Pourchaire to complete season for Arrow McLaren

In the wake of his first laps on an oval in an Indy car Monday at World Wide Technology Raceway, Arrow McLaren has selected Theo Pourchaire to run nearly all the remaining races on the 2024 IndyCar calendar in its vacant No. 6 Chevy, the team announced Thursday.

The one exception: this month’s Indianapolis 500; IndyStar expects the team to confirm Callum Ilott.

The openings for the final 14 pointspaying races on the 2024 calendar come after the team released incumbent David Malukas an hour after the checkered flag at Barber Motorsports Park on April 28. Having satisfied an out clause in the team’s deal with Malukas by missing four events due to a left wrist injury, Arrow McLaren severed ties.

Though the third-year IndyCar driver had been given a six-week recovery timeline that initially made Long Beach a reasonable target for a return, unexplained delays in his healing held him out of back-to-back weekends to close April.

“We’re excited to continue working with Theo. He proved to be a quick learner, and we believe his skillset and learning mindset will support his development as he gets more comfortable racing in the IndyCar series,” team principal Gavin Ward said in a release. “Now, it’s about continuing to grow and turning those learnings into results alongside the No. 6 team.”

Pourchaire, the 20-year-old reigning Formula 2 champion who is presently part of Sauber’s reserve driver pool as the F1 team retains certain rights to his future, had been scheduled to complete a full Super Formula campaign in 2024, having kicked off the season with a disappointing 18th-place finish at Suzuka March 10. With three of his remaining eight scheduled races in the series conflicting with IndyCar dates he now is scheduled to run, Pourchaire has shelved plans to run the remainder of that Japanese series with Itochu Enex Team Impul in favor of IndyCar in 2024.

“The IndyCar series has some of the best racing in motorsport, and now I can say that with experience. I’m excited to take on this challenge with Arrow McLaren for the rest of the season,” Pourchaire said in a release. “This is a special opportunity, and I am committed to learning and improving as we get on track each race weekend.

“I’ve enjoyed my first two races with the team, and I know we have plenty of potential in front of us.”