After driving the No. 6 Arrow McClaren car in last month’s April open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Callum Ilott will be behind the wheel at the Indianapolis 500 on May 26.
Arrow McClaren on Monday announced the decision to have Ilott replace the injured David Malukas, who was dropped by the team on April 29 after sustaining multiple injuries in an offseason mountain bike accident.
“It is any driver’s dream to race in the Indianapolis 500, and I’d like to extend a thank you to [team owner] Zak [Brown], [team principal] Gavin [Ward] and Tony [Kanaan] for making this happen,” Ilott said in a statement. “I’m grateful to step into this race with a familiar car and a familiar team now in Arrow McLaren. … I feel comfortable with the team and know that we can come together throughout the Month of May to put our best foot forward come Race Day.”
Ilott, 25, finished 12th last season at the Indy 500 with Juncos Hollinger Racing, an improvement over his 32nd-place finish as a rookie.
This season, Ilott is second in this season’s series standings at the World Endurance Championship.
Reigning Formula 2 Theo Pourchaire has been driving the No. 6 during the IndyCar season, but has a scheduling conflict for Indy 500 qualifying, which will be held Saturday and Sunday. Pourchaire will return to the No. 6 car following the Indy 500, which will be Ilott’s final IndyCar race this season.
There will be 34 drivers competing for 33 spots at this weekend’s qualifying events.
–Field Level Media
