Mike Shank first started racing professionally in 1989, and quickly made a name for himself, earning notice as the SCCA-Ohio Valley Region Novice Driver of the Year. He went on to take the 1996 Toyota Atlantic C2 Championship before moving up to race in the Indy Racing League.

As he gained winning experience in the car, Shank eventually retired as a driver to focus on running and growing his team and becoming a team owner.

Competing in the Champ Car Toyota Atlantic Championship, Michael Shank Racing flourished with drivers like Kenny Wilden, Sam Hornish Jr., and Johnny Rutherford finding success with the team. Wilden scored runner-up in the 1999 Toyota Atlantic Championship, and Shank won “Team Owner of the Year” twice in four years before deciding to move his team into a new direction and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in 2004.

Michael Shank Racing made its 250th Prototype start in the 2016 Petit Le Mans and won the event. It marked longtime team driver John Pew’s final race with the team before retiring from IMSA racing. Having competed in the top IMSA Prototype category for over 10 years, 2017 saw Mike Shank’s team enter the GTD class championship with a two-car Acura NSX GT3 effort.

In 2017, Mike Shank was awarded the Rolex Bob Snodgrass Award of Excellence, presented by the Gorsline Company during the Rolex 24 event weekend. The award recognizes the team owner who demonstrates the qualities of integrity, passion for the sport, and love of cars for which Bob Snodgrass was known during his life and career.

In addition to the program that Shank managed for Acura Motorsports in IMSA WeatherTech competition, 2017 saw the team achieve a new goal with a debut entry in the Indianapolis 500. Fielding the Michael Shank Racing with Andretti Autosport Honda/Dallara with rookie driver Jack Harvey, the team impressed by overcoming several setbacks. Michael Shank Racing Crew Chief Adam Rovazzini earned the prestigious Clint Brawner Award for the group’s effort.

Mike Shank has grown his IMSA team to become one of the most prolific sports car teams in the modern era. The team has amassed over 350th sports car starts, three championship victories, three Rolex 24 Hour wins and two Petit Le Mans victories. 

In addition to the success of his IMSA program, Shank has built his team to simultaneously run in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Shank strategically ran partial INDYCAR seasons from 2019-2019 and growing to a two-car full-season effort in 2020. Shank is one of the few team owners to add Indianapolis 500 winner to his resume, with the team racing to victory in 2021 with a historic win as Helio Castroneves clinched his fourth Indy 500 win – only something three other drivers in INDYCAR history have ever done.