Bridgestone Americas has announced that the company is reorganizing the Race Tire Development (RTD) arm of its Firestone Racing program, adding manufacturing expertise while reaffirming the brand’s commitment to innovation and the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Changes to the team include the following:

• Dale Harrigle, currently chief engineer and manager of race tire development, has accepted a management position within Bridgestone’s Consumer Tire Trade Group, effective at the conclusion of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season.

• Cara Adams (pictured), currently senior project engineer, race tire development, will succeed Harrigle as chief engineer, Bridgestone Americas Motorsports and manager, race tire development.

• Dan Peterman, currently plant engineer at Bridgestone’s Passenger Radial Tire (PSR) plant in Aiken, S.C., was named manager of race tire development/production and building services and will move to Akron, Ohio, effective immediately.

“Dale is an innovator in the world of race tire design and he has been instrumental in the success of Firestone Racing for more than two decades,” said Lisa Boggs, director of Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. “The program would not be where it is today without his expertise, leadership and sacrifice. Dan and Cara have demonstrated the knowledge, experience and leadership necessary to ensure a seamless transition and to continue our tradition of excellence.”

Adams, who will take over the role of chief Engineer and manager of race tire development at the end of the season, began her career with Bridgestone in 2003 as an engineer in the Tire/Vehicle Dynamics department.

She joined the Race Tire Development team in 2007, where she developed road and street course tires, and currently oversees the brand’s superspeedway tire development, including those used in the Indianapolis 500. She also manages the race team’s Force and Moment testing program, working with teams and manufacturers to develop tire models used in race simulations.

“I’m honored to lead our engineering team in the future development of tires for Indy car racing and into the next chapter of Firestone Racing’s storied history,” Adams said. “Perhaps one of Dale’s biggest contributions to our sport is the expert team of engineers and chemists developed during his tenure. Dan, our entire team of engineers, chemists and technicians and I look forward to applying those teachings as we continue to provide world-class tires to our racing family.”

Harrigle, who joined Race Tire Development when the Firestone brand returned to open-wheel racing in 1994, will lead a team responsible for developing light truck, SUV and winter tires for the consumer tire replacement market. In this role, Harrigle will continue to exemplify the brand’s tradition of transferring technology between its race tires and passenger tires.

“I am extremely proud of my accomplishments as chief engineer and manager of race tire development, and throughout my entire career with Firestone Racing,” Harrigle said. “I’ve had the privilege of working with many talented, dedicated and inspiring people in the world of motorsport, and I am honored to have been chosen to lead the great team at Firestone Race Tire Development for the past four years. I am excited for a new challenge and to use my expertise in leading a team in the Consumer Tire Trade Group. I wish Firestone Racing and INDYCAR continued success in their tremendous partnership, and I congratulate Dan and Cara on their new roles.”

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has announced that the Greater Evansville Dragway (GED), which reopened this year after a two-year hiatus from drag racing, will be the second IHRA member track in the state of Indiana, and the first in the tri-state area of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.


While this is the first year GED will host IHRA-sanctioned racing, the raceway has a storied history in drag racing and is known throughout the Midwest. According to DragStripList.com, the track first hosted races in the 1960s under the auspices of the American Hot Rod Association (AHRA), and ran continuously until 2014. During those 50 years of operation, Evansville racing fans witnessed great runs from John Ramsey, known as the “Super Stock King of Evansville,” and the famed “First Lady of Drag Racing” Shirley Muldowney.

Kevin Baesel took over the property in 2015, and is mindful of the track’s history with local racing fans. However, he also understands the differences between the heyday of the 1970s and the current resurgence of drag racing.

“When I first heard the track was reopening, I spoke with the two older gentlemen trying to restore it,” he said. “They wanted to run things like the 1970s, with the old rules. I told them that wouldn’t work because today’s racing is more competitive. Technology makes it so.”

After discussions with the men stalled, Baesel decided to buy the track outright and, in his words, “run it the way I wanted to run it.” The track and facilities had fallen into disrepair and a major overhaul was needed, but physical updates weren’t the only things on Baesel’s list of necessary changes.

