Welcome, everyone, to the legendary sands of Daytona Beach and Daytona International Speedway kicking off the 2023 season for IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the renewal of the battle between the GT4 (Grand Sport) and TCR drivers, teams, and cars. The top qualifier is last year's race winner, the defending champions here at Daytona, the #28 RS1 Porsche Cayman of Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer. Top of the shop in TCR, it is LA Honda World and the #37 Honda Civic TCR being shared by Mat Pombo who put the car on pole, and Ryan Eversley. It is time to go racing for the Michelin Pilot Challenge. 46 cars in two classes and everybody wants to win. Winning is all that matters.
We begin the season with the BMW M Endurance Challenge from Daytona International Speedway. A cool yet beautiful 56 degrees in Daytona Beach as we join Dave Burns, Calvin Fish, and Brian Till with NBC Sports. Hard to pick a favorite in this race with a stacked grid. But keep a look out for RS1 who won bucketloads of races last year. Jeff Mosing and Eric Foss are back for Murillo Racing and Mercedes. Turner Motorsports are back as well in the BMW M4 GT4 2023 edition to be shared by Dillon Machavern and new co-driver, Cameron Lawrence.
A dozen brands here. Eight in Grand Sport and four in TCR. Win on Sunday and Sell on Monday. We have four hours of racing coming up. Bryan Herta Autosport are going for a fifth title and a third year in a row for Michael Lewis and Taylor Hagler. He has gone from six cars to three cars. Robert Wickens is teamed up with Harry Gottsacker for 2023. Robert Wickens wants to return to the Indianapolis 500 in 2024. In Grand Sport, Ford has brought their young NASCAR drivers in. Hailie Deegan and Ben Rhodes, and Harrison Burton and Zane Smith.
We are an hour's drive north of Orlando and Universal Studios. Cross the finish line and brake into turn one across the apron. Good overtaking spot. Get the speed through turn six up to the banking and then to the Le Mans chicane and scream towards the finish line. We do not want any argy bargy as we are getting ready to go. Robert Megennis is the driver sharing at Turner Motorsports with Cameron Lawrence. Here we go. We are in speedway turn three. The safety car will pull off and we will be ready to race.
It is a split start between the classes so that there isn't a pileup at the beginning. This is a four hour endurance event for this series. Faster drivers starting the race. Stevan McAleer gets the jump and Luca Mars in the Ford Mustang is passed by Zane Smith early doors. Here come the TCR cars as Mat Pombo leads from the pole. Some bump and barge already as we watch the #96 sister BMW for Turner Motorsports with Vinny Barletta and Robby Foley who is now a BMW factory driver. Oh man! One of the Automatic Racing Aston Martin's beginning push already!
The Ford Mustang has top end but the Porsche Cayman will be able to handle it's tires better. Hailie Deegan making a move on Rob Walker. Mustang vs. BMW M4 GT4. This is the final year of the current Ford Mustang GT4 before they get a new car for next year. The Porsche Cayman too, is well developed. The McLaren Artura is a new car and so is the BMW M4 GT4, the new generation entry. We also have a brand new Audi RS3. Chris Miller driving the first stint for the #17 JDC Miller Motorsports car.
Tim Lewis Jr. spun the Alfa Romeo Giulietta early doors on cold tires. The Audi had a misfire as well. In replay, we see the #5 spinning even with front wheel drive. That is a strange deal, mate. A strange deal. Our top ten in terms of brands, Porsche, Ford, Ford, Porsche, AMG Mercedes, Astn Martin, Ford, BMW, Ford, McLaren. For TCR it is Honda, Honda, Audi, Hyundai, Hyundai and more. There are at least three TCR brands we are dealing with. So, now the battle is on, look, between Chris Miller, Alex Filsinger, and Harry Gottsacker. Audi, Hyundai, Honda. RS3, Elantra, Civic. McAleer in the Porsche is eking out a slight gap on NASCAR driver Zane Smith in second spot in the Ford Mustang too.
This Mustang, as we said, is coming to the end of it's development life and there will be an all-new GT4 Mustang for next year as well as a GT3 factory car that is set to race in the WeatherTech Championship. Something to look forward too and now, Tim Lewis Jr. wants by and passes Victor Gonzalez into the International Horseshoe. The TCR scrap is getting hot and heavy early doors. Even these GT4 cars are quite impressive on the banking and carry a ton of speed. I was at Daytona for this race way back in 2020 and it was a thriller then too, just as it is now.
