Michael Shank Racing (MSR) was founded by Mike Shank. In 1999, he raced with Sam Hornish Jr. in the Formula Atlantic, where they won the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title. Mike Shank was also named ‘Owner of the Year’ twice in this class, while Dutchman Sepp Koster raced for his team in 2002. In 2006, the team finished second overall in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, and in 2012, they won the same race in the Prototype Division.
A False Start to the IndyCar Project
With A.J. Allmendinger and Brian Bailey as co-owners, the team had plans for a full IndyCar season in 2012. However, those plans were later revised to a single entry in the Indianapolis 500 with Jay Howard as the driver. Despite having more than enough sponsorship funds, the team could not secure an engine deal, resulting in Michael Shank Racing’s withdrawal from the 96th Indianapolis 500.
IndyCar Debut in Partnership with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Where things went wrong in 2012, Michael Shank Racing was able to make its debut during the 101st Indianapolis 500 in 2017 with Jack Harvey behind the wheel. The team competed with a car prepared by Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2018, Michael Shank Racing participated in six races with Jack Harvey, once again partnering with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
Despite Jack Harvey's lack of impressive results in 2018, he showed that he had the right racing pedigree. This led to Harvey staying on as a driver for Meyer Shank Racing in 2019, with his program expanding from six to ten races.
In 2019, Harvey quickly proved that the expansion of his schedule was worthwhile. The Englishman had a strong season, finishing in nine of the ten races. He placed in the top ten four times, with a third place finish in the INDYCAR Grand Prix on the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the highlight.
First Full-Time Car in 2020
The strong results in 2019 benefited both Jack Harvey and Meyer Shank Racing. Thanks in part to the positive outcomes of the previous year, the team competed in a full season in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2020, with technical support from Andretti Autosport.
The first full-time season for both Meyer Shank Racing and Jack Harvey went well. Harvey scored six top-ten finishes out of fourteen races, with a sixth place in the second race of the INDYCAR Harvest GP weekend on the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as his best result.
Expansion to Two Full-Time Cars in 2022
In 2022, Michael Shank and Jim Meyer's team fielded two full-time cars for the first time, after having run a second car part-time alongside one full-time car in 2021. The expansion to two full-time cars had been in the works for some time, but it became official after Hélio Castroneves, who drove the part-time car in 2021, won the Indianapolis 500 for the fourth time in his career.
Castroneves returned full-time to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2022 for the first time since 2017, representing Meyer Shank Racing. He set his sights on a record-breaking fifth Indianapolis 500 victory, but after a difficult qualifying, he finished the race in seventh place. In 2022, Castroneves was joined by Simon Pagenaud as his teammate after Jack Harvey departed for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
In 2023, Meyer Shank Racing’s driver lineup consisted of Hélio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud. However, it turned into a challenging year, with a tenth place finish in Texas by Castroneves as the best result. Adding to the woes, Pagenaud suffered a heavy crash during a practice session at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, resulting in a concussion that sidelined him for the rest of the year. Pagenaud was replaced by Conor Daly, Tom Blomqvist, and Linus Lundqvist, but none of them could lead the team to success.
New Driver Lineup Brings Immediate Success in 2024
In 2024, Meyer Shank Racing started with a fresh driver lineup: Felix Rosenqvist and Tom Blomqvist. Rosenqvist secured a podium finish in only his second race, but rookie Blomqvist struggled and was immediately replaced after crashing in the Indy 500. David Malukas took over the wheel and managed to achieve top ten finishes as well.
Despite having a strong connection with the team, performing well, and receiving an offer to stay with Meyer Shank Racing, Malukas decided to leave the team at the end of the season.
Technical Partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing
After years of a technical partnership with Andretti Global, Meyer Shank Racing ended this collaboration at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Instead, the team entered into a partnership with the stronger Chip Ganassi Racing. As part of this collaboration, Marcus Armstrong also made the move from Ganassi to Meyer Shank Racing for 2025, joining Felix Rosenqvist as his new teammate.
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