

His first test in an Indy car came in late 2022 when MSR gave him a run on Sebring’s short course. Returning to test there last week after his IndyCar-specific physical changes produced a welcome confirmation.

“It was quite cool going back to Sebring and seeing where I’ve came since the very first time I drove the car; it’s night and day difference, which obviously gives me a lot of confidence on that side of things,” he said. “But nothing prepares you like driving. You obviously can do a global increase in muscle mass, working on the muscles you typically use, but the driving is what makes the final gains.

“But I felt so much better and didn’t feel like it was a limitation anymore. I’m just gonna keep improving as the season goes on, anyway. These are probably the most physical racing cars in the most physical racing series out there. It’s a physical beast.”

Michael Shank stepping back from strategy role

Michael Shank has been a fixture on timing stands since the 1990s, calling the shots for his racing programs dating back to his early days running cars in the Atlantic Championship. That practice continued when his team moved into the Grand-Am Rolex Series, and IMSA, and IndyCar, but as his responsibilities have increased outside of the competition department, the Ohioan has decided it’s time for a change.

Shank is set to take a step back in that race strategy role with the Meyer Shank Racing IndyCar team and hand those duties over to MSR’s George Klotz, who will take Shank’s radio and headset and lead the strategy for rookie Tom Blomqvist on the No. 66 Honda. MSR’s founder and co-owner won’t be missing from pit lane altogether, but he says it’s the right time to transition off of the frontline and into a supporting role when his cars are on track.

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“I’ll still be on the stand on Tom’s stand with George, but George will call strategy, and I’ll be there to just support him,” Shank told RACER. “I’m not going anywhere. But I would like to see if we can make an improvement over me in that that department, and George has a lot of experience there with when he was at Andretti and some more teams he’s worked for.

“And he wanted to get back to calling strategy; that was his desire. And I want to try to back off of it a little bit, so it was perfect timing for it. We’re hoping he’s better than me and I’d like to make a gain there if we could get it.”

Shank sees the potential benefits of untethering himself from leading a major competition role with one of his two entries.

“I want to really focus on our partnerships, and be a little bit more flexible on the pit lane and go between the cars or hospitality unit or whatever I need to make sure our partners are being taken care of,” he said.

“But I’m still that competitive guy who loves being a part of the racing action so I’m not going to quite jump off right away. I’m going to stay there on the stand with Tom for a while. It may not be all year, but I’ve got full confidence in George and all of our team, for that matter, to do excellent jobs whether I’m in the thick of things, or not.”

Rolex 24, Hour 23: Blomqvist retakes lead, eyeing final hour

In the penultimate hour, Tom Blomqvist chased down Felipe Nasr, getting the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing V-Series.R within a second of Matt Campbell’s No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963 before pitting earlier than necessary, but well within the window to make it to the end on one more stop. Nasr brought the Porsche in three laps later for full energy and fresh tires, emerging from the pits ahead of Blomqvist. However, with the Cadillac having warm tires and Nasr’s still coming up to temperature, he was able to squeeze by heading into Turn 1.

WHAT A MOVE!@tom_blomqvist passes for the overall race lead in the #Rolex24 at @Daytona!

📺 : @NBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/tjMsz9vpKU

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 28, 2024

Nasr had a big lockup heading into the International Horseshoe immediately after, possibly flatspotting a tire. He had reported a vibration to the team before the lockup.

Blomqvist has put a bit of space between the Cadillac and Porsche. Speculation had Derani finishing the race, but team may opt to leave Blomqvist in for a third stint given his pace.

Mathieu Jaminet put the second PPM Porsche into fourth behind Louis Deletraz’s No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura, but he’s 24s off Deletraz, who in turn is a more than a minute behind Nasr. Jaminet was under threat of going a lap down with Blomqvist on his tail, although there’s also the danger of Jaminet backing Blomqvist up to Nasr.

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Era Motorsports is asserting itself at the front of LMP2, Christian Rasmussen enjoying a 14s lead in the No. 18 ORECA over Malthe Jakobsen in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA. Tom Dillman was another 50s back in the No. 52 Euro Interpol with PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA.

Mikael Grenier had moved the No. 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports into second in GTD, but the Ferraris were on a tear. The 296 GT3s from several teams had proven effective in the heat, and Grenier was soon dispatched first Alberto Costa Blaboa in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari and then Miguel Molina in the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari. All three were running nose to tail, but Daniel Morad in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG was 30s down the road, and the 2021 GTD-winning team looks firmly in control.

Risi Competizione remains firmly in control of GTD PRO with a Daniel Serra holding a lap over the second-place AO Racing in the hands of Laurin Heinrich.

