Meyer Shank in planning mode ahead of expansion for Honda factory IndyCar entry in 2028

The start of the 2028 IndyCar season is a long way ahead, but for Meyer Shank Racing, which will expand to become a three-car team with the running of Honda’s factory entry, the planning starts now.

Honda Racing Corporation US has gotten a head start by nominating MSR to field its works car as a complement to the team’s existing Nos. 60 and 66 Hondas once Penske Entertainment’s issuance of charter memberships for Chevrolet and Honda take effect when the new Dallara IR28 chassis and 2.4 twin-turbo hybrid V6 motors debut in two years.

It’s a lot for team founder Mike Shank to process – while also running HRC’s factory IMSA GTP program under the Acura brand – but it’s also a joyous juncture for the Ohioan and MSR co-owner Jim Meyer.

“I've been working with Honda since 2015 since the Ligier LMP2 days in IMSA,” Shank told RACER. “And I figured out a long time ago, the best way forward, if I want to race cars for a living, is to have a relationship with a factory. In 2015, we started with Honda, and we went on our way to start proving to them what we're capable of with MSR.

“It took a long time, because we're not a household name you can bank on like a Penske or a Ganassi or anything like that. We're just kind of new newbies compared to them in this space. So when Jim Meyer came along and joined me in 2018, we both had to prove to Honda that were a very capable bunch and had the right mentality to be successful in racing.

“So for it to come from 2015 to where it is now is an honor, and it is a true, great moment in time for MSR that we’ll look back on a long time from now, saying it was pivotal for the continued growth of MSR.”

Depending on how much MSR and HRC choose to grow the program, the team might need to consider expanding its base in Ohio to accommodate factory staff, transporters and all that’s necessary to function as HRC’s official factory service provider in IndyCar and IMSA.

“When we sit down this year and fully develop the plan for ’26, and also what I'm calling the R&D year of ‘27 with the testing of the new car and motor, and then we get to ’28, one of the things that Jim and I are going to have to look at is our facility for sure, and potential of adding on to it,” Shank said.

“All these programs are to run out of our shop. We're happy to do it. We did just build a shop three years ago, unfortunately, but we will have to expand that a little bit. We have a lot of people that work for MSR now, so we'll see who lands where and what the workload is, and distribute.

“Just the amount of equipment we need to support this, the primary equipment, and some backup stuff, is a big part of it because we're always in motion. Last week, we were at Sebring and Phoenix in the same two days with a GTP test and an IndyCar test going on at the same time. That will get busier in ‘27 and ’28, so lots of logistics to lay out. Plan A, B and C are being put in place right now, and it’s these kind of things we’ll be mapping out with Honda.”