Meyer Shank Racing will not be present on the IMSA SportsCar Championship starting grid for the 2024 season, in which its sole commitment will become the IndyCar Series.
Since 2004 the American team has participated in the Stars and Stripes championship for prototypes and GTs, managing to shine in recent years with successes at the very prestigious 24h of Daytona as the standard bearer of Acura Motorsports.
This year’s success was historic, in particular, the debut of the Acura ARX-06 LMDh in the GTP Class, but also with unpleasant implications as an irregularity committed with the tire pressures came to light after the race, sanctioned by IMSA with the reduction of scores in the team and driver rankings, but leaving the triumph achieved on the field as a surprise.
This was not at all liked by Acura’s leaders and in August the team owner, Michael Shank, revealed that a decision on the continuation of the adventure in the 2024 championship would only be made at the last moment.
Today comes confirmation that Meyer Shank Racing will finish the current year trying to fight for the titles, being mathematically still in contention, but that everything will stop after Petit Le Mans, the final race of 2023.
#60 Meyer Shank Racing W/Curb-Agajanian, Acura ARX-06, GTP: Colin Braun, Tom Blomqvist
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
“The decision to take a year off from IMSA was not an easy one at all,” said Shank. “Our guys live this team to the fullest and have dedicated most of their lives to working on these cars and traveling to races, and many of them have been with us for almost 20 years.”
“For Jim Meyer and me, the main goal was to get our guys settled in and make sure they were all okay, which we managed to do. There are a lot of projects going on in the shop and, of course, some of them will contribute to the growth of our IndyCar program.”
“When we have to prepare for the new IMSA program, we will still have this great group united and ready to go. I have to thank so many people who have had a great impact on me and on the growth of this team: Jim France has supported us since we joined in the series in 2004 and I can never thank him enough.”
“Jon Ikeda, David Salters and everyone at Honda, HPD and Acura have given MSR a chance and trusted us to lead this program over the past few years. This also applies to all of my co-workers and the drivers who they have been with us, and the list is quite long.”
“Most of these guys have changed my life since I started this team’s work in Grand-Am. Like I said, we’re gone for now, but definitely not forever.”
This means that the only two Acuras guaranteed to be on the IMSA grid next year are those of Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti.
