DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 23, 2025) – Mike Shank, team owner of Meyer Shank Racing, which competes in IMSA and INDYCAR, was honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club with the 2024 Phil Hill Award. The 2019 award recipient, RRDC President Bobby Rahal, made the presentation at the annual RRDC members’ dinner on January 22 prior to the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The Phil Hill Award has been presented annually since 1993 to the person who the RRDC feels has rendered outstanding service to road racing. The recipient may be a driver, entrant or outstanding member of a sanctioning body.
It is named in honor of America's first Formula 1 World Champion (in 1961), and is not only a tribute to his masterful accomplishments on the race track, it also recognizes his contributions as a great ambassador for the sport. Hill passed away in 2008.
Mike Shank first started racing professionally in 1989, competing in SCCA, Toyota Atlantic C2 Championship and the Indy Racing League. He eventually retired as a driver to become a team owner. He fielded cars in the Champ Car Toyota Atlantic Championship and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, earning Toyota Atlantic's "Team Owner of the Year" Award twice in four years.
In 2017 Meyer Shank Racing (then Michael Shank Racing) debuted at the Indianapolis 500, with rookie driver Jack Harvey. The team impressed by overcoming several setbacks, earning the Clint Brawner Award for crew chief Adam Rovazzini.
The same year Shank managed the debut of the factory Acura Motorsports team in IMSA WeatherTech competition, giving the Acura NSX GT3 its first victory and pole position. Shank was also awarded the 2017 Rolex Bob Snodgrass Award of Excellence, presented by The Gorsline Company
Shank's IMSA team has amassed over 350 sports car starts, three championship victories, three Rolex 24 wins and two Petit Le Mans victories since starting in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2004. He has built his team to simultaneously run in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The team ran partial INDYCAR seasons until 2019, then grew to a two-car full-season effort in 2020. The team earned an Indy 500 victory in 2021 as Helio Castroneves clinched his fourth Indy 500 win, accomplished by only three other drivers in INDYCAR history.
"This is an awesome award and it represents something so special in racing," said Rahal. "To me, Phil Hill was not only a great driver, he was a true gentleman and a great proponent of the sport. He represented motor racing to the world, especially in this country, in such a manner, such a fashion, that is something you had to admire.
"We've had a lot of great recipients of the Phil Hill Award over the years, and this year's honoree is no different. When you think about who should get this award, you think of somebody who does it all and did it on his terms," added Rahal. "Frankly, it was pretty easy to decide this year. We have a lot of respect for Mike Shank and all he's done over the years. And some days probably didn't look so bright [for Shank] but here he is representing Acura in IMSA and Honda in INDYCAR. Michael, congratulations, man. I think you are a worthy recipient of this great award."
NBC sports commentator and RRDC member Leigh Diffey conducted an interview with Shank, eliciting this grateful comment from the team owner: "I'm overwhelmed," said Shank. "I think it is an unbelievable honor and it just makes me feel pretty small. Everything I did in racing I did just to survive and try to advance to where I wanted to be, but to get recognized by the RRDC with the Phill Hill Award is beyond words."
Past RRDC Phil Hill Award Winners include:
1993 John Bishop
1994 Juan Manuel Fangio II
1995 Leo Mehl
1996 Charlie Slater
1997 Danny Sullivan
1998 Rob Dyson
1999 Bob Fergus
2000 Elliott Forbes Robinson
2001 Bill France
2002 Jim Downing
2003 Derek Bell
2004 Brian Redman
2005 Jim France
2006 Roger Werner
2007 Skip Barber
2008 Roger Penske
2009 Bob Bondurant
2010 Nick Craw
2011 Rick Mears
2012 George Follmer
2013 Peter Brock
2014 Hurley Haywood
2015 Vic Elford
2016 Scott Pruett
2017 Chip Ganassi
2018 David Hobbs
2019 Bobby Rahal
2020 Jack Roush
2021 Scott Atherton
2022 Mark Raffauf
2023 Bob Riley
About the RRDC:
The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club's membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.
In 2011, the RRDC launched a free on-line training seminar – www.SAFEisFAST.com – featuring RRDC members and other industry experts in high-quality videos covering subjects from physical and mental preparation to driving techniques, driver safety to car setup and sponsorship. The videos are updated regularly. Each week, a professional from the world of motor racing answers readers' questions on the site in a feature called 'Ask a Pro.'
Bobby Rahal is President, John Fergus is Vice President/Treasurer and John Clagett is Secretary.
The RRDC presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award, the Mark Donohue Award, and the Bob Akin Award.
Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only.
Article By: Judy Stropus