Pagenaud will join MSR’s new full-time line-up of Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist, as well as its endurance ‘third man’ Helio Castroneves, who will also be Pagenaud’s team-mate in the squad’s IndyCar team this year.
For Pagenaud, who was an ace in the now-defunct American Le Mans Series before joining the IndyCar Series and also drove the Acura in IMSA endurance events under the Team Penske banner, it will mark the eighth time he has competed in the Daytona 24 Hours. For Meyer Shank Racing, this will be the 19th entry in the Daytona classic.
“I love starting the year with one of the biggest challenges of the year in the 24 Hour At Daytona,” said Pagenaud, who last year drove Action Express Racing’s second Cadillac with Kamui Kobayashi and Jimmie Johnson in the IMSA enduros. “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 line-up and hopefully we can give AutoNation and SiriusXM a victory to start off the year.”
Team founder and co-owner Michael Shank commented: “We’re really excited to have Simon join the team for the Rolex 24. The first step was having him be a part of our full-season line-up 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 line-up that we have, I think that we have a chance to fight for a win in just a few weeks.”
The Roar Before the 24 will run from 21-23 January and will feature the qualifying race to determine pitlane and garage locations. The 60th running of the Daytona 24 Hours takes place on the 29-30 January.
