Watkins Glen, NY (25 June 2023) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) with Curb-Agajanian crossed the finish line fourth but following technical inspections has moved to third in Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday.
The No. 60 MSR ARX-06 of Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist was in the hunt for victory throughout the race, but ran out of time in the event that ended under caution.
MSR led both practice sessions ahead of the race, but a bid for its second pole of the season went for naught when a sudden deluge soaked the Finger Lakes circuit and cancelled Saturday’s qualifying. The GTP grid was set by championship points, putting MSR eighth on the grid.
Sunday’s start saw Braun make up a position on the opening lap. Getting better fuel mileage than its competition, the team led three times for 10 laps, with the two drivers leading five laps apiece.
Braun handed the car off to Blomqvist after a two-hour stint, with Blomqvist keeping the MSR Acura in podium contention for the majority of his stint. One hour and 40 minutes into his stint, Blomqvist returned to pit lane for a second driver change under the fourth full course caution.
Braun restarted the race second, putting the pressure on the leader for the entirety of his stint before turning the Acura back over Blomqvist to close out the final hour and 15-mins of the race.
Returning to the field fourth, Blomqvist did everything he could to cut into the margin of the leaders. Unfortunately a final full-course caution was released with just 4-minutes remaining, ending the race under yellow. Following technical inspections, Meyer Shank Racing has been moved to third with another GTP car failing post-race tech.
MSR next crosses the border for the Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday, July 9.
Driver Quotes:
Colin Braun:
“We had a calibration issue on the pit speed limiter, so that was unfortunate, but I think we recovered pretty well. We got back in the hunt and then Tom had a puncture. There’s not a lot you can do about those things, that’s just part of it. We were up to P2 and then strategy started to play into it. Honestly, I’m not sure how the Porsche and the BMW jumped us and the 31 Cadillac. Considering where we started, I think everyone did a great job, we had good pit stops and a nice clean race. Everyone is working hard and I’m proud of everyone’s efforts over the entire week. It’s not an easy race. It’s definitely tough on the crew and the drivers and strategy-wise, man, there’s so many ways you can build out this race. I feel we were in contention and in position to battle at the front. If we keep it up things will swing our way.”
Tom Blomqvist:
“We weren’t quick enough when it mattered. Early on it seemed like we were okay, but the others really cranked it up at the end. They were mighty on out laps. We had a couple things not go our way, but we recovered, so it wasn’t the end of the world. It could have been a smoother race, but ultimately, we didn’t have the pace at the right times. We’ll look at it and improve for the next one.”