Class leaders after 23 hours

GTP: Tom Blomqvist, No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing V-Series.R

LMP2: Christian Rasmussen, No. 18 Era Motorsports ORECA 07

GTD PRO: Daniel Serra, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3

GTD: Daniel Morad, No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT3

HOUR 23 STANDINGS

Rolex 24, Hour 14: Class by class, still anyone’s game

With more than half the 24 hours now gone in the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, regular full course yellows have played into the hands of nearly every team in every class. At the close of hour 14, the overall battle for the lead in GTP sees the top …

Perhaps the most miraculous standout is P4 — the No. 40 WTR Acura, having rebounded solidly from electrical gremlins not long ago. Colton Herta currently sits just 2.9s behind Blomqvist, still solidly in contention so long as the car stays solid.

In LMP2, the top five has gone through a major shakeup through the hour, with Colin Braun leading in the No. 04 as the hour closes in the midst of another pit cycle. The No. 52, having previously held a commanding class lead in the double digits of seconds, has slipped completely out of the top five — now down to P7 in class at the hands of Jakub Smiechowski.

Risi Competizione is back at the head of GTD PRO with Alessandro Pier Guidi still behind the wheel of the Ferrari 296. The No. 3 Corvette of Daniel Juncadella had powered into the class lead prior to this pit cycle, and based on the math should be battling once again with the No. 62 Risi car once the cycle is complete.

The GTD top five are separated by only 12s as the hour draws to a close, still led by the No. 57 Winward Mercedes. For hours now, the class has been remarkably trouble-free, even as the prototype leaders fly past in near-constant wheel-to-wheel infighting.

HOUR 14 STANDINGS

Blomqvist and Button find differences between GTPs a matter of nuance

Four chassis with backbones from different race car manufacturers. Three different approaches to engines. Vastly different software engineering and styling. But how different are the Grand Touring Prototypes (GTP) from Acura, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche from one another? A couple of drivers that now have experience in more than one — Tom Blomqvist and Jenson Button — have some insights to offer on that question.

“Surprisingly, not as much as I actually first anticipated,” answers Blomqvist, who spent last season at the wheel of Meyer Shank Racing’s Acura ARX-06, but is now the third driver in the Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing V-Series.R. “I guess the regulation is quite confined, and that brings these things into a relatively small window.

“There are pros and cons of both cars. I have felt a difference on the small details — how they drive, and maybe where one is better than the other. But I think the biggest difference is actually more the software and the driver interface. And in terms of the basics, like your dash and the different tools you have inside the cockpit to make changes to the software. Obviously, all the engineers have their different way of doing things, so that’s probably the biggest difference. And the biggest thing I have to get used to — where everything is, and which direction to go in terms of changing things to affect the car.”

During the DPi era, it was generally acknowledged that the different makes had different strengths, i.e. the ORECA-based Acura chassis worked best with a low ride height, while the Dallara-based Cadillac could tolerate being run a bit higher and was better on bumpy circuits. The differences in GTP cars appear more subtle and no make has appeared to have an affinity for a particular style of track yet. But the drivers have picked up on the cues the cars have offered.

“I think the Acura was a very stable, solid car on the way into the corner. You could really attack the entries, and the car would behave relatively well,” Blomqvist says. “The Cadillac’s known to having good traction, and you definitely feel it — the Cadillac really drives off the corner nice and very smooth. It’s obviously a naturally aspirated engine, which probably makes your life a little bit easier. The Caddy’s very nice to drive out of the corner and maybe just a bit weaker on the way into the corner. So it’s all give and take.”

Button, who’s currently hovering in two manufacturers’ worlds while driving the No. 40 Acura ARX-06 for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti for the Rolex 24 At Daytona before he returns to Hertz Team JOTA’s Porsche 963 in the World Endurance Championship, stops short of offering direct comparisons. But the 2009 Formula 1 world champion, whose first GTP experience came in JDC-Miller MotorSports’ 963 at Petit Le Mans last October, says there are some real differences in the way things work with the two cars.

“The biggest thing is how they use the tools, because I think all manufacturers pretty much have the same tools, they’re just labeled something different,” Button says. “They have the same tools to play with, but it’s how they use those tools and which tools they prefer. So it does take a bit of time to get used to.

“Everything on the steering wheel is completely different as well. The go button, the throttle and the brake are the only things that are the same, so it does take a while. I was testing in Bahrain last week in the other one, so trying to wrap your head around the steering wheel again and the functions and what you actually want from the car and the switches that work for you, does take a bit of time.”

Blomqvist joins Cadillac Racing endurance lineup for 2024

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.

