MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Team owner Michael Shank of Meyer Shank Racing emphasized that he did not tell current driver Jack Harvey that he would not be back in the No. 60 Honda during the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season.
“You’re going to ask me about Jack, but there is nobody mad at anybody,” Shank told SPEED SPORT. “It would not be accurate to say that I made that decision. It wasn’t just us. All of us work together and came to this.
“We’re all tickling each other’s belly and laughing and arms around each other and we are going to go forward. That is the message I’m sending out. That’s great. We wish the best for both sides and we are moving on.
“Of course, there is a lot more than that, but that is how we are ending it.”
Harvey has not announced his plans for 2022 as of this writing, but it is believed he will remain in the NTT IndyCar Series next season. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Harvey if the team increases to three full-time drivers next season, or if Takuma Sato does not re-sign with the operation.
On Thursday, Meyer Shank Racing announced that four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves would compete in every race on the schedule next season as he chases his fifth Indianapolis 500 victory.
“Whoever he hires, I hope it’s someone I can share information with and elevate the team to the next level,” Castroneves told SPEED SPORT. “Hopefully, we’ll keep winning races and maybe a championship, too.
“I have spoken with Jack, and I was looking forward to working with him for more races. Whatever decision he makes, he will have a bright future ahead of him. Those four or five races I saw him race before I joined the team in Indianapolis, I saw an incredibly young talent. He will succeed and he will win a race. I’m going to help him out as much as I can this year, because that will benefit me to get the best partner for next year, too.
“Hopefully, we can do this together and battle for the win between our two cars.”
Shank is confident that he will find a driver capable of winning races into the No. 60 Honda beginning in 2022.
“I haven’t decided if it will be a young driver yet,” Shank said. “We will go through that whole debate process, figure out what the sponsor wants, and the team wants and marry that up.
“On the IndyCar side, we are going to have two drivers in those two cars next year that are going to battle for the Indy 500 win. That’s how we are looking at this thing.
“We have more secrets coming, so hold on to your pants.”