Farnbacher, Hindman Confirmed in MSR Acura for Full Season

Meyer Shank Racing has confirmed that Mario Farnbacher and Trent Hindman will drive the No. 86 Acura NSX GT3 in next year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

Both drivers are stepping up to full-time positions after making sporadic appearances for the Ohio-based team this season.

Farnbacher, who contested seven of the ten races this year in Acura and Lexus machinery, partnered GTD runner-up Katherine Legge to victory in the round at Detroit Belle Isle.

Hindman, meanwhile, ran three of the four Michelin Endurance Cup races in the same car that the pair will now race full-time.

Their Endurance Cup co-driver next season will be Justin Marks, who transitions to an four-race role after pairing up with Lawson Aschenbach for the full campaign this year.

MSR has also confirmed that AJ Allmendinger will return to the No. 86 lineup for his 13th appearance with the team in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Allmendinger, Hindman, Legge and Alvaro Parente scored a second-place finish this year which contributed to Legge and Parente finishing second in the GTD Endurance Cup standings.

MSR will run two full-season lineups from the outset in 2019 after entering its No. 86 car on a race-by-race basis this season.

Hindman and Farnbacher will serve as team-mates to Legge and Jackie Heinricher, who were announced in the No. 57 Acura in October.

“We are happy to continue with the Acura program and the new Evo improvements have shown well at our tests,” said team co-owner Michael Shank.

“There’s a sense of ease having both of our cars go full season from the start. Both Mario and Trent really impressed me last year.

“Being a third driver is a difficult thing and they both knocked it out of the park so I’m happy to have them come back for the full season.

“It’s also great to have Justin back for the endurance races and of course I am always honored to have AJ race in my cars. He’s part of the MSR family and we will always have a seat ready for him.”