With Simon Pagenaud still recovering from his July 1 practice crash at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Linus Lundqvist will make his NTT IndyCar Series debut at the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee, this weekend.
According to a release from Meyer Shank Racing, Pagenaud was advised by the IndyCar Medical Team to skip the Nashville race. The 2019 Indy 500 winner and 2016 series champion will miss his fifth consecutive race.
“I am focused on recovering to 100%, and it is just taking some time,” Pagenaud posted on social media.
— Simon Pagenaud (@simonpagenaud) July 31, 2023
Lundqvist will become the third driver to substitute in the No. 60 Dallara-Honda for Pagenaud, who has been replaced by Conor Daly (at Mid-Ohio and Iowa Speedway) and Tom Blomqvist (Toronto, which also marked the two-time Rolex 24 at Daytona winner’s IndyCar debut). He will be teamed with four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves in the No. 06 for MSR.
Lundqvist won the 2022 Indy NXT championship with five victories and nine podium finishes but has been without a full-time ride this year. He has driven in IndyCar tests at Texas Motor Speedway and Sebring International Raceway.
He won the Indy NXT race at Nashville from the pole.
“This is a moment I’ve been dreaming of literally since the start of my career,” Lundqvist said in a release. “I could not be more excited about the prospect of finally making my NTT IndyCar Series debut. I am extremely grateful to Meyer Shank Racing for this opportunity. This will be an incredible experience, but also the toughest challenge of my life.
“Sitting on the sidelines all year, it would be a massive task to join any championship towards the end of the season – let alone the NTT IndyCar SEries on the streets of Nashville. There’s been very little time to prepare, but I feel like the sheer excitement of this moment will make up for some of that. Of course, working alongside Helio – one of the true legends of this sport – will also be a huge asset. Last but not least, I would like to wish Simon Pagenaud a continued speedy recovery. While fully aware of everything I have to learn this weekend, I will do my very best to make him and everyone else on the team proud in Music City.”
