IMSA Tag

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor One week removed from a disappointing Indianapolis 500 effort, Helio Castroneves found himself with the Verizon IndyCar Series once more at Belle Isle Park. But this time Castroneves was a spectator – supporting his teammates after competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic. The weekend could have been a challenge if the 2018 Month of May had been the Brazilian’s last. A strong No. 3 Chevrolet and spirited drive ended in defeat for the three-time Indy 500 champion when he crashedRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Hot on the heels of Saturday’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic in Detroit, several IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams and drivers were in Le Mans, France on Sunday to participate in the annual test day in preparation for the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16-17. There were 13 drivers in the Detroit field who also are competing at Le Mans this year, making up exactly half of the 26 full-time IMSA drivers in this year’s twice-around-the-clock French endurance classic. TheRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — Mario Farnbacher is a big fan of the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. Two wins in four years will do that for anyone. “I won here before in 2015, now I’ve done it again,” Farnbacher said. “I’ve always had great memories here. I love the track, and it’s just amazing to be back here. Hopefully this race track will still be in the calendar in the future.” Farnbacher and Katherine Legge outpaced Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian teammates Justin Marks and LawsonRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — Felipe Nasr stayed clear of a late charge from Ricky Taylor to earn his first-career IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Belle Isle Park. The win was Action Express Racing teammate Eric Curran’s eighth in IMSA competition. It also kept up an impressive Detroit trend. Since their first race at Belle Isle in 2007, every IMSA-sanctioned event at Belle Isle has been won by a General Motors affiliate. The latest win was among the least likely. ARead More

By IMSA Wire Service DETROIT, Mich. – Pipo Derani and the No. 22 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan DPi team pulled off an upset Friday in Motul Pole Award qualifying for Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Belle Isle Park. On a four-minute sprint following a brief red flag due to an incident involving the No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports ORECA LMP2 car of Robert Alon, Derani shot to the top of the charts with a lap of one minute, 22.273 seconds (102.828 mph). The Brazilian then managedRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DETROIT, Mich. – Bryan Sellers definitely seems to know the quick way around street circuits, and he proved it again in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class qualifying for Saturday’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic. Piloting the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3, Sellers captured the Motul Pole Award on Friday afternoon after posting the fastest lap of one minute, 28.942 seconds (95.117 mph) at the 2.3-mile Belle Isle Park street circuit in Detroit. Sellers will lead the GTD field to green onRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Roger Penske has stated that if Helio Castroneves captures his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 win today that an opportunity to score a fifth awaits. Castroneves, 43, moved over the offseason to Team Penske’s Acura program in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship after 20 years racing Indy cars. However, it was always in the cards to be part of the month of May festivities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the INDYCAR Grand Prix and “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The crown jewel event of theRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Heading into Sunday’s 102nd Indianapolis 500, we asked IMSA drivers to submit their predictions on who would drink the milk in victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. And if there’s one thing we learned, it’s that IMSA drivers are incredibly loyal to their teammates. So, without further ado, here are their somewhat “predictable” predictions: Ryan Briscoe, No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT: “I really can’t pick anyone other than Scott Dixon for a few reasons. No. 1,Read More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Fans of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will have a few “home teams” to root on this weekend in qualifications for the 102nd Indianapolis 500. The 35-car entry list includes a host of regular IndyCar drivers who have competed in WeatherTech Championship races over the years, and a handful of drivers and teams who are active participants in IMSA this year. Leading the way is Helio Castroneves, who got his month of May off to a fantastic start at Mid-Ohio on MayRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – IMSA once again will have a strong contingent of full-time drivers and teams competing in the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16-17. The official, 60-car entry list released today by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), which organizes the prestigious, twice-around-the-clock race, revealed 26 drivers competing full time in IMSA and five IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams responsible for fielding a total of seven cars. Among this group, there are 11 drivers who have previously won the 24 HoursRead More