Meyer Shank considering options after McLaren/SPM union

With Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ upcoming union with McLaren Racing and a transition from Honda to Chevy engines, Meyer Shank Racing’s ties to Arrow SPM could be severed at the end of 2019. Under the existing agreement, Arrow SPM provides technical and engineering support for MSR’s No. 60 Honda driven by Jack Harvey.

Owing to MSR’s close affiliation with Honda in the NTT IndyCar Series, and its representation of Honda’s luxury brand Acura in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where it leads the GT Daytona class with the No. 86 Acura NSX GT3, the Mike Shank- and Jim Meyer-owned operation is facing an upcoming manufacturer conflict at Arrow McLaren Racing SP that will force a change of teams or engine suppliers.

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“We are getting closer to finalizing our plans and expect to be making agreements for a multi-year program in IndyCar,” Shank told RACER. “Our discussions with AutoNation and SiriusXM continue to be very positive. I feel really good about how things are coming together, but we’ve just got to get everything final before making any announcement. But hopefully that will be coming soon once we’ve finalized all the details for our schedule, technical program, and partners for 2020 and beyond.”

MSR’s IndyCar debut came in 2017 at the Indianapolis 500 in a technical alliance with the Honda-powered Andretti Autosport. Provided MSR remains with Honda, resuming the relationship would benefit the Ohio-based team as it looks to embark on a full-time IndyCar campaign.

New partnerships with other established Honda teams could also be forged. As Arrow SPM has done with MSR, and Andretti Technologies has done with Harding Steinbrenner Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing is known to be considering the establishment of technical and engineering alliances with smaller teams, provided the partnership is mutually beneficial.