Simon Pagenaud has been revealed as the fourth and final driver in Meyer Shank Racing’s driver squad for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The Frenchman, who’s also been signed to the Ohio-based team’s NTT IndyCar Series team, will partner Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis and IndyCar team-mate Helio Castroneves aboard the #60 Acura ARX-05 DPi.
“I love starting the year with one of the biggest challenges of the year in the 24 Hour at Daytona,” said Pagenaud. “It’s a race I came close to winning many times, just like the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the past.”
“I am looking forward to racing with my new team MSR in endurance racing which is my roots and I have a very deep love for this series while reuniting with the Acura once again and my friends at HPD. With Oliver, Tom and Helio we will be a strong lineup and hopefully we can give AutoNation and SiriusXM a victory to start off the year.”
Pagenaud has contested the Florida classic seven times, finishing on the podium twice in 2015 and 2021. Last year, he formed part of Action Express Racing’s all-star Cadillac line-up. Before that, he raced with Acura Team Penske.
“We’re really excited to have Simon join the team for the Rolex 24,” said team owner Mike Shank. “The first step was having him be a part of our full-season lineup in IndyCar and it just made sense to put him in the Acura for Daytona.
“He knows the car well and has worked with Helio previously, so he’s been a big asset to the team so far. With the lineup that we have I think that we have a chance to fight for a win in just a few weeks.”
Two LMP3s for Muehlner
Belgian operation Muelhner Motorsports will make their return to the Rolex 24 with a two-car LMP3 effort, spearheaded by former Mazda factory ace Joel Miller.
The team will field two Duqueine D08s, one of which will also run the full Michelin Endurance Cup season.
Miller will partner team regular Moritz Kranz, Efrin Castro and Ayrton Ori aboard the #6 car. The #26 machine, meanwhile, will be piloted by Nolan Siegel, Cameron Shields, Charles Crews and Ugo De Wilde.
Last year, the team’s sole Duqueine started the race from pole position before ultimately going on to finish third in class behind the Ligiers from Riley Motorsports and Sean Creech Motorsport.