Blomqvist reflects on IMSA success on eve of full-time IndyCar move

As of now, Tom Blomqvist’s sports car career may not have been long, but there’s no doubt the last two years competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s top class have been intense. On the cusp of his final race, for now, as a full-time sports car racer before he moves to Meyer Shank Racing’s NTT IndyCar Series team, he took a moment to reflect on the ride it’s been.

“Last year was definitely, generalized, a huge career highlight for me,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt that way. You know, when I started my career in racing I got off to a really good start in my first full year. I won straightaway — British Formula Renault Championship, 2010; I was 16 years old. I thought, ‘This stuff’s gonna be easy. Formula 1 come at me,’ sort of thing. I was obviously very young, naïve and it didn’t really materialize. You struggle for budget and you grow older, and you realize that there’s a lot more to the sport than just being a young, talented racing driver. But last year, I felt like I kind of found that sort of enjoyment, that love for the sport again. Not only that, the team giving me so much support and trust and faith in my ability to deliver them good results, personally felt very rewarding.”

Like most drivers, the British-born son of Swedish rally great Stig Blomqvist started in single-seaters before he moved to sports car racing with BMW in DTM. Several seasons with BMW followed, including a nearly full season in the WeatherTech Championship GTLM category for BMW Team RLL, with four seasons in Formula E filling the off-season. When he came into Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian’s Acura ARX-05 DPi for 2022, his effect was felt immediately. Winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona with Oliver Jarvis, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, Blomqvist and Jarvis embarked on a season-long battle with fellow Acura team Wayne Taylor Racing that culminated in an epic battle at Motul Petit Le Mans. Blomqvist, Jarvis and Castroneves claimed the victory and the championship for the team.

“Last year couldn’t have got off to a better start,” Blomqvist continued. “I mean, just joined this new team with these legends and we won the biggest race of the year straightaway. I couldn’t even watch the end of the race. That feeling was pretty incredible, and I felt like I played a huge part in that race. But I think what topped it, to be honest, was we were battling year long with with the No. 10 car. That season was so tense between us, and we came to this last race super close with the points.

“That last stint of [Petit] last year was Filipe and I just going at it. I remember…we’re just going through traffic like idiots almost. It was definitely a lot of controlled aggression; it was really intense. To get that victory in the race, and ultimately the championship with it…I haven’t found a high like it in my career. It was really cool, really special to see what it meant to everyone here at the team.”

Paired with Colin Braun for 2023, Blomqvist and company repeated last year’s Daytona victory as the new era of GTP opened, but the team was found after the fact to have been manipulating the tire pressure data and had 200 points docked. It put them in a hole they wouldn’t be able to climb out of, despite Blomqvist and Braun having a solid run during the summer with third in the Six Hours of the Glen, winning at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and following it with second at Road America. The pair enter the finale 127 points out of the championship lead. Add back the 200 points they lost from Daytona, though, and it’s a relative runaway for the championship.

Beyond the loss of points, the fallout from Daytona includes MSR sitting on the sidelines in the WeatherTech Championship next season, as Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global expands to two Acuras ARX-06s for 2024.

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It’s unlikely that Blomqvist begins his IndyCar career as a sports car racing champion. While he’s looking forward to his time at the top end of the single-seater ladder, he hopes he’s not done with sports cars. For one thing, he’d like a Sebring victory to go with Daytona and Petit Le Mans. Ultimately, Blomqvist, who has also been racing an LMP2 entry in WEC, thoroughly enjoys it.

“I really love sports car racing,” he said. “There is a little bit more of a relaxed environment about it. There’s a lot more compromise that goes into it because you are sharing your car. Not everyone likes the same car, the same setup, so you really have to work well together. There’s just a good camaraderie between the teams, and I think that’s really special.

“I love getting out there and just driving for hours and hours in a race. In an IndyCar race, you drive two hours and it’s all pretty intense, and it’s done. Here, I do two hours, have a few hours out and I get back in and you kind of follow this journey through the race. As the race goes on the track’s changing, the car’s changing, the balance changes as the track changes, and you’re just constantly adapting and I love that. I’m definitely gonna miss that element. Hopefully I’ll be doing some races, because that’s been a huge part of my career to date. I don’t want to fully go away from that.”

Blomqvist has already had a taste of IndyCar competition, filling in for the injured Simon Pagenaud. He recently completed the Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Program in preparation for his first time – he’s never even watched the 500 in person, although he remembers watching on television as his now-teammate Helio Castroneves climbed the fence – next May,

“It was a fantastic day. I really enjoyed it,” he said of his first laps at Indy. “It’s so different. Apart from it being a race car, there’s not really much else I can compare it to — the sensations on the body, with the car… That whole braking phase of a corner is gone, right? That whole art form that you had developed over your career is different and it’s now a new thing I have to learn…but I’m really excited for that.”