“I reached out to friends and other racers about what races to run and what league to go with,” he said. “We also traveled south during the winter to watch races. We went to a lot of tracks to see what they were doing that worked, and what they were doing that maybe didn’t work.”

Baesel also received help from Jason Lancaster, whom he calls a trusted advisor. Lancaster, who revitalized the formerly-dormant Outlaw Street Car Association, shares many of Baesel’s ideas on how to make drag racing successful in the 21st century. He helped Baesel complete his overhaul of the track, which includes a brand-new track surface with LED lighting, new scoreboards and timing system, and new facility buildings.

Baesel is looking forward to bringing a variety of competitors to Greater Evansville Dragway for IHRA racing. He’s already gotten positive feedback from racers (“People have told us they’ve run the same times on our track that they run at Indy or Gateway [St. Louis], and that’s impressive,” he said), but says they’re still on a “learning curve.” Still, he and Lancaster are working to build a program that attracts drivers from around the region and the country.

“Every single event this year, our car count has grown. We had bracket racers come out in 115-degree heat index days to race. There’s no higher compliment,” he said. “IHRA has helped us do that, because they can help us market nationally without spending a whole bunch of money.”

Drivers competing in the 46th running of the World 100 will battle for a purse totaling $389,800 Sept. 8-10, with $49,000 of that going to the winner of the historic event.

The 46th running of the event continues Eldora’s legendary founder, the late Earl Baltes, promise of raising the first place prize by $1,000 every year. Additionally, the Thursday and Friday preliminary nights featuring split fields contesting Twin 25-lap features each night will now pay $10,000-to-win.

Operating for the 12th season under the ownership of three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and motorsports entrepreneur Tony Stewart, the event boasts an increase in excess of $215,000 over the prize money paid out just five years ago. Sanctioned by DIRTcar, the weekend’s total posted awards of $389,800 is the richest purse posted for a dirt late model race excluding the Eldora Million in 2001.

The ‘Every Lap Matters’ point system that debuted at June’s Dirt Late Model Dream will be again be used on Sept. 8-9 when all World 100 entrants are split into two full racing programs each night ending with Twin 25 lap features paying $10,000-to-win both Thursday and Friday.

Not only are drivers racing for the increased prize money but the results will also seed the lineups for Saturday’s six heat races. Each time drivers hit the track on Thursday and Friday, whether in time trials, heat races or feature event action, they will be scoring points towards bettering their chances to qualify into the World 100.

The two highest point drivers from Thursday and Friday not advancing through their heat races on Saturday will automatically start 19th and 20th in the World 100.

Dover International Speedway has started two construction projects which will add more than 500 feet of SAFER barriers around the track and increase usable space for NASCAR haulers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage.
 
Both projects are scheduled to be completed in time for the Sept. 30-Oct. 2 NASCAR tripleheader weekend at the Monster Mile, highlighted by the first elimination race of the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship playoffs on Sunday, Oct. 2.
 
Facts on the recent construction are listed below:
 
• Approximately 500 feet of Steel And Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers will be added to the one-mile, high-banked, concrete oval. The outside wall in Turn 2, under the walkover bridge, and the outside wall of Turn 4, entering the frontstretch, will now include SAFER barriers. All of the SAFER barriers will be added to existing walls.

• The installation companies are Kent Construction of Smyrna, Del., and North Industrial Machine of Hartsville, S.C.

• A 753-foot-long concrete wall separating the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage area from the existing harness racing track is being added. The 10-foot-high wall will stretch from the Infield Media Center to the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, removing the grass hill between the garage area and harness track that was in place.

• The new construction will allow for additional space for each NASCAR hauler to park in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, and will create a safer environment in the area.

• The installation company is Kent Construction of Smyrna, Del.
 
“We continue to improve our facility for all parties involved in NASCAR, including drivers, race teams and fans,” Dover International Speedway President and CEO Mike Tatoian said. “Safety is always our top priority and the added SAFER barriers will certainly benefit our competitors. The renovations in the garage will also allow us greater opportunities for space flexibility in the coming years too.”
 
