Latest news with #Shank
Indianapolis Star
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Will Marcus Armstrong return to Indy 500 qualifying after crash? Team says 'going to define him'
INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Shank, the team co-owner at Meyer Shank Racing, told IndyStar he's "90%" sure that Marcus Armstrong, the team's full-time IndyCar driver who suffered a severe crash Saturday morning in Turn 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway just over 10 minutes into Indianapolis 500 qualifying practice, will be cleared to return to the cockpit later this weekend. More than 90 minutes after Armstrong's crash, the New Zealander emerged from the IMS infield care center under his own power before boarding a golf cart and returning to the team's garages in Gasoline Alley. He did not speak to assembled media. An IndyCar spokesperson said that Armstrong had been "seen and released" from the care center but not yet cleared to return to the cockpit. IndyCar's protocols around high-impact crashes where the car and/or the driver's earbuds register a certain threshold of Gs in the impact require the driver to undergo a follow-up check before the driver is cleared to return to the cockpit. IndyCar did not explicitly state that Armstrong was in those protocols, but Shank referenced that was what his driver was waiting on to be cleared. The MSR team co-owner said the team hopes to learn Armstrong's status around 1 p.m., but said that that is not firm. "I'm 90% there (that Armstrong will be cleared) unless (IndyCar medical director Dr. Julia Vaiser) sees something she doesn't like," Shank told IndyStar. "That doesn't mean he's not going to feel great in the morning. "But there's nothing abnormal. One step at a time." Shank said he'd just spent 20 minutes sitting and talking with Armstrong and noted the 24-year-old's enthusiasm to hop right back in the car as soon as he's allowed. Shank said he had no hesitation to let Armstrong hop right back in. "He's ready to get in. He's ready to go flat into (Turn) 1," Shank said. "This is going to define his driving right now. When you hit the wall that hard, it's not fun, even in today's (safety) standards, which are high. This is going to define him right now. That should be the story." With Armstrong's primary oval car, which the team both used during last month's Indy 500 open test, as well as the first week of 500 practice, out of commission after the morning crash, MSR mechanics immediately began preparing Armstrong's road and street course car that ran last weekend during the Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course and had been readied for the Detroit Grand Prix weekend (May 30-June 1). As of around 10:45 a.m. Saturday morning, it was not yet clear whether MSR would be able to ready the backup No. 66 car in time to get on track by the end of Day 1 at 5:50 p.m., though Shank said that was the target. "The goal is obviously to get (Armstrong) in, and if we're really lucky today, we'll try to do a run if we're really lucky," Shank said. "We're just going to put all of our Speedway stuff on (the backup). (The primary car) was really fast, really fast. "Our goals shift a little now. Our expectations shift. The car is not probably going to have the speed the other one had and that Felix's has had and that (Armstrong's) did last night." Shank said he had done "some preliminary work" in terms of exploring backup options in case Armstrong is not cleared to return to the cockpit, but that he was not yet having any backup options coming by the garage to do any sort of initial seat fit or exploratory work until Armstrong's status is learned this afternoon. Among the logical options, given MSR's technical alliance with Chip Ganassi Racing, would be ex-CGR driver Linus Lundqvist, who drove to IndyCar Rookie of the Year honors in the No. 8 CGR Honda in 2024, but who said he had his contract terminated in January as CGR scaled back from five full-time cars to three as the series instituted a charter program that mandated a maximum of three chartered cars per team. CGR held onto multi-time champions Scott Dixon and Alex Palou, as well as well-funded 2024 rookie Kyffin Simpson, and it agreed to loan out its contracted driver Armstrong to MSR as the teams struck their technical alliance. Chip Ganassi Racing general manager Mike Hull told IndyStar that the decision on drivers to put into the No. 66, should it require a substitute, "is (MSR co-owners) Mike (Shank) and Jim (Meyer's) call." "We do influence them technically, and we help each other technically, and we talk about driver choices, but it's still up to them," Hull said. "They had the choice (last fall) on who drove that car, and it just worked out (to be Armstrong)." Hull added that though the team does not talk publicly about contracts, Linus is "free to do whatever he wants to do." Lundqvist, Romain Grosjean, Pietro Fittipaldi and Katherine Legge would all not require a special veteran refresher session to fill-in for Armstrong because they competed in IndyCar's most recent oval race last fall at Nashville Superspeedway. So if Armstrong was not cleared to return to action Saturday, one of those four would be allowed, by IndyCar's rules, to hop into the car right away for a qualifying run Saturday afternoon without any other hoops to jump through. If Armstrong was not cleared and MSR did not have the car back out on-track Saturday, it would then fall into the Last Chance Qualifying session Sunday afternoon with four cars vying for the final three spots in the field. Teams falling into that pool will get an hour of practice before making their final qualifying attempts.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Game on:' ACM joins cybersecurity front lines
