Acura confirms it will pause GTP program at season’s end

Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) has confirmed that the Acura ARX-06 LMDh program will be paused after the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The Acura brand will instead expand its presence in the NTT IndyCar Series, with Acura branding on Honda-powered entries at select races – including the 110th Indianapolis 500.

On Friday, RACER.com's Marshall Pruett reported that the Acura IMSA program was at risk of being discontinued due to a challenging global automotive market and the cancellation of multiple upcoming EV projects by Honda.

The decision to pause the IMSA program comes mere days after Acura Meyer Shank Racing, Renger van der Zande, and Nick Yelloly won the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday. It will bring nearly a decade of competing in IMSA’s top prototype category to an end.

Team Penske, Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing have contributed to three IMSA DPi championship titles, and major IMSA endurance victories at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen mand Petit Le Mans (Road Atlanta) since 2018. Starting in 2025, Acura Meyer Shank Racing has run two ARX-06es in IMSA, including the No. 93 car which is engineered by HRC US; Acura finished second in last year’s GTP manufacturers’ championship.

“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 of 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,” said Salters.

Honda/Acura is the only LMDh manufacturer that has not entered the FIA World Endurance Championship during this period, though rumors persisted of potential involvement in WEC and the Asian Le Mans Series Hypercar as recently as the end of January.

The door is believed to be open for privateers to step forward and race the ARX-06 in the future, including in the Asian Le Mans Series' new Hypercar category. In addition, Acura may also be able to resurrect the program in GTP in the future, should the forthcoming 2030 top class regulations allow for current LMDh “spines" to be carried over into the next set of regulations.

A statement issued by Meyer Shank Racing read: “We are incredibly thankful for our partnership with Honda, Acura & HRC and the success we've shared together in IMSA competition. Their support and commitment have played a key role in the growth of our program and the accomplishments we've achieved as a team.

“As we look to the future, we are excited to expand our relationship with Acura into the NTT IndyCar Series, beginning with the Indianapolis 500 this May on the No. 66 Honda (driven by Marcus Armstrong).

“At the same time, Meyer Shank Racing remains open to continuing its presence in IMSA competition and exploring opportunities with other OEM partners."