NASCAR champion Kyle Larson has a new teammate for 2024

Even before Arrow McLaren made the decision to release David Malukas from his contract after he missed his fourth consecutive race to start the 2024 IndyCar season, it was looking more and more like they would need to find a new driver for the No. 6 Chevrolet for the 108th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Callum Ilott and Theo Pourchaire, two drivers who have spent time behind the wheel of the No. 6 Chevrolet in place of Malukas so far this season, were seen as the frontrunners for the seat, which would see them join not only full-time drivers Pato O'Ward and Alexander Rossi but also Kyle Larson in the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing".

Ilott had long been viewed as the frontrunner, simply because of his past oval experience. He competed full-time in the series for two years and finished in 12th place in last year's Indy 500 after starting 27th and leading five laps. He also replaced Malukas during the open test at Indianapolis last month.

Callum Ilott joins Arrow McLaren for Indy 500

While formal confirmation had not yet been made by the team, IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway released the official media guide for this year's running of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Speedway, Indiana oval last week, and that guide consisted of 34 driver profiles.

Ilott was the driver included alongside the 33 who had been confirmed.

Now it has officially been announced that Ilott is set to drive the No. 6 Chevrolet at Indianapolis later this month as he attempts to make his third Indy 500 start.

Malukas showed his support for Ilott.

Ilott has already competed alongside O'Ward and Rossi this year, but this will mark his first race as a teammate to 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson, who is attempting to become just the second driver to run all 1,100 miles of the Memorial Day Double. Larson signed a multi-year deal with Arrow McLaren to run the Indy 500 in both 2024 and 2025.

Beginning with the race on the streets of Detroit, Michigan the week after the Indy 500, Pourchaire is set to take over behind the wheel of the No. 6 Chevrolet for the remainder of the season. It is expected that the entry will have a full-time driver next year.

Ilott certainly would have made sense as the frontrunner for the seat, considering the fact that it is believed he was Arrow McLaren's top choice to replace Felix Rosenqvist for the full 2024 season after they found out that Alex Palou would not be joining the team. The team ultimately signed Malukas before Ilott's release from Juncos Hollinger Racing was confirmed.

However, their interest in Pourchaire appears to have made him the new frontrunner, provided he impresses once he takes over from Ilott starting next month.

Indy 500 practice is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 14, and qualifying is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19. The race itself is set to be shown live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway on NBC beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 26. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!