The Sept. 30-Oct. 2 NASCAR weekend includes the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Friday, Sept. 30, the “Drive Sober 200” presented by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, Oct. 1 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Oct. 2.

The Atlantic, F2000 and F1600 Championship Series will close out their seasons at Virginia Int’l Raceway, Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

The VIR weekend replaces a previously announced race date at Dominion Speedway, which has been cancelled.

“We want to thank Tarheel BMW Club and VIR for collaborating with us on short notice to give us a seventh date,” said Formula Race Promotions co-owner Robert Wright. “VIR has been a race track partner of ours every year since our first season in 2006, and we look forward to returning for a second weekend at the classic venue this year.

“It was a shame to cancel the Dominion date, which was for reasons out of our control, and we hope to include the track on our 2017 program.”

Formula Race Promotions next heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park, Aug. 26-28, followed by the season finale at VIR, Sept. 30–Oct. 2.

The summer racing season is far from over, but teams are already planning their trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 32nd annual Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout inside the River Spirit Expo Center.

Taking place Wednesday, December 28, 2016, through January 1, 2017, the entry process will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Early entry for the Speedway Motor Tulsa Shootout will conclude on Dec. 21. After that, any additional entries will have to be made at the event during check-in on Dec. 27.

Entries received between Sept. 27 and Dec. 6 will charged $100 per class entered. On Dec. 7 the cost per class entered goes up to $120.

Classes for the 32nd annual Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout will include: “A” Class Winged, “A” Class Non-Winged, Outlaw Non-Winged, Outlaw Winged, Restrictor, Junior Sprints, ECOtec Midgets, 1,200cc Non-Wing, and 1,200cc Winged Mini Sprints.

Entry forms will be mailed out and will also be available on the Tulsa Shootout website. Entries can be mailed to the Tulsa Shootout office as well as Faxed. For the second year, teams will also be able to enter online. The online entry portal will not go live until the morning of Sept. 27.

Parking for the 32nd Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout will begin with Early Parking on Dec. 26. Early parking is paid. Teams who paid for early parking at the 2016 Tulsa Shootout will have first option to renew and must do so by Dec. 1 at 9 a.m. (CST). Teams who were not a part of early parking in last year’s event can call starting on Sept. 27 to be placed on a list. Once the deadline has passed, teams on the list will be moved up.

Early parking does not guarantee that a team will be able to bring their trailer into the River Spirit Expo Center. Teams who are allowed to bring their trailer into the Pits must have one car for every 10 feet of trailer, meaning, for a 50 foot trailer, a team must have five cars per side that are participating in the Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout.

Any team with their trailer in the Pits who is found to have lied about the number of cars pitting with them will have their trailer removed from the building and will have to unload into the pits. No refunds will be given. Teams who did not get in on early parking will be parked on Dec. 27 stating at 9 a.m. (CST). Tulsa Expo Raceway staff will go over all pit stalls following the conclusion of parking to verify all parking is correct and cars accounted for.

Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Attending this event is something that’s been on my list from the moment I entered the racing industry. Unfortunately, the last two I’ve tried to attend were canceled due to heavy rains and flooding.

But I decided to take the risk again this year and booked my ticket with fingers crossed. And you know what: Third time’s a charm! With binoculars, chair, sunglasses and sunscreen in tow I finally arrived in the land of the salt.

If you’ve never been, well, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before—truly fascinating to be surrounded by an endless white landscape, where the ground is so flat you can actually see the curvature of the Earth.

Over the years I have attended several different types of races, but Speed Week isn’t your average race by any stretch of the imagination. The “track” consists of orange cones set up amidst miles and miles of salt. There are no barriers or grandstands, or anything else you’d see at Eldora or Pomona. It’s just you, the pits, the sun, and the salt.  Bonneville is a world all its own, and that’s what makes it so special.

There were so many types of vehicles—from diesel trucks to roadsters to streamliners—that race approximately 4 to 6 miles down the track at speeds anywhere from 80 to 400-plus mph. The range really shows the broad spectrum of mechanical creativity at this event. And at these speeds it’s important to keep your eye on the track, because those cars zip by!

