Arrow McLaren has secured their driver in the No. 6 Chevrolet for the rest of the year. Well, almost. The team announced today that Theo Pourchaire will pilot the car for every race except for the Indianapolis 500 later this month. Pourchaire has made two starts in papaya orange this year, at Long Beach and Barber.

While Pourchaire got a taste of oval racing earlier this week with a test at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway), there is no way he would be ready to take on a challenge like the Indy 500. Although the team did not name the driver for the May 26 Greatest Spectacle in Racing, expectations are that Callum Ilott will get that opportunity. The full press release from today is below.

[Arrow McLaren Press Release]

The Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team announced today that Théo Pourchaire will pilot the No. 6 SmartStop Chevrolet in the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course this weekend. Théo will then return to the track at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, where he will be set to pilot the No. 6 Chevrolet for the duration of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Théo made his inaugural INDYCAR appearances at Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park, earning the ‘Biggest Mover’ title in his debut race with an eleventh-place finish.

“I’m excited to take on this challenge with Arrow McLaren for the rest of the season,” Pourchaire said. “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. Of course, I would like to thank Zak, Gavin and Tony, as well as the Sauber F1 Team, for making this all possible.”

The 2023 Formula 2 champion can now add ovals to his skillset after a successful test with the Arrow McLaren crew at World Wide Technology Raceway on May 6.

Théo will be available for interview via a press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway media center today at 3:30 p.m. ET with virtual participation available. At that time, the No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet livery will be revealed as it prepares to embark on its first of three on-track appearances across the 2024 season, also present on the streets of Toronto and Portland International Raceway.

The team has not yet announced who will race in the No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 but will make that confirmation in due course.