Pataskala, Ohio (22 January 2019) – Building on the team’s 2018 six-race NTT IndyCar Series program, Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) is pleased to announce that the team will contest a 10-race program in 2019 with driver Jack Harvey.
The MSR schedule will once again include an entry in the Indianapolis 500 and will grow to include nine IndyCar road course events as the team continues to build the program with sponsorship from AutoNation and SiriusXM.
MSR will open the 2019 IndyCar season in St. Petersburg on March 10th, before heading to Texas for the series’ debut at the Circuit of the Americas. April will be another two-race month for the team with outings at Barber Motorsports Park and Long Beach ahead of the Indianapolis Grand Prix and the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. June will see the team in action at Road America, with a run at the team’s home event at Mid-Ohio in July. The team will head west for the final two rounds of the season with outings at Portland International Raceway and the season-ending event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Continuing its technical partnership with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (Arrow SPM), Meyer Shank Racing is eager to take on the 2019 season with Harvey as the team continues to build on the IndyCar program.
“I am really excited to see the way this program has grown over the past season,” said Mike Shank. “Starting off with only six races is not easy, but Jack (Harvey) did a great job and really hung in there. With 10 races, Jack will have much more seat time and it will help us all around. I’m also excited to have both AutoNation and SiriusXM back on board with us. They have been such great partners to work with and there is only more to be excited about next year.”
“The partnership with Meyer Shank Racing has been so mutually beneficial, and I’m excited to see it continue and grow,” said Sam Schmidt, co-owner, Arrow SPM. “Being able to share data, resources and personnel only helps both teams’ efforts as we all strive to win more races. I’m really looking forward to another great year with MSR, Mike (Shank) and Jim (Meyer) working alongside everyone at Arrow SPM.”
Returning to the MSR squad are AutoNation and SiriusXM which have been integral parts of MSR’s inaugural year in the IndyCar Series. AutoNation had a large presence at the IndyCar season finale in Sonoma with its traveling “Drive Pink Shasta” and is excited to partner with the Ohio-based team again.
SiriusXM is returning for its second multi-race season with Meyer Shank Racing. SiriusXM first appeared on the side of the team’s IndyCar during the 2017 Indianapolis 500 then joined the team again for its partial campaign in 2018. SiriusXM will sponsor the No. 60 car for all 10 races the team runs in 2019.
“We are proud to continue to support Meyer Shank Racing and Jack Harvey’s No. 60 car as they expand their schedule in 2019,” said Jim Meyer, Chief Executive Officer of SiriusXM. “Jack (Harvey) turned a lot of heads with his performance in last year’s Indy 500 and we are excited to see what he and the MSR team will do on the track for 10 races this season.”
SiriusXM offers listeners live coverage of every NTT IndyCar® Series race, including the Indianapolis 500, through the 2019 season.
The 10 race IndyCar schedule is another indicator of MSR’s growth as it also competes full time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team closed the season with a run to the Petit Le Mans podium on the way to second in the IMSA GTD class championship, and recently announced an all-female driver line up for its Acura NSX GT3 entry for the 2019 IMSA season.
“We are going to have a busy year between IMSA and IndyCar,” said Shank. “But I know my guys and they work around the clock to get the job done. The schedule that we have chosen allows us to do both series without any interference, so we can give ourselves the best chances possible to get results.”
Harvey who made an impression last season with a near-win in the Indianapolis 500 is eager to get back behind the wheel of his pink No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda for another competitive season.
“We are extremely excited to be extending our program,” said Harvey “That has always been the goal for 2019 and it is amazing to achieve that and continue to grow what we are doing. I have to thank Michael (Shank), he has put in an immense amount of work and of course thanks to Jim Meyer for his continued support. Without either of those guys, in their own way, I wouldn’t have received the opportunity. We also wouldn’t be able to do any of this without our partners, AutoNation and SiriusXM. We are incredibly lucky to have two companies that believe in us and the vision of the team. Now it’s our turn to get out on track and do more races and hopefully get some better results. I believe in the team and in myself to do what we have to do. We are just thrilled to confirm this expanded schedule so we can deliver results for everyone.”
Meyer Shank Racing will kick off the 2019 NTT IndyCar season with the official series test at Circuit of the Americas on February 12-13 followed by the fist event of the season in St. Petersburg on March 10th.
About AutoNation, Inc.
AutoNation, America’s largest automotive retailer, is transforming the automotive industry through its bold leadership, innovation, and comprehensive brand extensions. As of September 30, 2018, AutoNation owned and operated over 325 locations from coast to coast. AutoNation has sold over 11 million vehicles, the first automotive retailer to reach this milestone. AutoNation’s success is driven by a commitment to delivering a peerless experience through customer-focused sales and service processes. Through its Drive Pink initiative, AutoNation is committed to drive out cancer, create awareness and support critical research. AutoNation continues to be a proud supporter of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and other cancer-related charities.
Please visit investors.autonation.com, www.autonation.com, www.autonationdrive.com, www.twitter.com/autonation, www.twitter.com/CEOMikeJackson, www.facebook.com/autonation, and www.facebook.com/CEOMikeJackson, where AutoNation discloses additional information about the Company, its business, and its results of operations.
About SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is the world’s largest radio company measured by revenue and has approximately 34 million subscribers. SiriusXM creates and offers commercial-free music; premier sports talk and live events; comedy; news; exclusive talk and entertainment, and a wide-range of Latin music, sports and talk programming. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company and on smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at siriusxm.com. SiriusXM radios and accessories are available from retailers nationwide and online at SiriusXM. SiriusXM also provides premium traffic, weather, data and information services for subscribers through SiriusXM Traffic™, SiriusXM Travel Link, NavTraffic®, NavWeather™. SiriusXM delivers weather, data and information services to aircraft and boats through SiriusXM Aviation™ and SiriusXM Marine™. In addition, SiriusXM Music for Business provides commercial-free music to a variety of businesses. SiriusXM holds a minority interest in SiriusXM Canada which has approximately 2.7 million subscribers. SiriusXM is also a leading provider of connected vehicles services, giving customers access to a suite of safety, security, and convenience services including automatic crash notification, stolen vehicle recovery assistance, enhanced roadside assistance and turn-by-turn navigation.
