Tom Blomqvist was at risk of costing Meyer Shank Racing a lot of money by the end of the year and that is why Helio Castronves has taken over the No. 66 for at least the next two NTT IndyCar Series races at Detroit and Road America.
Of the 25 full-time IndyCar Series cars, the top 22 of them are eligible for over $1 million of combined contingency dollars if they finish there by the end of the year. The No. 66 currently sits in a three-way tie for 22nd alongside the AJ Foyt Racing No. 41 and Ed Carpenter No. 20.
Blomqvist has yet to finish better than 15th and crashed on the first lap of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. Speaking to reporters on Friday in Downtown Detroit, Castroneves said the team is simply trying to right the ship.
“The truth is with the Leaders Circle, we’ve got to get some points and not have the situation we had last year,” said Castroneves in reference to finishing seven points out of 22nd. “This is a track Tom hasn’t been to, and we decided just a little more experience might be better for us to collect some points and move forward.
“We have to stop the bleeding right now. Let’s do that first, and then we can consider what’s going to happen moving forward.”
Blomqvist, 30, won back-to-back Rolex 24s for the team and sought to make a full-time switch to IndyCar. And through it all, Castroneves, who serves as an ambassador for the team and competed for them in the Indianapolis 500, has been complimentary of Blomqvist and his future.
And while Castroneves couldn’t speak on what might happen after these next two races, he continued to endorse Blomqvist.
“I always say Tom is a superstar. He’s still in the family, and he’s under contract, so he’ll be with us as long as he wants to, but for now, for sure we want to make sure we collect some points and can move on,” Castroneves said. “I have no doubt in his ability, and I’m 100 percent behind him. We’re 100 percent behind him.
“We spoke to him and said, ‘Don’t worry about this or listen to the noises. We’re behind you.’ This is a situation nobody wants to be in – even me. But with it last-minute, we just had me jump in, and I’ll try and do my best and collect some points.”
Castroneves, 48, is an IndyCar great and a four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 with 31 overall wins in American Open Wheel Racing across CART, the IRL and the modern IndyCar Series.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.