CUMBERLAND — With the ever-present risk of cyberattacks to governments and businesses around the world, many specialists are needed to stop them. Students at Allegany College of Maryland will be able to gain valuable, hands-on experience in the digital cybersecurity world thanks to the installation of a state-of-the art cyber range on campus. Known as the BCR Cyber Series 3000, the range places students directly into simulated cyberattacks and introduces concepts that are used in the real world on a daily basis. A ribbon cutting for the range was held Wednesday morning on the school's Cumberland campus. Through Maryland's Cyber Workforce Accelerator program, the Cyber Series 3000 can now be found at 16 community colleges across the state. ACM's was partially funded by a $617,400 grant through the Senator George C. Edwards Fund. In ACM's Technology Building, a makeshift secure operations center, was created to host the program's servers. 'A SOC is what a government, a business or a bank uses,' said BCR's Senior Vice President Chris Shank. Students will complete 40 hours of asynchronous training and then complete an eight-hour, intensive simulation in the operations center. 'Our virtual architecture has a variety of the tools that current cybersecurity professionals use,' Shank said. 'They're going to be confronted with the type of thing that they might see in the private sector.' According to Shank, students will be able to learn how to program firewalls and use a variety of vital computer programs that will serve as a guide for their careers in the future of information technology. 'They could see a ransomware attack, a website being defaced, any number of things that they are likely to see,' Shank said. Even more important to Shank is the doors that the program will offer to students' futures in Western Maryland. 'It allows them to connect to skills that they could use elsewhere,' Shank said, 'and not have to leave Allegany County to do it.' Since many jobs in the cybersecurity industry are remote, Shank said the program is more accessible to those who want to pursue a career in the field from the local region. 'This space you will see downstairs is for you,' ACM President David Jones told students at the event. 'To learn, to practice, to grow and to lead the community.' James E. House, chair of the college's Computer Technology department, said industry partners from companies such as IBM will occasionally observe students as they face simulations on the cyber range. 'That, to me, is a great recruitment tool,' he said. 'With 30,000 jobs open (in cybersecurity), it's game on.' House presented a live map of the more than 9 million cyberattacks that had occurred over the last 24 hours across the world. 'It's ongoing, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' House said. 'It's a great way to visualize the importance of cybersecurity and specialists we need.' According to House, a deficit in specialists in cybersecurity needs to be replenished. He said getting students on track to take on the challenge from Western Maryland is crucial. To learn about getting a cybersecurity certificate from ACM, visit their website or go to To learn more about BCR Cyber and their training and development programs, visit their website or go to
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Friends without benefits: people warned against getting close to AI
As artificial intelligence (AI) is made more sophisticated, some people could be vulnerable to engaging in relationship-like interactions or perceiving "romance" with the increasingly garrulous chatbots. 'The ability for AI to now act like a human and enter into long-term communications really opens up a new can of worms,' said Daniel Shank of Missouri University. In a paper published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Shank and colleagues argued that there is a "real worry" that "artificial intimacy" with AI bots could see some "disrupting" of human relationships. "Through weeks and months of intense conversations, these AIs can become trusted companions who seem to know and care about their human partners," the team said. That chatbots are prone to "hallucination" - insider-speak for their tendency to churn out seemingly inaccurate or incoherent responses - is a further cause for concern, as it means "even short-term conversations with AIs can be misleading." "If we start thinking of an AI that way, we're going to start believing that they have our best interests in mind, when in fact, they could be fabricating things or advising us in really bad ways,' the researchers warn, adding that the bots "can harm people by encouraging deviant, unethical, and illegal behaviors." Earlier this week, OpenAI announced the roll-out of an enhanced "memory" function for its ChatGPT, meaning the bot will tailor its responses to users based on recalling previous interactions, likely adding to the perception of intimacy in human-machine interactions. Google DeepMind last week published research suggesting artificial general intelligence (AGI), or machines with human-esque capabilities, could be developed by 2020. While AGI, if comes about, would be "a transformative technology," it would likely pose "significant risks" to people, including those of "severe harm," the Google team warned.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Canton man held on $1M bond after arrest for Canton Township fatal shooting
CANTON ‒ A judge has set a $1 million bond for a man who is charged with murder, accused of fatally shooting a 75-year-old Vietnam War veteran at a Canton Township bar. Judge Dennis Barr set the bond at Thursday's arraignment of Samuel D. Shank in Canton Municipal Court. Shank, of southwest Canton, is charged with murder in connection with the death of Phillip L. Harris of northwest Canton. Harris died early Tuesday at a Canton hospital after being shot late Monday at the Old Landmark Tavern at 5224 Ridge Ave. SE in Canton Township. Kristina Lockwood, chief assistant Canton prosecutor, asked for a high bond "due to the very serious allegations." "The defendant in this case is accused of shooting a 75-year-old Vietnam veteran in a bar where he was not permitted to even have a firearm," she said. Public defender Scott O'Meara entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Shank, who appeared in court by video link from the Stark County Jail. 911 caller: Fatal Canton