Acura Sponsors Car At Indy 500, But Pauses IMSA Effort After 2026

BusinessSportsMoneyAcura Sponsors Car At Indy 500, But Pauses IMSA Effort After 2026ByBruce Martin,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I have been chasing race cars since the first Michigan 500 in 1981.Follow AuthorApr 22, 2026, 07:54pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Felix Rosenqvist in the Acura-sponsored Honda Indy car at the 51st Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.Honda Racing USA PhotoIt wasn’t that long ago the Honda IndyCar program appeared to be in jeopardy, but in a stunning turnaround, Honda Racing USA will devote more marketing efforts to IndyCar through its Acura brand. HRC USA also announced April 22 that it would “pause” the Acura program in IMSA Sports Car racing following the 2026 season.Acura’s branding will be featured at this year’s 110th Indianapolis 500 on Marcus Armstrong’s No. 66 Honda at Meyer-Shank Racing. That’s the same team that fields the Acura cars that compete in IMSA.It will be the first time Acura has sponsored a car in the Indianapolis 500. Acura branding was on Felix Rosenqvist’s No. 60 Honda at this past weekend’s 51st Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to help celebrate the Acura brand’s 40th anniversary. Rosenqvist qualified on the pole and finished second in the race.Acura is the luxury performance brand of Honda and has been a stellar competitor in IMSA. Honda is the more mainstream automaker with a large presence of automotive plants based in the United States.Acura Increasing Its Marketing Footprint In IndyCarAcura is expanding its presence at a time when the NTT IndyCar Series is seeing record attendance and television numbers in 2025 and thus far in the 2026 season—with new television partner FOX delivering the most-watched Indianapolis 500 in 17 years last season. The first four races of 2026 have generated the largest TV audiences for the series since 2008.MORE FOR YOU“We’re excited for the Acur...