Second Row Start for McMurry and Farnbacher at VIR

Alton, Va. (21 August 2020) – A very wet and rainy day one at Virginia International Raceway saw the No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 of Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry only post 27 laps ahead of the Friday evening qualifying session. Making his third qualifying run of the 2020 IMSA season, McMurry put the No. 86 Acura in fourth for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR on Saturday (2:00pm ET, TRACKPASS // NBCSN 7:30pm ET).

With rain forecasted for the first day of on-track activity at Virginia International Raceway the morning practice session was the only opportunity for Farnbacher and McMurry to get a feel for the Acura NSX GT3 under somewhat dry conditions. 

Heavy rains moved into the area for practice two which caused large amounts of standing water to pool across the track. Holding off until the final minutes of the session, McMurry was only one of two GTD cars to venture onto the track for a few test laps. 

Only completing four laps in the torrential downpour, McMurry was tasked with an early evening qualifying session which could potentially see rainfall. 

McMurry’s lap times improved up until the last lap of the session which kept him locked into fourth place. Just two-tenths separate the first two rows of GTD cars. 

“The track was definitely green, but it was pretty green before the rain this morning anyways so the change wasn’t too big,” said McMurry. “The tires came in a bit later then they usually do, so I was able to keep improving throughout the session. I feel pretty good about the run, everyone is so close so the race will definitely be interesting.”

The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is set for a 2:00pm ET green flag start on Saturday, August 22nd. Live coverage will be on TRACKPASS by NBC Sports Gold. A delayed broadcast will also be available later on Saturday at 7:30pm ET on NBCSN.