Twp. bar shooting stemmed from criticism over poor pool play His next scheduled court appearance is a status hearing to be held Monday morning. Monday's shooting followed an argument at the bar over playing pool, a bartender told an emergency dispatcher in a 911 call. '(The gunman) was playing pool with one of the regulars," she said. "And he walked over to one of the girls and she was telling him like he was playing pool wrong or whatever. And then he was like no (she) disrespected me and he went after her and then the next thing you know all of the regulars are going after him. And I ran outside to get one of the guys that's outside. And when I came back in that's when the gun went off. And I looked and I have a guy down on the floor.' The woman said the gunman prevented people from providing help to the victim. "He's drunk as (expletive)," she said. "He started getting in all the dudes' faces and just being belligerent. I don't know what's wrong with him. … He let me run out. But that's when he was pointing a gun at my head telling me he'll (expletive) kill me. One guy's in there dead for sure.' Canton Township tavern: Canton man charged with murder after fatal shooting Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or This article originally appeared on The Repository: Judge sets $1 million bond for Samuel Shank in Phillip Harris case
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Second almost as good as a win in MSR's Rolex 24 comeback
The Acura Meyer Shank Racing team's IMSA GTP comeback in the 2025 Rolex 24 Hours didn't quite produce the ultimate fairytale result for those involved. But a second-place finish for its No. 60 Acura ARX-06, which crossed the finish line just 1.3 seconds behind the winning Penske Porsche, ensured they left the Daytona paddock last night with their heads held high. It was never going to be an easy trip to Florida to kick off the 2025 season for the Ohio-based outfit. After a year-long pause for its IMSA program, it found itself thrown in at the deep end with an expanded two-car effort, a larger workforce, a freshened-up driver roster and the prospect of IMSA's blue-riband 24-hour race to kick things off. But the signs were there, even before the Roar Before The 24 test got underway 10 days ago, that the team may produce something special. Team owner Mike Shank was as bullish as ever that the team would hit the ground running before either of its cars had turned a wheel. 'We expect to come back on the podium,' he told RACER. 'Maybe we don't win, but there's no reason we shouldn't be challenging for the podium places.' As it turned out, after 24 hours of racing and 781 laps of the Daytona International Speedway, he and his team matched Shank's lofty expectations with a truly strong performance, particularly after the final restart. Tom Blomqvist, the only driver on the lead lap not wearing Porsche Penske overalls by the end, pushed himself and his car to the limit. With time expiring, he caught and passed the No. 6 Porsche -–which was struggling for grip after being on the wrong end of a split tire strategy between the two factory 963s – before setting his sights on the lead car. The Briton couldn't quite find a way to mount a serious challenge to Felipe Nasr in the winning Porsche, but kept it close and piled the pressure on. Blomqvist, though, didn't appear crushed by disappointment in the post-race presser. Instead, knowing he and the team had nothing more to give in the final stint, he was more than satisfied with second. 'In the race, we actually struggled a lot for pace,' he admitted. 'We came into the race relatively confident, but for whatever reason we just struggled a lot to keep our rear tires under us. The No.60 Acura had few answers to the pace of the Porsches over long runs early in the race, but the car came alive in the final stint. James Gilbert/Motorsport Images 'Even from lap one, you already knew it was going to be a tough stint. We kind of struggled, to be honest, for the whole race. The Porsches were extremely strong. We were good, maybe the first few laps and then they would just pull away – especially on the double-stints, they had a lot more pace – and when the traffic came they had such an advantage. We struggled so much for traction and they would just carve through it much better than us. 'But in the last stint, the car was just better. I didn't think I was going to have anything for them, but you never give up, and I think I gave it all I had. To be honest, that was the best we probably could have done today.' His efforts secured a fine podium finish for himself and his teammates Colin Braun, Felix Rosenqvist and Scott Dixon and, remarkably, added to his outstanding personal record of two wins and two second-place finishes in four Rolex 24 starts. On the other side of the Acura MSR pit structure, it was a different story. The No. 93 finished eighth in class – 15th overall and 40 laps down – after suffering a rear suspension failure overnight. However, the result sheet tells an important story in this case. Acura MSR's push to field two cars in 2025 and, therefore, give itself two shots at glory at each race this season appears to have already paid off. 'I think to come away with a second, that close to winning the race and executing well as a whole group, is great, ' Braun said. 'The 93 car had good pace. They had that suspension issue, but they did a super good job, too. 'I think considering all the other GTP teams have been together for a few years here and we've reassembled and added people, I think we have a lot of blue sky, a lot of potential to tidy up a few things here and there and continue to be stronger and stronger. So it was a heck of a first race. 'When we all went to the first test in November when we got the cars, I think if you would have said we'd come here and finish second, we'd all have been signing up for that.' 'We learnt a lot of lessons from this race,' Blomqvist added, 'but to be honest, we're super happy with second because at one point we thought it was going to be a real long day.' Story originally appeared on Racer
