IMSA Sanctioned Test: Acura Meyer Shank Racing Dominates Daytona Session
Daytona International Speedway—The opening session of the IMSA Sanctioned Test for the 2026 WeatherTech Sportscar Championship kicked off today with notable performances from Acura Meyer Shank Racing. Nick Yelloly set the pace in the #93 Acura ARX-06, clocking a lap time of 1:35.725—establishing a significant lead over teammate Tom Blomqvist, who followed with a time of 1:36.241, 0.516 seconds back.
The session, lasting three and a half hours, saw Yelloly’s time secured early on, with approximately half a second separating the third through tenth places on the time sheets. Third fastest was Nico Pino in the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963, while the #10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, driven by Filipe Albuquerque, rounded out the top four positions.
Porsche Penske Motorsport entries occupied the fifth and sixth spots, with Felipe Nasr in the #7 car ahead of Matt Campbell’s #6. Dries Vanthoor’s BMW M Team WRT Hybrid V8 took eighth, followed by Marco Wittmann’s sister car in ninth, and Jack Aitken in the #31 Cadillac Whelen completing the top ten.
In a challenging day for the Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie, the #23 entry encountered electrical issues that halted its debut session, with Ross Gunn unable to complete a lap.
In LMP2 action, Tom Dillmann emerged fastest in the #43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA 07-Gibson with a time of 1:39.224, leading Pietro Fittipaldi in the #73 Pratt Miller Motorsports entry by 0.569 seconds. The top five was completed by cars from AO Racing, United Autosports USA, and TDS Racing.
Three red flags briefly interrupted the session, primarily due to the Valkyrie and some minor incidents involving LMP2 entries. Track activity will resume this afternoon after a one-hour break, providing GTP and LMP2 competitors with an additional three and a half hours of running, while GT classes will join tomorrow.
Session Highlights:
- Fastest Lap: Nick Yelloly (1:35.725, #93 Acura ARX-06)
- Key Performers: Yelloly, Blomqvist, Pino, Albuquerque
- LMP2 Leader: Tom Dillmann (1:39.224, #43 ORECA 07-Gibson)
Next Steps:
The action continues this afternoon, setting the stage for further competitive insights as teams prepare for the upcoming season.
