WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Category

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer The 2019 Roar Before the 24 test at the Daytona International Speedway road course prepares teams and drivers for the upcoming 2019 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and caution was seemingly thrown to the wind by Mazda Team Joest ahead of the season-opening race for the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. After suffering issue after issue in last year’s Rolex 24, the squad made several changes during the offseason to its technical staff and minor changes to their driver lineup that seem to be paying dividendsRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Last year, Corvette Racing’s No. 3 team fittingly scored the team’s third straight IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship. The team’s other Chevrolet Corvette C7.R carries No. 4. Can they keep the trend going? As Tommy Milner – the co-driver of the No. 4 Corvette with Oliver Gavin, with whom he also shared the 2016 GTLM championship and a win that year in the Rolex 24 At Daytona – puts it, a strong result in the season opener definitelyRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jarvis Unofficially Breaks 26-Year-Old Daytona Track Record in No. 77 Mazda DPi “Drivers, start your engines” may be the most famous words in motorsports, but “And… it’s a new track record,” is pretty close behind. And today at Daytona International Speedway, there was another – albeit unofficial – new track record. In the 15-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Daytona Prototype international (DPi) qualifying session for Rolex 24 At Daytona garage and pit selections, Oliver Jarvis drove the No. 77 Mazda Team JoestRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The 2019 edition of Roar Before the 24 At Daytona International Speedway commenced Friday, and the main headline around the paddock focused on two-time CART champion and Paralympic gold medalist Alex Zanardi’s return on American soil. Zanardi will be co-piloting the No. 24 BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan GTLM shared by John Edwards, Jesse Krohn and Chaz Mostert, in the Rolex 24 at Daytona Jan 26-27. While the entry ended up ninth in class during both Friday sessions with a time of 1:45.642 from the secondRead More

By IMSA Wire Service – Speeds continued to climb on the second day of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona under Chamber of Commerce weather conditions in front of a huge crowd at Daytona International Speedway. Jonathan Bomarito ended Saturday atop the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship time charts by the slimmest of margins, posting a best lap of 1 minute, 34.533 seconds in the No. 55 Mazda Team Joest RT24-P Daytona Prototype international (DPi). Bomarito’s time, which came under the bright lights of the 3.56-mile circuit Saturday night,Read More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The first day of on-track activity at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona was a busy one, with practice sessions for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, in addition to practice and qualifying for the IMSA Prototype Challenge. The event continues through Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. – Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi is driving in his first Rolex 24 At Daytona this year in the No. 24 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE in theRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The stories from the 50th Anniversary season of IMSA will be told in more detail than ever before through robust talent lineups on both NBC Sports and IMSA Radio. NBC Sports announced late Thursday that veteran play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey is returning to his sports car racing roots as the lead announcer. He’ll be joined in the booth by longtime sports car analyst and former driver Calvin Fish and a newcomer to the analyst ranks, A.J. Allmendinger, the 2012 Rolex 24 AtRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Following last month’s announcement of the 47-car entry list for this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona, more than 150 drivers were unveiled in an updated entry list today to participate in this weekend’s annual three-day test session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. “The Roar” as it’s become known over the past several years, serves as the kick off to the upcoming season. This year, it takes on added significance, as the IMSA 50th Anniversary Celebration that will takeRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Former NASCAR and Champ Car driver, but also IMSA enthusiast A.J. Allmendinger was announced by the NBC Sports Group Wednesday that he’ll join the broadcasting team. The multi-year deal will have Allmendinger do multiple projects, including covering the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as a booth analyst, where he’ll make his broadcast debut in the 57th Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway Jan. 26-27, NBC’s first race under their new television deal. It’ll also be double-duty effort as he’s scheduled to run for Michael Shank Racing inRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As a sports car racer, Townsend Bell has accomplished quite a bit throughout his career. He’s won the “triple crown” of endurance racing with victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He’s a champion of both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. And in 2019, after three years of part-time activity, he’s returning as a full-time driver in theRead More