Acura Meyer Shank Racing Triumphs in Detroit, Halting Porsche Penske’s IMSA Streak

Acura Meyer Shank Racing broke Porsche Penske’s dominant run at Detroit, capturing a thrilling IMSA victory Saturday after leading the field from pole to checker. Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande started in front with the #93 Acura ARX-06 and managed to keep rivals at bay through 84 laps on a tough, bumpy street layout.

Their win snaps a recent streak by Porsche Penske Motorsport, who have been challenging for wins almost every weekend in the top-level Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class. While Detroit’s 100-minute IMSA race is shorter than traditional endurance events, it’s filled with intense action and little room for overtakes.

The early part of the race brought drama within the first five minutes. The #4 Corvette Racing car took contact and lost a taillight, triggering the first full-course yellow flag just three minutes after the green.

Meanwhile, the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari spent time in the pits for repairs, and several other cars got involved in minor incidents, showing just how tricky the narrow Detroit street course can be for the best teams in the series.

Ford also had a big reason to celebrate. Sebastian Priaulx and Mike Rockenfeller steered the #64 Ford Mustang GT3 to a class victory in GTD Pro, giving Mustang its first Detroit win and Ford its second overall IMSA win of the 2025 season.

They had to fight off a strong challenge from the #3 Corvette, while traffic from faster prototypes added a new twist near the end. Both Acura and Ford showed they had both the pace and the luck to make Saturday one of their most memorable races.

Porsche teams remained in the thick of the action. The #7 Porsche Penske car, driven by Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr, climbed from sixth on the grid to lead large parts of the race by mid-distance.

Yet, a late pass by Ricky Taylor in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac knocked them off the top spot less than 15 minutes from the end. Van der Zande capitalized soon after, overtaking Taylor to secure the win, while Porsche had to settle for third and fourth place finishes in GTP with the #6 and #7 cars.

The GTD Pro field delivered its own intense duels. The pink #77 AO Racing Porsche, known as “Roxy,” was spun twice during aggressive battles, including a skirmish with the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus that resulted in drive-through penalties and changes to the final results after post-race reviews. For more on fierce racing incidents, see the Leclerc Ferrari demand article.

Officials kept the race under control with only two cautions and no red flags during a contest where many expected far less action. When the checkered flag waved after 100 minutes, the Meyer Shank squad had pulled off a well-earned victory.

Their consistency and strategic moves paid off on a day when passing was tough and minor mistakes proved costly for others. Acura Meyer Shank Racing ended Porsche Penske Motorsport’s winning streak and put themselves right back into the spotlight, reminiscent of major moments in motor racing history such as the Hamilton Monaco clash.

Next, teams shift their focus to Le Mans, ready for a new chapter after a dramatic weekend in Detroit. For ongoing updates on motorsport events, the Sainz F1 Monaco fear report offers deeper insight into similar high-pressure racing situations.

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.