AURORA STRAUS Powers Through Penalties & Problems for Top-15 IMSA Comeback

January 27, 2026

• AURORA STRAUS made her IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge return after a year away, teaming with husband Kenny Murillo at Murillo Racing for the grueling BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona. Starting from ninth on the grid, their Mercedes-AMG GT4 immediately faced adversity when it lost power behind the pace car, nearly ending their race before STRAUS even got behind the wheel.
• When STRAUS finally took over, she inherited a car buried deep in the field and immediately went to work. She clawed back positions with clean overtakes and smart racecraft, reaching P18 before the team was hit with a drive-through penalty for too many crew members during their pit stop. The penalty erased much of her recovery progress, but STRAUS showed the kind of determination that separates good drivers from great ones.
• The adversity kept coming – another penalty for Kenny Murillo, more mechanical issues, and repeated pit lane complications that would have broken lesser teams. But this duo refused to quit, with Murillo mounting an impressive late-race charge that saw them climb from outside the top 20 to P14 in the final 15 minutes. While the result doesn’t reflect their true pace, STRAUS and Murillo proved they have the speed and grit to be contenders when Lady Luck stops working against them at Sebring next month.

daytona international speedway, gs class, imsa michelin pilot challenge, mercedes-amg gt4