The ARX-05 was Acura's entry into the new Daytona Prototype International class that replaced the previous Daytona Prototype regulations in 2017. Acura chose Oreca as its chassis partner, with Honda Performance Development providing the engine and technical direction. The collaboration produced a car that combined the proven Oreca 07 platform — widely regarded as one of the strongest LMP2 chassis of its generation — with a purpose-built twin-turbocharged V6 engine tailored to DPi specifications.
Team Penske, one of the most successful racing operations in American motorsport history, was selected to campaign the car in its debut season, bringing elite driver lineups and operational expertise to the programme.
The ARX-05 made its racing debut at the 2018 24 Hours of Daytona with Team Penske. The car showed immediate promise, proving competitive in the top DPi class from the outset.
In 2019, the ARX-05 delivered a complete championship sweep, winning the drivers, teams, and manufacturers titles in the DPi class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This made Acura the first non-General Motors manufacturer to win the overall DPi championship since the class was established, breaking the early dominance of Cadillac. The achievement validated Honda Performance Development's technical programme and cemented Team Penske's ARX-05 operation as the benchmark in North American sportscar racing.
Acura and Team Penske successfully defended all three DPi championships in 2020, completing back-to-back title sweeps. The pair's consistency across the season demonstrated the strength of the ARX-05 package and the operational depth of their partnership.
In July 2020, it was announced that the partnership between Team Penske and Honda Performance Development would not be renewed for 2021. Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing each campaigned ARX-05s that had previously been run by Penske. Despite the change in teams, the car remained competitive. The ARX-05 won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona under Wayne Taylor Racing, continuing its record at the season-opening classic.
Both Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing continued with the ARX-05 for the 2022 season. The car closed out its competitive life with another Daytona victory in 2022, giving the ARX-05 consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2021 and 2022. The car was retired at the end of 2022 as IMSA transitioned to the new Le Mans Hypercar and LMDh regulations, which replaced the DPi framework.
The Acura ARX-05 was one of the most successful DPi cars produced for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It won the overall IMSA championship twice in succession with Team Penske and recorded multiple 24 Hours of Daytona victories. The ARX-05 established Acura as a major force in North American sportscar racing following Penske's earlier success with the Acura brand in IndyCar, and the programme's success contributed directly to Honda's decision to remain in top-tier sportscar racing through the subsequent GTP era.
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