We ride aboard the sole Toyota Supra GT4 in the field, car #14. This is the Ave Motorsports car being shared by three South American drivers. Damian Fineschi of Argentina, Alfredo Najri from the Dominican Republic, and Brazilian Thiago Camilo. In the meantime, McAleer has his hands full and Zane Smith and Luca Mars both are right on his six. The Mustang has power and downforce both. It is long in the tooth but has it's power and strength. Zane Smith is giving Stevan McAleer a real run for his money as we have a spin for Ted Giovanis, in the #64 TGM Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
They have gone between the Chevrolet Camaro, the Porsche Cayman, and now the Aston Martin. The Mercedes and the Aston Martin are really good cars for the gentleman drivers. Ford Performance wants their young drivers to be here to help with NASCAR now that they are doing a boatload more road racing especially with the Next Gen Cup car that is set up more like a sports car in terms of suspension at the very least. Harrison Burton, Zane Smith's co-driver, is learning a lot. Experience for racing is very important and the Ford NASCAR drivers really enjoy driving the GT4 class Mustang.
McAleer and Smith are still scrapping as Cabot Bingham goes off the road in the #74 Deilly Motorsports Hyundai Elantra. Bigham sharing with Matt Jaskol. Cabot Bigham off the road at the exit of turn two towards the International Horseshoe. Will he get the car moving again? We could see a Full Course Yellow. No drive with a broken axle on the Hyundai. Game over. Full Course Yellow now. McAleer can cool it a wee bit while Zane Smith and Luca Mars have been monstering the Porsche the whole way thus far.
Grab a quick bite to eat or a drink from the fridge while we are under yellow as the safety team is now moving the Bingham/Jaskol Hyundai. #74 is now on the back of the tow truck. Game over. Always pull off to driver's left at Daytona if you have trouble because the right size of the road is an island making it impossible for safety vehicles to cross and get to you in order to help. The field continues to move slowly behind the safety car as we have now been underway in the race for 20 minutes. Mustang's, Porsche Cayman's, Mercedes AMG's, Aston Martin's. Plenty of dream cars to choose from in Grand Sport. Pick your favorite.
Mild weather today. The BMW M4 GT4 and McLaren Artura GT4 are brand new and getting notes to work from in the future. We are back to green flag racing, now. Good battle in fourth place as McAleer is sailing away, putting daylight between himself and Zane Smith as we see Jenson Altzman in a spot of bother. He is part of a racing family and raced Mazda MX-5 Cup last year. There were some thrilling MX-5 races both last night and this morning. Meanwhile, McAleer leads and now, Taylor Hagler wants to pass the sister Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai and the sister #98 went off the road with Mason Filippi at the wheel of it.
Zane Smith in the meantime is really applying the pressure to Stevan McAleer. McAleer is gaining a bit knowing the tire durability. But the Mustangs are right in the frame too, look. Yet it is still early doors with a wee bit of yellow and McAleer is struggling on the ABS in the corner with the preferred line on the inside. You know Luca Mars wants a Captain Cook here. He wants a bite of the cherry. The Mustangs are right on McAleer's six right now. Does he have a braking problem? The ABS has to reduce the brake pressure to avoid locking the brakes. McAleer said he is concerned about the Mustangs and the Mercedes' both.
In TCR, Mat Pombo just got the lead back over Chris Miller. Pombo and Ryan Eversley want to go for a title. Mat Pombo is an orthopedic surgeon and so is Dr. William Talley. A spin there, for Frank DePew in the #71 Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4 and he has crunched the barrier! This may see another Full Course Yellow. The Camaro, too, is at the end of its homologation period. DePew sharing with Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis. The team won a race last year. I wonder if there will be a new generation GT4 Camaro to join the Mustang next year in the battle of the pony cars.
Again, the primary combatants in TCR are Honda, Hyundai, Audi, and Alfa Romeo. We remain under our second Full Course Yellow and pit stop time for the Grand Sport leaders. Stevan McAleer is set to hand the car to Eric Filgueiras. The car is going to need a minimal adjustment. The #59 KohR Motorsports Mustang is also in and Bob Michaelian will take over from Luca Mars. Mars is just 16 years old and he will also race in the Rolex 24 this weekend in an LMP3 car. Fuel, tires, and a driver change. Some teams running two drivers and others running three. Maximum drive time is three hours and 20 minutes.
A wheel flying in the lane. Look out. Be careful. A three-driver format is two hours and 40 minutes which is the length of a typical sprint race for the WeatherTech Championship of course. Vincent Barletta had an unscheduled meeting with an errant tire from the sister Turner Motorsports BMW! That was weird! Robert Megennis driving the #95 entry so far and sharing of course with Cameron Lawrence. Bill Auberlen not driving Michelin Pilot this year as I believe he is only focused on the WeatherTech Championship, possibly. TCR cars now to the lane for service. Fuel, tires, and a driver change. Unlike the GT4 and WeatherTech cars, and the new NASCAR Cup next generation cars, the TCR cars still use a five-lug nut wheel just as the lower NASCAR divisions do.
A marshal retrieves the runaway tire. You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel. Hardy har har. The TCR fight is going to get spicy here as we go soon back to green, I hope. I was a tad premature. Just another lap or so behind the safety car. 46 cars of course, started this race. A healthy field and roughly split in half between GT4 and TCR cars. Pit stop time for the #95, the new generation BMW M4 GT4. This is the car that looks very similar to it's GT3 cousin in the WeatherTech Championship. The team I think is checking the steering on the car as a mechanic is trying to help.
