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HRC pausing Acura factory GTP program in IMSA after 2026 as part of expanded IndyCar effort

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Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) will pause its factory GTP program with the Acura ARX-06 at the conclusion of the 2026 season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as part of a pivoted increased focus toward the IndyCar Series.

Acura currently competes in the GTP class in a factory-supported effort with Meyer Shank Racing, fielding two electrified ARX-06 entries in IMSA’s top category. The #60 entry, driven full-time by Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist, while the #93 entry – with HRC US calling strategy and handling race engineering for the car in IMSA competition, a manufacturer first – driven by full-time pilots Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly.

“We are extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished during this era of Acura prototype racing which began back in 2018 with the introduction of the Acura ARX-05 and we are committed to compete for the championship in IMSA’s GTP category through 2026 with the hybrid Acura ARX-06 competing in IMSA’s GTP category,” said David Salters, President Honda Racing Corporation USA.

“We’ve scored 25 wins, 34 poles and 10 championships during this time and look forward to finishing 2026 strong. I want to recognize all the talented women and men of HRC US, Acura, Meyer Shank Racing and Oreca who have worked tirelessly to get us to where we are in this highly competitive GTP field.”

As part of leveraging its ‘Precision Crafted Performance' branded DNA, Acura is expanding its presence in the IndyCar Series. The strategy will see Acura branding appear on Meyer Shank Racing Honda-powered Indy cars at select races in 2026, including on Marcus Armstrong’s #66 at the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. This will be the first time for the brand to be featured on the grid in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian

Acura is also exploring other high-profile opportunities in IndyCar during the 2026 season and beyond. The Acura-branded #60 MSR machine driven by Felix Rosenqvist made its debut at last weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the eighth year as the event’s title sponsor, in support of the Acura brand’s 40th anniversary. Rosenqvist won the pole at the Acura Long Beach street course and finished second in the race.

Acura is expanding its presence at a time when the NTT IndyCar Series is seeing record attendance and television numbers in 2025 and thus far in the 2026 season—with new television partner Fox delivering the most-watched Indianapolis 500 in 17 years last season. The first four races of 2026 have generated the largest TV audiences for the series since 2008.

“We’re excited for the Acura brand expansion into the NTT IndyCar Series and we can’t wait to see our Acura livery take on the Indy 500”, said Hundy Liu, manager, Acura Brand Marketing.

“We saw a great response to the livery on Felix Rosenqvist’s MSR car last week at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, and I know it will be even more exciting to see the Acura brand on Marcus Armstrong’s car at Indianapolis.”

“The IndyCar series has shown incredible growth in the last year and a half and we see it as a powerful opportunity to build awareness for our Acura brand—particularly on a stage where Honda-powered teams and drivers have been so successful recently,” added Liu. We look forward to this new chapter for Acura in motorsports.”

Although this is the first appearance for Acura branding this season in the IndyCar Series, Meyer Shank Racing and its former driver Jack Harvey did run a special Acura livery in 2019 at the Grand Prix of Long Beach to celebrate the brand’s first year as title sponsor of the race.

It was the brand’s first foray into IndyCar since 1994 when Comptech Racing ran Acura branding on its Honda-powered Lola driven by Parker Johnstone.

Read Also: Acura wins Long Beach IMSA race for first time since 2009 IMSA to keep BoP tables public despite WEC move

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