Tom Blomqvist: Acura ARX-06 Takes IMSA Pole at Indy

Tom Blomqvist put the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 on pole at Indianapolis, giving Meyer Shank Racing its first GTP pole of the 2026 IMSA season.

Blomqvist puts Acura on pole at Indianapolis

Tom Blomqvist delivered a standout qualifying performance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The British driver placed the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 on pole for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks.

Blomqvist completed the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course in 1:14.674. His lap gave Acura the fastest time in the GTP class and put Colin Braun alongside him as his co-driver.

The result also gave Blomqvist his first pole of the 2026 season. It was his eighth career pole with Meyer Shank Racing since joining the organisation in 2022.

The session was also affected by weather. Lightning near the circuit forced a delay, while the GTD and GTD PRO qualifying sessions were cancelled. Their grids were then set using team championship standings.

The pole was not the result of a simple qualifying run.

Blomqvist said the team had tested new concepts during practice. He also noted that the weather made the session difficult to predict.

The Acura appeared to have the pace when it mattered most. Blomqvist needed a single strong lap and delivered it near the end of the session.

The conditions added another challenge.

Earlier rain had left some damp spots around the track. That made tyre preparation even more important.

Blomqvist also highlighted the difficulty of getting the right-side tyres up to temperature at Indianapolis. He felt he had only one major opportunity to produce the lap he needed.

He used it perfectly.

Acura beats Cadillac for the top spot

Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber placed the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R on the outside of the front row. Aitken’s best lap was 1:14.975, leaving him 0.301 seconds behind Blomqvist.

Dries Vanthoor put the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 third. Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz were fourth in the No. 40 Cadillac.

The sister Acura also secured a strong grid position.

The No. 93 Acura ARX-06 of Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande qualified fifth. The pair arrived at Indianapolis third in the GTP driver standings and had already taken a victory at Long Beach earlier in the season.

That gives Meyer Shank Racing two cars near the front.

The No. 93 car is still involved in the championship battle.

Yelloly and van der Zande entered Indianapolis with a points deficit to the GTP leader, Jack Aitken. Their fifth-place qualifying result keeps them within striking distance for the race.

For Blomqvist and Braun, the situation is different.

The No. 60 crew is out of championship contention. The priority is now to secure the team’s first win of the season.

That makes pole position particularly valuable.

The 2026 Indianapolis race is a shorter two-hour, 40-minute sprint, unlike last year’s six-hour format. In a shorter race, track position can have an even greater influence on the final result.

Blomqvist and Braun also have unfinished business at Indianapolis.

Last year, the pair finished third after starting from the back following a post-qualifying technical infraction. This time, the No. 60 Acura will start at the front.

That makes the 2026 pole especially meaningful for the team.

Acura’s IMSA programme is nearing its end

The Indianapolis weekend is also significant for another reason.

Acura is preparing to leave the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship after the 2026 season. That means Meyer Shank Racing has only two races remaining with the Acura GTP programme.

The team therefore wants to finish the partnership with another victory.

The No. 60 Acura now has the best possible starting position. The No. 93 is also starting from the top five.

Both cars will carry Acura’s hopes into the final stages of the programme.

The qualifying result also highlights the strength of Meyer Shank Racing at Indianapolis.

Blomqvist’s pole marked the second consecutive year that he has set the fastest qualifying time at the circuit. The previous year’s result, however, was later removed after a technical inspection issue.

This time, the No. 60 Acura will officially lead the field.

Blomqvist said the team executed the qualifying plan well. He also praised the work completed during practice.

Now the focus shifts to the race.

The shorter format means the Acura crew will have less time to recover from mistakes. Starting at the front should therefore help the No. 60 avoid traffic during the opening laps.

The No. 93 will also have an opportunity to fight near the front. Yelloly and van der Zande need a strong result to support their championship challenge.

Tom Blomqvist has already completed the first part of the mission. The No. 60 Acura ARX-06 will start from pole at Indianapolis.

The next objective is the one Meyer Shank Racing wants most: turning pole position into its first IMSA victory of 2026 before Acura’s programme reaches its final races.