Wednesday, May 12, 2021

MSR Racing Is "All In" On The Month Of May With Both INDYCAR & IMSA

Mike Shank, team principle, as he sits in the pitlane race control box at Texas Motor Speedway during Race 2 calling shots for British driver Jack Harvey. Image Credit: Jake Galstad via MSR (2021)

MSR Racing Is "All In" On The Month Of May With Both INDYCAR & IMSA

Mike Shank, Jack Harvey, Dane Cameron, Olivier Pla, and in spirit, three-time INDY500 winning Helio Castroneves (a second car driver for MSR in the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500) sat down for a Media Conference ZOOM Call in anticipation of racing events scheduled for the month of May.

Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) is set for a big weekend of competition as both its INDYCAR and IMSA programs are on track for the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (Saturday, 2:30pm ET, NBC) and for the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio (Sunday, 2:30pm ET, NBCSN). 

INDYCAR
No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda - Jack Harvey

IMSA
No. 60 Acura ARX-05 DPi - Dane Cameron & Olivier Pla


Zoom Media Interview - Meyer Shank Racing - Start At 0:53 seconds
Mike Shank, Jack Harvey, Dane Cameron, & Olivier Pla
Monday, May 10, 2:00pm ET

Road course competition highlights the opening rounds of May activity in two major professional racing series, and given the past tagline for Meyer Shank Racing as being the little team that could, May will make this tag history due to its inadequacy and understatement. Follow this by a two-car effort in the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 with drivers Jack Harvey and career stand-out Helio Castroneves.

MSR will kick off its big weekend of competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the GMR Grand Prix on Saturday. Jack Harvey will return to the site of his first-ever INDYCAR podium finish (2019) and front row start (2020) and look to continue on his strong run at the 2.534-mile road course this weekend. 

Harvey raced the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda through both dry and wet conditions to collect his first career INDYCAR podium with a third place result in 2019. The following season, Harvey scored his first-ever INDYCAR front row start at the IMS Road Course, but as Harvey was once again on his way to score a second podium finish, an unfortunately timed yellow tampered with the team’s strategy and Harvey finished 17th. 

"The team has been doing a tremendous job the first few races," said Jack Harvey in a recent interview. "Knowing that we have a really strong pace at the IMS road course, of course helps, but we’ll go into the race weekend just like any other and try to keep going for podium finishes." This season has two first-time winners in four races, will Jack make it 3 in 5? Image Credit: Jake Gilstad via MSR (2021)

The fifth-year INDYCAR driver is coming off of big momentum from a fourth place finish in St. Petersburg and a strong seventh place at Texas Motor Speedway. 

MSR also heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend with the hometown advantage for Sunday’s the Acura Sports Car Challenge Presented by the TLX Type S.

Dane Cameron and Olivier Pla will take on the 2.258-mile Ohio circuit in the No. 60 Acura ARX-05 DPi.  Not only excited to compete on home soil, MSR is hoping to represent Acura well as the manufacturer headlines the event weekend. 

The team is coming off of a podium finish at Sebring International Raceway in March. Having conquered two rough and tough endurance events, MSR now heads into the first sprint race of the IMSA season. 

Although MSR will make its debut at Mid-Ohio with the Acura ARX-05 DPi, the team certainly doesn’t lack experience at it’s home track with some very good results. Representing Acura at its home event, MSR is hoping to come out of it with a victory. The team has prepared for the event weekend with a single day test which saw Pla turn his first official laps around the course as he plans to make his debut at Mid-Ohio this weekend. 

The MSR month of May ends with The Greatest Spectacle in Racing - Thirty-three drivers…200 laps…500 miles. Tune in LIVE on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN at 1 pm, Sunday and also enjoy the world-renowned U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds who will perform the pre-race flyover for the 104th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday also. You don’t want to miss that. The green flag is scheduled for 2:30pm ET. 

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Mike Shank, Jack Harvey, Dane Cameron, Olivier Pla, Helio Castroneves, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Weathertech, IMSA, Mid-Ohio, AutoNation, SiriusXM, Honda, Meyer Shank Racing, MSR, The EDJE 

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