The racing may be fast, but there’s a good amount of downtime between runs, as organizers make sure the track is clear before sending out the next car (only one car is allowed on the track at a time). All racers and their teams deserve a ton of credit for patiently waiting their turn in line in what is a very, very hot sun.

The Bonneville Salt Flats is a monument that I truly hope will continue to host races for many decades to come. But in order to maintain racing conditions, some 1.5 million tons of salt must be delivered to the Flats within the next five years. And groups like the Save the Salt Coalition and the Utah Alliance are working tirelessly alongside the SEMA Action Network to help restore the salt.

Speed Week is a race that stands out from the rest, and it’s important to keep the legacy alive.

For me, attending new race events is always exciting. And no matter the type of racing it is, I inevitably have a great time among the passionate racers and fans. Checking Bonneville off of my racing bucket list—and managing to make it back without a sunburn—was a great accomplishment.

Until next time, Bonneville!

NOTE: For pictures of my experience, please visit PRI's Facebook page.

Dozens of workshops, seminars, and special events have been confirmed and finalized for the 2016 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, taking place December 8–10, 2016, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

As the world's premier event dedicated solely to the business of racing and all things motorsports, the PRI Show provides racing retailers, race engine builders, race car builders, warehouse distributors, racers and race teams with a bevy of new products and equipment, systems solutions, business strategies and innovative technologies to help further their businesses and racing programs.

"The 2016 PRI Show is on track to be the best ever," said PRI General Manager Bill Miller. "With great conferences, 1,100 plus exhibiting companies and thousands of buyers, Indianapolis is the place to be the second week of December."

Nearly a dozen activities will take place before the PRI Show officially opens, making it convenient for attendees to participate in conferences and seminars like the Vehicle Dynamics & Data Acquisition Seminar, Advanced Engineering Technology Conference (AETC), Race Track Business Conference (RTBC) and more. Events begin Monday, December 5, and continue through the Show.

"Many attendees like to fly in early and join in the pre-Show activities, thereby leaving their schedules wide open to connect with exhibitors and do business later in the week," said Miller. "These pre-Show events are among the highest rated activities at the Show."



International Council of Motorsport Sciences' (ICMS) Annual Congress: The two-day event provides sanctioning body personnel, car designers and builders, race team managers, and drivers with the latest information in safety and technology. Sponsored by the ICMS, the program features leading experts in medicine, physiology, applied science and motorsports safety.



Day at the Speedway: PRI Show guests are invited to tour the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway and take a ride around its 2.5-mile oval before having lunch at the nearby Union Jack's. After lunch, participants will return to the Hall of Fame Museum, which houses 75 historic vehicles, the famed Borg-Warner Trophy and much more.


The PRI Show officially kicks off with the Grand Opening Breakfast on Thursday, December 8, at 8 a.m., in the Indiana Convention Center's Sagamore Ballroom, where renowned motorsports journalist Dave Despain of MAVTV will interview Indy car legend Rick Mears in a live talk show format served alongside a hot, catered breakfast.

In addition, a pair of new events for 2016 will be featured during Show days:



Student Breakfast: Headlined by NASCAR Sprint Cup driver David Ragan, the all-new Student Breakfast is a chance for current industry members to connect with aspiring industry professionals. PRI exhibitors and attendees will meet top students from throughout the country to share stories, advice and experiences, and help inspire a future generation of racing professionals.



International Motorsports Trade Seminar: Join a panel of leading international buyers and top manufacturers for a primer on selling internationally at the inaugural PRI International Motorsports Trade Seminar, presented in partnership with the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) and SEMA, in which seasoned exporters, top overseas buyers and other key stakeholders will share best practices and proven success strategies.



"The primary focus of the PRI Show remains on the Show floor, where attendees come to discover and purchase the latest and most advanced hardcore racing products for their businesses," said Miller. "With everyone in the motorsports industry gathered together, the PRI Show is also the ideal time for the industry to connect and immerse itself in new ideas, trends and solutions. December in Indy will be the ideal time to focus on the business of racing."



