Harvey Closes Out INDYCAR Mid-Ohio Double-Header Race Weekend 12th

Mansfield, Ohio (13 September 2020) – Hoping to build on a run to seventh place in Saturday’s Honda Indy 200 Race 1 at Mid-Ohio, Jack Harvey took his No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda to a 12th place finish on Sunday in Race 2 of the Honda Indy 200 weekend. 

A busy second day of the INDYCAR double-header race weekend was in store for Harvey with qualifying in the morning ahead of a quick turn around for the race start under two hours later. 

With rain coming through the area in the early morning hours, a very wet qualifying session delayed proceedings before the drivers were allowed to take to the track. Harvey had reason for optimism ahead of the session, having claimed his first IndyCar podium finish in wet and variable conditions in the 2019 INDYCAR Grand Prix .

The damp surface made for tricky running on a track that naturally lacks grip even in the dry. Unfortunately the wet conditions got the best of Harvey’s No. 60 Honda, sending him off track and preventing him from setting a time in the session as he had to settle with 19th on the Race 2 starting grid. 

With just about an hour before the green flag, the MSR crew made quick repairs to the rear wing of the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda ahead of the early afternoon start. 

Changing strategy from the previous day, Harvey started on Firestone primary tires and was able to move up five position after the start, placing him 14th when the first full course caution came out. 

Harvey pitted from 13th for his first pit stop on lap 15 under yellow. Opting for alternate tires, the MSR squad made a wing adjustment and tire pressure change to maximize the performance of the soft tires. 

The final 30 laps of the race Harvey’s main focus was on fuel saving after his final stop on lap 45. Hoping to secure his fifth top ten finish of the 2020 INDYCAR season, Harvey finished just outside the top ten in 12th.

“I think today was a pretty decent day considering where we started,” said Harvey. “I have to give a big shout out to the MSR guys for working really hard to get the car back in shape after qualifying. We had a pretty good start and I was just running my race. I think our pace on both red and blacks today was pretty strong, it’s just that it’s so hard to pass here. I wish we could have made it into the top ten, especially in front of Mike’s (Shank) home crowd, but we’re walking away with our best finish at Mid-Ohio and we’ll push forward to get a good result back at Indy in a few weeks.”

“Mid-Ohio is not an easy track and with two very busy days I’m very proud of what Jack and the team were able to accomplish,” said Mike Shank. “Saturday we had a top five car and Jack did a great job during his middle stint on those red tires. Today was tough, with it starting off wet for qualifying and then dry for the race. Jack gave it his all this afternoon to move up seven positions from where we started. A good result is knocking on the door for us and we really need to focus on getting those top ten results at Indy and St. Pete.” 

The Meyer Shank Racing squad will have one weekend off before returning to Mid-Ohio in the IMSA championship lead for the Acura Sports Car Challenge – the seventh round of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar competition. 

The NTT INDYCAR Series will return to action for the Harvest Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course October 2-4.