Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Adds Matt McMurry to Petit Driver Line-up
McMurry, who is the youngest driver ever to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was part of Michael Shank Racing's Rolex 24 driver roster when the team debuted its new Ligier machine at Daytona.
Even at his young age, McMurry already has fond memories from Road Atlanta which includes running his first-ever car race with Skip Barber at the track in 2012.
The 17-year-old will mark his 103rd car race at the Petit event as he also takes part in the IMSA Cooper Tires Prototype Lites season-finale double-header during the Road Atlanta weekend.
Since his Rolex 24 run with Shank, McMurry has kept busy in 2015 with a full-season of Cooper Tires Prototype Lites competition that has seen him make six podium appearances. McMurry scored five poles and has started on the front row in all 12 Lites races this year. He has had 13 consecutive front row starts dating back to the final Lites race of 2014 at Road Atlanta.
McMurry also grew his TUDOR Championship resume with a select schedule of LMPC competition, scoring third at both Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. McMurry most recently finished fifth at Circuit of the Americas in the LMPC category.
Having maintained a strong relationship with the Shank squad, McMurry has tested with the team this year in preparation for the final race of the season. With the Lites schedule overlapping the TUDOR Championship events, McMurry was a frequent visitor in the Shank pit box continuing to learn and receive feedback from the team.
"I'm obviously very excited to be back with Michael Shank Racing in their Ligier," said McMurry. "The car is really fun to drive and the team has been great to work with. I've continued to learn more about the car each and every time I've been in it. We tested at Road Atlanta earlier this year and that went really well, so I'm looking forward to it. I always like racing at Road Atlanta. I actually won my first-ever IMSA Prototype Lites race there last year after scoring the pole. I'm really looking forward to being back at Road Atlanta with Michael Shank Racing."
Team Owner Mike Shank is pleased to have added McMurry for the final round of the 2015 TUDOR Championship.
"We are happy to have Matt (McMurry) back with us again at Petit," said Shank. "We've been keeping up with his progress in Lites and LMPC all season long and of course he's done a great job in testing with us as well. Petit is a huge challenge, you've got to get everything right for 10 hours so having someone that we know can do the job and that we are already comfortable with is going to be a big plus for us. We just want to maximize the opportunity we have with this Honda-Ligier and close the season out on a high note."
The Petit Le Mans event opens on Thursday, October 1 with three practice sessions followed by a fourth practice and qualifying on Friday. The Petit Le Mans is set for an 11:10 AM race start on Saturday, October 3.
Based in Columbus, Ohio, Michael Shank Racing was formed in 1989 when Mike Shank first began driving racing cars professionally. Shank retired from the cockpit in 1997 to focus his efforts on running the team, which quickly found success in the Champ Car Toyota Atlantic Championship. With several race wins under his belt, Shank was named as Team Owner of the Year twice in four years. Michael Shank Racing joined the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2004 as the team proved as quick in endurance racing as in the sprint formula car format. Michael Shank Racing scored a debut Rolex Series win in 2006 at Miller Motorsports Park, and fans selected the victory as the 2007 Rolex "Moment of the Year." After opening the 2008 season with a front-row sweep of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the team closed out the year taking wins in the final two races of the year.
The team scored a dramatic victory in the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2012, and backed that race-winning effort up with a run to third place with the second team entry.
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