The 2016 PRI Show is scheduled to include more than 1,100 exhibiting companies, and attracts tens of thousands of motorsports professionals. As a trade event, proof of industry affiliation is required to attend. To secure credentials and learn more about the events and activities at PRI 2016, visit www.pri2016.com.

Nearly a year after IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson was fatally struck by flying debris at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Indianapolis-based racing officials believe they have found the next way to protect drivers from injury.

Dr. Terry Trammell, who is leading IndyCar’s effort to improve cockpit safety, prefers to call the design a deflector rather than a windshield, and he said it’s certainly not an enclosed canopy, as Top Fuel dragsters use.

Assuming it’s implemented, Trammell said the curved protection will give Indy cars the look of a fighter jet since the single curved piece is modeled after an F-16’s bubble.

What Trammell can’t describe is the timeline for implementation. Maybe it’s next year, maybe the year after. But it’s likely coming, he said.

“Trying to retro-fit it onto our (existing) tub is taking a little bit of ingenuity, and we’re working on it,” he said. “We’re not making any pronouncements on when it’s going to be done other than to say we’re working on it daily.”

Motorsports is littered with examples of exposed drivers being struck by debris, and in open-wheel racing the concern is for the top portion of the helmet. Wilson’s was struck by a piece of a broken nose cone from Sage Karam’s crashed car. Wilson died the next day. IndyCar reacted by adding tethers to several large car pieces, including the nose cones.

Trammell acknowledged the numerous variables that must be accounted for, led by the fact a driver shouldn’t be subjected to one of these new deflectors breaking. There also are visibility and weight issues to consider, and the thickness of the ballistic material impacts each.

IndyCar President Jay Frye said there are secondary factors, too, like how a change in airflow over the car affects other things.

“It seems very elementary, but it’s not,” Frye said of the process. “But I’m certain we can figure it out. We’re digging.”

Formula One has discussed a halo mounted by a pillar in front of the driver, but that would be problematic when a driver’s sightline changes from a relatively flat street circuit to a banked oval track.

Trammell said IndyCar has enough crash data accumulated over the years to know how much force a deflector must withstand.

“We know what it takes to stop something at each energy level,” he said. “But just like (driver) seats, sooner or later you have to draw a line and say, ‘OK, is this going to stop everything?’
“We know we’re not going to get everything, and that has to do with weight and thickness of the material and the optics.”

Trammell said a round of testing still to come centers on the actual deflection.

“If it works to deflect the piece in such a way that it’s not harmful to (another car), they should have an equal shot at deflecting it again,” he said. “If we can do that, it should solve most of the problems we’ve experienced in the past.”

One type of incident Trammell isn’t worried about is Josef Newgarden’s second impact June 12 at Texas Motor Speedway. Trammell said it’s likely most of those forces were the result of the car’s roll hoop penetrating the SAFER barrier, which caused the car to pivot into the wall.

“It’s hard to say, of course, but a (deflector) in that case probably wouldn’t have interacted with the wall at all,” Trammell said.

IndyCar’s drivers have largely taken a wait-and-see approach, in part because they’ve been shown only some of the designs. Having something to test, which could come this fall, will be the point at which opinions are most formulated.

“Most of what we’ve seen is what Formula One has done, which even they seem to be slowing down on,” owner/driver Ed Carpenter said. “I don’t want to say I’m against (a shield), because I’m never against something that’s better for us, but I haven’t really seen enough to know what we’re looking at, how it would work, what they’ve done to prove it’s safer for everything.”

Graham Rahal said he’s seen enough of IndyCar’s “conceptual ideas, which I like,” but he wonders if such a piece can be properly fitted to the existing car.

“(Top Fuelers) have a tube frame and they could weld some extra fittings in and plop the canopy on there,” he said. “For us it’s a very different thing (because) we don’t have tubes to weld something onto. The car almost has to be built around that.”

Juan Pablo Montoya supports the effort so long as the potential downsides are accounted for.

“If you’re pinned in there, how the hell are you going to get out?” he said. “It’s a lot of factors, like tear-offs, too. If you have a big windshield, you’re going to have to have tear-offs and when one of those comes off there’s going to be (litter) on the track.