Team co-owner Mike Shank had high praise for Blomqvist following the Daytona win in January, noting he knew he was their guy right away when he tested him the first time at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Now Shank has given him the IndyCar opportunity alongside Felix Rosenqvist and, at the Indy 500, Castroneves. Whatever happens in IndyCar, Blomqvist will look back on the two years in prototypes fondly while looking forward to more.

“It’s been a fantastic journey,” Blomqvist said. “I’ve really, thoroughly enjoyed it. With the team, it’s been so much fun. I’ve really enjoyed my racing and my driving and the team putting that trust in me. This year with Colin we’ve done a great, great job. He’s been fantastic. It’s just been so enjoyable to come to the track. I think that’s one thing I’ve learned over my career — it’s so important to feel that feel that way when when you’re racing.”

Armstrong, Lundqvist, Blomqvist pass Indy 500 Rookie Orientation

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong and Linus Lundqvist turned 92 laps in their cars on Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while completing their Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Programs. Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist, who was the …

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong and Linus Lundqvist turned 92 laps in their cars on Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while completing their Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Programs.

Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist, who was the fastest of the three in his No. 60 Honda, finished his ROP running in 70 laps and left IMS with a quick lap of 220.176mph. Lundqvist was next at 219.504mph in the No. 8 Honda and Armstrong completed the list at 219.252 in the No. 11 Honda.

“It’s boyhood dreams coming true, you know?” Blomqvist said. “It’s such a cool, iconic place. What a phenomenal day — really, really excited. Enjoyed every minute of it. Definitely had a big smile on my face after that first proper run. I can’t wait to come back here. So much to learn; I still feel like I’m a novice, which I basically am. I was very fortunate to get these laps under my belt before coming back here again, so there’s a lot of time to process things. Just a cool day, really.”

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Armstrong has been pining to lap the big 2.5-mile speedway since he decided to go full-time next season with the defending series champions.

“I’ve enjoyed it a whole lot more than I expected,” Armstrong said. “I’m not saying I didn’t expect to enjoy it, but I think the intensity of it is pretty special and watching onboards and on TV is one thing, but actually feeling how the car moves and how the wind affects you and the tiny details of this place – and Texas – has kind of given me so much enjoyment.”

For 2022 Indy NXT champion Lundqvist, who did his first IndyCar oval race in August at World Wide Technology Raceway, completing Indy’s ROP was another step in his journey to earn his place at top step of American open-wheel racing.

“It’s unbelievable,” Lundqvist said. “With the speeds that you’re going, it feels so fast. With the history and legacy around this place, it just feels magical. Even though the grandstands are empty, I can only imagine what it will feel like when they’re full. Even now it’s very, very special.”

Armstrong, Blomqvist pass IndyCar oval tests at Texas

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong and Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist spent Wednesday lapping Texas Motor Speedway where the duo passed their rookie test on the 1.5-mile oval. “It was quite fast,” said Armstrong, who turned 180 laps in the …

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong and Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist spent Wednesday lapping Texas Motor Speedway where the duo passed their rookie test on the 1.5-mile oval.

“It was quite fast,” said Armstrong, who turned 180 laps in the No. 11 Honda. “It was an awesome experience and I really enjoyed it. The first proper run in the morning was great. I was just smiling after that first run and even on the in-lap I had a different reaction to what I was expecting. It was a lot more natural than I anticipated and I felt at one with the car later in the day. I found that it was a lot easier to trust the car and the banking. Overall, it was a very positive experience and I’m very grateful that Dario [Franchitti], Scott [Dixon], Eric [Cowdin] and Blair [Julian] could help me out throughout the day.”

Armstrong kept busy during his season of road and street course racing as the New Zealander made trips to every oval to learn what he could while watching teammate Takuma Sato wheel the No. 11 at every event. For Blomqvist, who’s been busy racing full-time in IMSA, his run at TMS was more of a shock to the system as the Briton was immersed in 215mph lapping with no real knowledge of oval driving. His teammate, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, did his best to get the IMSA champion up to speed.

“Fast! It was pretty weird at first, not going to lie,” Blomqvist said after piloting the No. 60 Honda. “But it’s amazing how the mind and body adapt. I enjoyed going fast and by the end, it almost felt like it was in slow motion, relatively speaking. It was great to have Helio there to give me pointers throughout the day. It’s one thing driving around by yourself. Chuck 26 other cars out there and it’s a whole new ball game. Definitely a skill I’m going to need to develop but one I’m excited about.”