Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar drivers past and present will bolster the line-up of Meyer Shank Racing’s Acura GTP crew for the Daytona 24 Hours and subsequent IMSA SportsCar Championship enduros.
Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou and his Ganassi team-mate Scott Dixon will contest the five races that comprise the Michelin Endurance Cup with MSR, while MSR IndyCar racer Felix Rosenqvist will be a Daytona-only addition.
Dixon and Rosenqvist will join Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun, who won the first race of the new GTP era at Daytona in 2023 with MSR, while Palou will partner Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly at Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans.
MSR is yet to announce a fourth driver for the #93 Acura, opening up a potential opportunity for Super Formula and SUPER GT race Kakunoshin Ota, who is testing for the squad in this week’s IMSA-sanctioned Daytona test.
MSR returns to IMSA in 2025 after sitting out the 2024 campaign while Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti ran two works Acura ARX-06s.
But with WTR/Andretti switching to Cadillac, to take over from Chip Ganassi Racing as the GM brand’s factory squad in IMSA, it opened the door for MSR to return to the brand it won the 2022 IMSA DPi crown with.
Dixon and Palou both use engines from Acura’s sister brand Honda in IndyCar, facilitating their switch from Ganassi’s now-defunct Cadillac GTP programme along with van der Zande.
Palou made his Le Mans debut with a Ganassi-run Cadillac V-Series.R last year, finishing seventh, and also joined its roster for his second appearance at Daytona.
#60 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
Dixon won on his final outing for Cadillac at Petit Le Mans, and has three previous wins to his name at Daytona in 2006, 2015 and 2020; the latter coming alongside van der Zande.
Rosenqvist was previously Dixon’s IndyCar team-mate at Ganassi in 2019-20, before spending three years at Arrow McLaren then joining MSR in 2024. He has three previous starts at Daytona, the Swede’s two most recent appearances coming in LMP2 machinery.
Palou was set to take the IndyCar seat vacated by Rosenqvist at Arrow McLaren for 2024, but elected to stay with Ganassi and duly won his third title.
«It just made sense for Felix to join us at the 24,» said team boss Michael Shank, whose team has won at Daytona in 2012, 2022 and 2023.
«He’s really proved himself on the IndyCar side of things and I think he can be a big asset to us in IMSA.
«It’s a no-brainer that Scott knows what he’s doing in the IMSA endurance events and it’s really cool to finally have him come onboard after all these years.
«Alex is another one who knows what it takes in the GTP category and of course he’s coming off of a big high in IndyCar.»
