IMSA Tag

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Unlike most of his counterparts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, BMW Team RLL driver John Edwards doesn’t have many frequent flyer miles on any commercial airline. When it comes time to head to the racetrack – or head for home after a race weekend – he’s not taking off his shoes nor removing electronics from his backpack in the airport. He’s not navigating the TSA Precheck line or jockeying for position at the gate. Instead of waiting for his zone numberRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – He may be a full-time IndyCar driver now, but there’s no driver with more experience in various Acura prototype sports cars than Simon Pagenaud. It’s a fact that wasn’t lost on him in testing last week at Sebring International Raceway as he and his Acura Team Penske teammates prepared for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. “I’ve been fortunate,” Pagenaud said. “I’ve seen every iteration of the Acura prototype since 2008. It’s been a phenomenal timeRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A popular marketing concept that has been successful in motorsports, particularly in the last decade or two, is “Business to Business,” or B2B, as it has become known in shorthand. In motorsports applications, B2B is when one participating company gets to know and do business with another company or entity in the paddock. Correctly accomplished, both businesses prosper, which leads to continued – and ideally expanded – support for what is happening out on the racetrack. For Konica Minolta – which hasRead More

By IMSA Wire Service If you were watching the 57th Rolex 24 At Daytona, you may have seen a red and black, buffalo plaid Porsche out there mixing it up in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. You may have said to yourself, “Now, that’s an interesting livery. Is it one of those historic IMSA liveries?” It wasn’t, but it definitely was unique. And it made total sense, especially when you consider that the No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R was fielded by Toronto-based Pfaff Motorsports. And two of the fourRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It’s the dawn of a new era for the prestigious street circuit in Southern California as the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach announced Tuesday that Acura will become the new multi-year title sponsor for the Grand Prix of Long Beach this year, replacing Toyota, who ended their 44-year relationship last August. Acura has been heavily involved in the world of motorsports, including their return to North American sports car racing as Team Penske’s DPi and Meyer Shank Racing’s GTD run the Japanese luxury brand inRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer 47 cars started the long and grueling 57th edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and despite a major downpour in the second half, 10 entries weren’t sitting in the pits when the race was rain-shortened. Prior to the heavy rains that stopped the race a record two times, it was reliability issues involving multiple entries including class favorites. Just over an hour into the race, the No. 99 NTG Motorsport Porsche GTD hit the tire barriers at the West Horseshoe. Other than cosmetic damage, all appearedRead More

By Holly Cain, IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – One by one, they took a seat smiling. Wayne Taylor Racing’s all-star driver lineup in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R stopped by the Daytona International Speedway media center three weeks ago for a highly anticipated interview session ready to reinforce to reporters at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 practice sessions of the high expectations they carry into this weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona race. Taylor, the team’s namesake, owner and himself a former winner of this IMSARead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer NBC Sports announced Thursday its entire TV lineup for the 57th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, set to take place on January 26-27. The 24-hour classic will have an all-star lineup as not only the IMSA crew covering the race, it’ll feature both NASCAR and IndyCar commentators, analysis and pit reporters, which is also NBC’s first race of a multi-year exclusive broadcast partnership with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. IMSA CEO Ed Bennett described the stacked broadcast as an incredible sign ofRead More

By Holly Cain, IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – When it comes to past success and high expectations, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more heralded group of teammates than the Acura Team Penske lineup for the Jan. 26-27 Rolex 24 At Daytona. As it has done seamlessly in the past, the team has brought together a diverse and accomplished group of drivers to contend for the season-opening trophy in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s annual twice-around-the-clock event. Penske’s high-achieving lineup this year features three Indianapolis 500 winners, aRead More

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