INDIANAPOLIS — The second day of IndyCar’s annual Content Days included much less snark than day one, and more stories of familiar faces in different places.
One of those is Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing.
Rosenqvist enters his sixth season in the NTT IndyCar Series, but this will be the first time he will be the veteran driver on the team.
Rosenqvist began his IndyCar Series career in 2019 on a start-studded Chip Ganassi Racing team that featured six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon.
By 2021, Rosenqvist had moved over to Arrow McLaren, but was once again in the background with teammates Pato O’Ward and beginning in 2023, Alexander Rossi.
Rosenqvist was expected to shine at Arrow McLaren, but after finishing 12th in the 2023 championship, he was on the move.
His next stop is the team owned by Michael Shank and Jim Meyer. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves has moved into a partnership role on the team but will get a chance to race for a record fifth Indianapolis 500 in May.
Shank moved Tom Blomqvist over from the team’s IMSA program. When it became apparent that Simon Pagenaud would not return as he continues to recover from a July 1 crash at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Rosenqvist found a home with the Pataskala, Ohio, team.
“I’m really enjoying my time so far with Meyer Shank,” Rosenqvist said Thursday at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. “I spent a lot of time with Mike and Jim, especially because he lives here in Indy, and their welcome into this team has been phenomenal. I feel like a family member already.
“They are very relaxed, very family oriented, friendly team. Obviously a few trips to Ohio, as well, at the shop.
“It’s probably the cleanest shop I’ve ever seen, by the way, and I’ve been to a lot of shops.”
Rosenqvist is the veteran driver of the team, instead of a driver in the background.
“This is my sixth year in IndyCar, so getting more acquainted as a veteran now, you might say,” Rosenqvist said. “I look forward to being in that role. It’s a role I haven’t really been in for six years since I drove Formula E, where you can kind of call the shots a little bit more. Maybe get your engineering team to build a car more around you, like the foundation of the car setup, kind of getting — if we need — hiring people and that kind of stuff.
“Obviously I’ve been to a lot of good teams at this point in my career, not only in IndyCar but outside, as well, and I think I have a good eye for what a team needs, both when it comes to resources, personalities, team leadership and stuff like that.
“It’s always complex, but I feel like I can really provide in that sense, and I look forward to being in that role.”
Although Blomqvist is an IndyCar rookie, Rosenqvist and Blomqvist have competed against each other in the past.
“Having Tom with me, he’s a rookie this year, he dipped his toes a little bit into the IndyCar world last year, and we go way back,” Rosenqvist explained. “We raced with each other in 2009 in Formula Renault in Sweden.
“I’ve known Tom for a long time. He’s probably one of the drivers I’ve raced out there most in the world. I’m going to be an open book with him and try to get him up to speed as quickly as he can and as I can.
“It’s going to be really fun working with him.”
Leaders Circle
While IndyCar Content Days are designed for the drivers in the series to fulfill traditional and social media obligations, Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles was working behind the scenes with some sponsors and series partners.
SPEED SPORT had a chance to catch up with Miles, who revealed that the Leaders Circle payments that go to the top 22 full-time entrants in the series will increase “substantially” in 2024.
He did not reveal the increased amount of the payout.
Ed Carpenter Racing
Another driver that has found himself in a veteran’s role is 23-year-old Rinus VeeKay at Ed Carpenter Racing. The recently married driver from The Netherlands is paired with rookie Christian Rasmussen, last year’s Indy NXT xhampion.
Ironically, Rasmussen is a few months older than VeeKay, although they are both 23.
“Having Christian as a teammate, first time for me having a rookie as a teammate, but also someone who is basically my age,” VeeKay said. “I think we really kind of think the same way and drive the same way, so I think it’s a really good match.”
Owner/driver Ed Carpenter will join the team for the Indianapolis 500 in the third car and the other ovals on the schedule in Rasmussen’s ride.
ECR is committed to developing young talent and keeping that talent on the team. It helped develop Josef Newgarden into an IndyCar Series winner before he left after the 2016 season to join Team Penske. He has turned into one of the best drivers in the series with two IndyCar Series championships and the 107th Indianapolis 500.
Carpenter sees great things ahead for VeeKay and wants to make sure he can keep him on the team.
“Also with Christian, they really value also the Indy NXT and the Road to Indy talents coming up,” VeeKay said. “Same with Josef, same with me.
“And with Christian, we’re all doing pretty good. Christian, I’m pretty sure he’s going to do very good this year.
“I think that really shows the Road to Indy helps and it’s worth looking at as a team. I think it’s good that the team is looking at young talent, and I think it’ll make us a very strong team.”
Ferrucci’s Schedule
Santino Ferrucci arrived on Wednesday evening and made his rounds through Content Days on Thursday. He is another driver who is about to get married to his fiancé in Florida, but first the recently re-signed driver with A.J. Foyt Racing driver is competing in the Chili Bowl.
“I’ve got a couple busy weeks ahead between practice at the Chili Bowl, to here, back to prelim tonight, to Florida to get married, then to Homestead for Indy car testing,” Ferrucci said Thursday.
The driver from Connecticut has the intentions of competing for the full season in IndyCar, but that is based on the team lining up enough sponsorship for every race.
The driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet begins his seventh season in IndyCar. He was third in last year’s Indianapolis 500 and in contention for the victory late in the race. He has 19 career top-10 finishes.
A.J. Foyt Racing has entered into an engineering alliance with Team Penske, which should dramatically improve the team’s efforts.
“I think it’s massive,” Ferrucci said. “Seeing that partnership grow, seeing what it can potentially become, and sitting in on some of those meetings, it’s definitely very unique. I’ve seen some partnerships throughout my years in racing and this one is definitely unlike any other relationship I have experienced.
“I think we can’t thank Penske enough for working with us. And dramatic results. There’s still a lot that goes on behind the scenes. It’s not exactly a plug-and-play sport, as much as we wish it was. But we should improve our road course and street course program significantly.
“And obviously our 500 program now working with a powerhouse like Penske — we were already really good. We did finish behind them this year in the race part, which is obviously not the goal. But I think with all of us working together, we can put five cars out there that are hopefully untouchable.”