On Monday, Meyer Shank Racing announced that 2016 IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud is joining the team full-time after spending seven years with Team Penske. This year, Pagenaud had two podium finishes.
Simon Pagenaud on joining MSR said, “This is such an exciting time in my career. MSR has proven it is a high-quality organization when they won the Indianapolis 500, and pairing Helio and me together will help our team in 2022 and beyond. I’m really looking forward to this new challenge.”
The 37-year-old from Poitiers, France, wrapped up his eleventh season in the IndyCar Series. He has 14 poles, 15 wins, and 37 podium finishes. During his seven years with Penske, he won the 2016 IndyCar championship and the 2019 Indianapolis 500. Simon Pagenaud’s first open-wheel came in 2007 in the old Champ Car World Series for Team Australia. In 2021, his team came in second in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
MSR owner Mike Shank on Pagenaud joining the team said. “Next year will be a big year for MSR, and I think we have a very strong lineup of drivers between Simon and Helio. We have built this program every year, growing with our partners and working to have all the ingredients we need to be competitive.”
He added, “Our Indianapolis 500 win was a big breakthrough, and we are looking forward to having a consistently competitive program that will have the chance to fight for wins and podiums no matter where we go, and I think this lineup will help us do that.”
With Pagenaud on board, MSR has two full-time drivers heading into the 2022 season. Their primary sponsors are AutoNation and SiriusXM, along with CAP fixtures, Rocky Fork Co., and Roberts Service Group.
