Meyer Shank Racing partners with Ganassi in IndyCar

It has been in the air for a few weeks, it is now confirmed by Michael Shank himself at the microphone of Racer.com, his team will enter into a technical partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2025, one of the most successful teams. more prominent, and currently leading the championship via Álex Palou, the reigning champion. “There are a lot of questions, and I just want to say that yes, we have reached an agreement with Chip Ganassi Racing and we couldn't be more excited about it”, Shank said. “And I have to say a big thank you to Andretti Global for everything they have done for us. »

Since 2019, Meyer Shank Racing was in fact engaged in an alliance with Andretti Global, an alliance which will not continue beyond the 2024 season. This could be a sign of a potential realignment of Michael Andretti's team with Chevrolet, while its engine supply contract with Honda ends next season. Andretti being increasingly linked to the General Motors group, via Cadillac (a manufacturer with which the American team wishes to access the Formula 1, and for which he should engage one or more prototypes in IMSA), a departure to Chevrolet in 2026 would not be totally incongruous.

No intervention from Ganassi in the choice of drivers

Chip Ganassi Racing, for its part, is the first team to have tested the Japanese engine manufacturer's hybrid engine in IndyCar, and is looking for a partner to continue the IMSA adventure, following the end of its alliance with Chevrolet. In addition, with IndyCar close to adopting a franchise system limited to three cars per team, Ganassi could part with two of its drivers, but at the same time would retain the data of two other cars, driven by Felix Rosenqvist ( a former member of Chip Ganassi's team) and a teammate still to be determined. The latter will in any case not be imposed by Ganassi, as confirmed by Mike Shank.

“For the future, it will be exactly as our previous technical agreements with Schmidt and then with Andretti took place. We manage the team, we choose the drivers, we choose the team members and we work together technically. There is no question of me telling them how to manage their team and there is no feedback from them on how I should manage mine. This is a respectful arrangement, as has been the case with other teams we have worked with. We have several good drivers to choose from for the No. 66 car and we are probably 30 or 60 days away from making that decision. »

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