Front Row Start for Acura MSR in Strong Showing at Daytona
Daytona International SpeedwayNick Yelloly qualifies his Acura MSR ARX-06 second for Saturday's season-opening Rolex 24. Tom Blomqvist shows speed in #60 Acura MSR machine, will start sixth
Nick Yelloly led the way for Acura in qualifying for the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, putting his #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian ARX-06 second on the grid for the twice-round-the-clock classic.
Yelloly's qualifying effort marks a strong showing for the #93 team, a joint effort between Meyer Shank Racing and Honda Racing Corporation USA. HRC US is taking on a larger role in engineering and strategizing for the team for the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Yelloly will be going for his first Rolex 24 win on Saturday, alongside two-time Rolex winner Renger van der Zande, three-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou, and HRC-backed driver Kakunoshin Ohta.
The sister #60 Acura ARX-06 qualified sixth in the hands of Tom Blomqvist. The two-time Rolex winner's pace looked good enough to join the #93 on the front row, before an altercation with the slower #63 cost him significant time on what was likely to be his fastest lap. Blomqvist and teammates Colin Braun, Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist will start the Rolex 24 from sixth.
Rolex 24 at Daytona Acura Qualifying Results
Qualified 2nd - #93 Nick Yelloly, Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06. Co-drivers will be Renger van der Zande, Alex Palou and Kakunoshin Ohta.
Qualified 6th - #60 Tom Blomqvist, Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06. Co-drivers will be Colin Braun, Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist
"My very first Acura qualifying and we're lining up on the front row for Daytona, which is nice. There was a bit of confusion regarding the amount of time we had left, so it was lucky that I started to get on with it when I did, because in the middle of the lap they said it was the last lap and I thought I had two or three more. Let's say the racing gods helped us out a little bit there, but the car felt nice. I still think there's more in it. Now we just have to concentrate on the race. Happy for all the MSR and the HRC crew to get a good start to the season in terms of qualifying, but the points are mostly in the race!"
"My very first Acura qualifying and we're lining up on the front row for Daytona, which is nice. There was a bit of confusion regarding the amount of time we had left, so it was lucky that I started to get on with it when I did, because in the middle of the lap they said it was the last lap and I thought I had two or three more. Let's say the racing gods helped us out a little bit there, but the car felt nice. I still think there's more in it. Now we just have to concentrate on the race. Happy for all the MSR and the HRC crew to get a good start to the season in terms of qualifying, but the points are mostly in the race!"
"Car is good, car is fast! We just got ourselves in a difficult spot there with the traffic and the track position. It's a little annoying for me, it's a little annoying for him as well. I was just trying to complete my lap, but in the end it just wasn't meant to be. It's a bit disappointing because I think we had the car to fight for pole. It's a long race so it doesn't really matter, but let's see!"
"Car is good, car is fast! We just got ourselves in a difficult spot there with the traffic and the track position. It's a little annoying for me, it's a little annoying for him as well. I was just trying to complete my lap, but in the end it just wasn't meant to be. It's a bit disappointing because I think we had the car to fight for pole. It's a long race so it doesn't really matter, but let's see!"