“There’s always the ups and the downs.”

Which is why Trammell can’t predict the timeline for implementation.

“I wouldn’t rule out anything or rule in anything,” he said. “It’s a developmental process and you never know where it’s going to go and how fast it’s going to get there.”

Competitors in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans class will be racing for the overall victory in the Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway on August 28.

The GT Daytona class will join the GTLM competitors in the two-hour, 40-minute race on the challenging, 3.27-mile layout. IMSA released a 26-car entry list for the event, Round 10 of the 2016 WeatherTech Championship.

Porsche North America is the defending winner of the Michelin GT Challenge, with Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy leading a 1-2 finish in 2015 in the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR. Frederic Makowiecki will join Earl Bamber in the No. 912 team car.

“I’m heading to Virginia with great memories,” Tandy said. “Last year, I clinched pole position and we won the race. We led practically from start to finish. If you consider the extremely tough competition in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, this is something quite special. The Prototypes are not contesting this race, so all the competitors in the GTLM class are going for overall victory. For drivers, teams and manufacturers, this is a very special challenge.”

Factory teams from BMW, Chevrolet, Ford and Ferrari will challenge Porsche for both class and overall honors. Corvette Racing is riding a two-race winning streak, with Virginian Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin holding a 13-point lead in the GTLM standings. After opening the season with victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, the No. 4 Corvette C7.R is coming off wins at Lime Rock Park and Road America. The team’s two-car entry also includes Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R.

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing has collected three wins this year, with Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe second in the standings in the No. 67 Ford GT. Also competing at VIR will be 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro class winners Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller in the No. 66 Ford GT.

Risi Competizione won at VIR in 2014 on a last-lap pass by Giancarlo Fisichella, in addition to finishing on the podium last year. The team has a new Ferrari 488 GTE for 2016, with Fisichella joined by Toni Vilander.

Another team to watch is BMW Team RLL. John Edwards and Lucas Luhr scored the first podium finish of the season for the No. 100 IHG Rewards Club BMW M6 GTLM in the most recent event at Road America, while Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner have five top-five finishes this season in the team’s No. 25 BMW.

The GT Daytona class features a variety of GT3 machinery fielded by six different manufacturers. Ferrari enters the event with a 15-point lead atop the GTD standings. Christina Nielsen and Alessandro Balzan won at Sebring and Watkins Glen among five podium finishes in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3, with the team the 2015 GTD winner at VIR.

Magnus Racing’s Andy Lally and John Potter are second in the points, trailing Nielsen and Balzan 243-228, with two victories and four podium finishes in the No. 44 Audi Tire Center/Auric Solar Audi R8 LMS GT3. Stevenson Motorsports has a pair of runner-up finishes for Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis in the No. 6 Audi, with Lawson Aschenbach and Matt Bell in the No. 9 Stevenson Automotive Group entry.

Porsche’s entry includes two cars for Alex Job Racing, the No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Cooper MacNeil, and the No. 23 Team Seattle/Heart of Racing entry of Mario Farnbacher and Alex RiberasPark Place Motorsports has the No. 73 Porsche for Patrick Lindsey and Joerg Bergmeister.

Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen – two-time 2016 GTD winners in the No. 33 Riley Motorsports ViperExchange.com/Cruising with the Monkey Dodge Viper GT3-R – will be joined in the Dodge lineup by the No. 80 Lone Star Racing ACS Manufacturing Viper of Dan Knox and Mike Skeen.

Lamborghini makes its WeatherTech Championship debut at VIR. Paul Miller Racing has Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow in the No. 48 Castrol Edge/Universal Industrial Sales Lamborghini Huracán GT3 that scored the manufacturer’s first podium finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Change Racing has Spencer Pumpelly and Corey Lewis driving the No. 16 Pertamina/Monster Energy Lamborghini, while Dream Racing has Lawrence DeGeorge and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli in the No. 27 Huracán GT3.

BMW returns with a two-car entry for Turner Motorsport. Bret Curtis and Jens Klingmann share the No. 96 Spectra Resources/United Steel/Valspar Paint/IHG Rewards Club BMW M6 GT3, while Markus