Detroit battle: Acura Meyer Shank Racing finally ends Porsche Penske’s IMSA win streak

Pole positions typically don't mean much in endurance racing. And while IMSA's Detroit Grand Prix race is considered a sprint by the series' and by definition short in length, it doesn't guarantee that whoever leads the front of the field at the start, will lead it to the checkered flag. Today, though, the action in Detroit would serve up a fresh storyline.

It was an unexpectedly competitive field in Detroit Saturday as teams battled hard to gain those crucial podium and lead spots for both the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) classes. What felt to be even more unexpected, is that Friday's pole winners, the #93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura (Nick Yelloly, Renger van der Zande) and #64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports (Sebastian Priaulx, Mike Rockenfeller), would be leading at the beginning and end of the race. And both put in a decent fight to get there.

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger Van Der Zande, Nick Yelloly

Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Detroit's narrow and bumpy course is not a welcoming place for passing, as was obvious within the first five minutes of Saturday's race. The GTP and GTD Pro fields bumped and rubbed their way through the first narrow corners of the track, whether it was another manufacturer, or against their own teammates like the Paul Miller Racing BMWs.

Only, the #4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports car would be the one to suffer any real consequences harboring damage to the left rear from contact and losing a taillight. The result? The first full-course yellow, just three minutes in.

Meanwhile, the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari found itself sidelined a couple of times and pitted for repairs, while the #4 Corvette was also in for taillight repairs.

Porsche teams battled all race

The #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963 GTP with Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy

Lumen Digital Agency

What's missing from the top of both the GTP and GTD Pro headlines is Porsche. First, does pink induce anger, because the #77 AO Racing Porsche — Roxy for Detroit — found itself in a couple of tiffs through Saturday's competition starting with the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. The Lexus bumped the #77 into the corner for a little spin, and earned itself a drive through penalty. Later in the race, just after the field returned to green for the second full-course caution, the #77 with Laurin Heinrich at the helm executed a beautiful pass around the #14.

The #77's fight didn't end there, taking on the #4 Corvette for a spicy battle ending in the #4 hitting the #77, sending it for a spin. Heinrich, in the #77, responded with a hit to the #4 for its own spin before pulling away. Race control issued a warning to both cars, as well as drive-through penalties served post-race adding an additional 17 seconds to their finish times.

And it was a far from perfect weekend for Porsche Penske Motorsport. The new BOP issued for the Detroit race to help alleviate what turned into a caution-free Monterey race, along with the winning streaks we've seen with teams like Porsche. But the BOP didn't appear to slow the Penske team down as 'Mr. 24' Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr managed to take the #7 car that started P6 Saturday to the front and hold tight for the majority of the mid race.

#64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3: Mike Rockenfeller, Sebastian Priaulx

Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

That lead saw its demise when Ricky Taylor in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac nudged his way around the #7 for the lead with just 15 minutes to go. Ricky, a previous winner in Detroit, was poised to take the win home for WTR when the #93 Acura and van der Zande took advantage of the Cadillac competitor's weakness, finding the opportune window to earn the lead — aiming to keep it and the looming Porsche GTP cars behind for the overall and GTP class win.

The #64 Ford survived its own battle against another major Detroit contender — the #3 Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette — slightly alleviated by the mixed GTP traffic, which helped it to earn its first-ever win in the series, the first win for Ford in the IMSA at (home in) Detroit, and the second win for Ford in the 2025 season.

Overall carnage was minimal as the race was never red-flagged, and only minor pieces were found scattered on the track for the two cautions over the 100-minute race. The list of penalties for cars going into the runoffs or simply bumping, a lot, might paint a different picture. But for a race where there wasn't a lot of action expected, everyone — fans, teams, and drivers alike — came out on the other side pleasantly surprised.

Now, for something completely different: bring on Le Mans.