Acura – the luxury and performance division of Honda – has made the decision to “press pause” on its IMSA GTP program after the finish of this year’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season in favour of increased IndyCar support.
The decision coincides with an increase of branding in the IndyCar Series, in which Marcus Armstrong’s Honda-powered machine will carry Acura logos in the Indy 500, the brand’s first appearance in the crown jewel event.
Meyer Shank Racing’s drivers Armstrong and Felix Rosenqvist will compete with the branding at select events throughout the remainder of the 2026 season.
The Acura-branded #60 of Rosenqvist debuted in the series at the Long Beach event, which carries title sponsorship from the car maker.
Rosenqvist qualified on pole position and finished second on race day.
Meyer Shank Racing also runs the Acura IMSA GTP program, with the ARX-06 model so far having taken eight race wins across three full seasons of racing, including a 1-2 for the car in the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona.
Despite remaining competitive in IMSA, the decision to pivot towards IndyCar is entirely strategic from Honda Racing Corporation USA.
“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.”
Discussion about this post