Indianapolis, Ind. (29 May 2022) – The 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 did not disappoint as nearly 300,000 fans came back home again to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Memorial Day weekend classic. Following Meyer Shank Racing’s (MSR) breakthrough and hugely popular victory in the 2021 edition of the Indianapolis 500, MSR once again delivered another strong outing with both team entries.
Meyer Shank Racing drivers Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud emerged from a two lap shootout following a late race red flag to finish seventh and eighth respectively.
The double top-ten team result followed strong drives through the field for both entries, with the AutoNation / SiriusXM duo converting strong pit stops, team strategy, and race day pace into positive progression in the 200 lap event.
Between MSR’s two car lineup, the team improved 28 positions through the nearly three-hour event, with Castroneves claiming the biggest mover of the race following a 20 position improvement from his 27th place qualifying effort onboard the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda.
It was a smooth, steady climb for the MSR teammates in the 200 lap race which saw six caution periods. Using superior fuel mileage, both drivers raced into the top 10 ahead of their first pit stop on laps 34 and 35. Pagenaud was 11th and Castroneves 14th at the midway point and the two were comfortably within the top ten with just 50 laps to go.
It was looking to be a flat out race to the finish, but with six laps to go one final yellow flag waved. To ensure a green flag finish, the race was red flagged to the enthusiastic approval of the huge race day crowd as Pagenaud ran sixth and Castroneves ninth. A green, white, checkered finish ultimately saw Castroneves move ahead to seventh and Pagenaud eighth.
The team will continue to build on the result in short order as both sides of the Ohio-based organization prepare for the double INDYCAR / IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event next weekend for the Detroit Grand Prix.
