Meyer Shank Racing's Daytona 24-Winning Acura Was Manipulating Tire Pressure Data

This year's Rolex 24 at Daytona, the first outing for the new GTP class and its hybrid LMDh race cars, was a classic, with the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 from Meyer Shank Racing, driven by Helio Castroneves, Colin Braun, Simon Pagenaud, and Tom Blomqvist was the class of the field and took the overall win.

However, IMSA announced a major penalty against the team on Wednesday due to an infringement that saw them manipulating tire pressure data. The series requires a minimum tire pressure for all cars, and the Shank car's data was found to be manipulated. According to IMSA, the manipulation was discovered by Honda Performance Development (HPD) and reported to the series after the race. The penalty is substantial (via IMSA release):

• Loss of 200 team and driver IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship points.

• Loss of all team and driver IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup points.

• Loss of race prize money.

• Team receives a $50,000 fine.

• Team and Entrant representative Mike Shank placed on probation through June 30, 2023.

• Revocation of IMSA annual credential and indefinite suspension of IMSA membership for team engineer Ryan McCarthy.

The sweeping penalty does not strip the drivers or team of the win, the trophy, or the watches. That also means the results of the race have not changed, but you can be sure there'll be a lot of grumbling behind the scenes from other teams that could see this as the Shank team gaining the advantage that let them win the race.

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