Lawrence is now back in the race. We are about 40-41 minutes into the race. So, we have been through the pit stops and now, the running order has shuffled with BMW in the lead. John Capestro-Dubets, (JCD), at the top of the shop, followed by Jon Branam. So, we see Auto Technic Racing vs. TR3 Racing on the srestart. Aston Martin vs. Aston Martin with Jim Jonsin running wide and here comes Hailie Deegan, too, a NASCAR driver for the Ford factory. Jim Jonsin driving car #9, the Automatic Racing Aston Martin.
Bryce Ward bashing Kenny Murillo into the turn. Jonsin is man after my own heart. He is a music producer. Branam, meanwhile, is chasing down John Capestro-Dubets. JCD is fending off the challenge and now, Hailie Deegan has the power, and she is going to be very close to the BMW and the Aston Martin. Hailie Deegan has the draft and the power in the trioval. This is a real chess match, look. Murillo Racing Mercedes #56 to the lane. Jeff Mosing actually is serving a penalty for pulling out of line before the previous restart and now, Jon Branam in the Aston Martin is pushing. The BMW G82 model M4 is brand new while the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 is a known commodity.
Hailie Deegan is pushing and plowing over the curbs. Oh my! Branam is right on Capestro-Dubets' six! All these cars make lap time slightly differently. Keep that in mind. A wide moment there, for the #39 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing Porsche Cayman of Sean McAllister. He is here in Michelin Pilot Challenge for the first time. McAlister sharing with Nolan Siegel and Jeff Westphal as Bryce Ward goes off the road trying to pass the Alfa and fishtails across the track! Egad! Ward sharing with Daniel Morad in the Winward car. Morad will be in the GT Daytona car for them in the Rolex 24.
Caprstro-Dubets is being hounded by Branam and Deegan, both. Tim Lewis Jr. and Victor Gonzalez scrapping for the TCR lead. Harry Gottsacker third. Alfa Romeo, Honda, Hyundai. The Alfa Romeo won this race last year in TCR. Deegan being pressed by Branam and now McAllister wants this! Holy smokes! Capestro-Dubets hanging on by his fingernails! Jeepers creepers! Chad McCumbee too is now pressing Eric Filgueiras! Holy cow! BMW, Porsche, Ford, Aston Martin. Deegan brakes deep and slams the door in McAlister's face! They have sorted it out for the time being. Sure, you bought the entire seat but you will only need the edge!
This is thrilling as we have nearly an hour of motor racing on the board already. Dubets wants this and so does McAllister. Deegan leading. An off and on for the #79 Mustang. That is the NV Autosport car of Stephen Vadja and Drew Neubauer. In replay, we see how Deegan is doing her best to fend off McAllister and Capestro-Dubets, both. Hailie Deegan is really improving as a sports car driver and now, Zane Smith too, is on his way back to the front. Deep on the brakes to the inside of fellow NASCAR driver Chad McCumbee who has also become a road racer. Stevan McAleer actually owns one of those Mustang's and that car has damage. The rear bumper cover is gone and lying on the track.
McAllister wants the inside and Deegan has to run on the high side and here comes Zane Smith to the party! Holy mackerel! Sean McAlister is in the lead. Steve Dinan, team boss, who worked with CarBahn with their GT3 Lamborghini in the WeatherTech Championship in 2022. McAlister deep on the brakes and Zane Smith is chasing down McCumbeee. McCumbee forces the Porsche out of the way! This is fabulous motor racing! Maybe there is less drag losing the bumper cover and Zane Smith is pushing hard! McCumbee almost clouted the outside wall! That could've been a massive shunt!
Bob Michaelian had nowhere to go. That was a lucky escape! He's a lucky, lucky luck boy! McCumbee had some contact with Eric Filgueiras earlier in the race. We still have three hours to go yet. Harry Gottsacker in the Hyundai Elantra passes Victor Gonzalez in th Honda Civic. #33 vs. #99 and Gonzalez now has a challenge from Mat Pombo and Gavin Ernstone in the Audi are back there for Road Shagger Racing. They won this event in class in 2020. Again, the year I was at the race to watch. Road Shagger Racing has a new Audi RS3 ready to go and should have it set for Sebring in March.
Pombo and Gonzalez scrapping and now, Ernstone wants this. There is a new Honda coming as well. Side by side stuff, look, and Gavin Ernstone is now pushing hard. Gonzalez moves down a couple spots. The TCR cars seem simple from the outside. But, how loose do you want the car? You will fight understeer on the front wheel drive car doing turning and accelerating, both. Oversteering/loose condition is something to watch out for. Chad McCumbee is still being monstered by Eric Filgueiras. Stevan McAleer says that it will be a battle between the Porsche and the Mustang. The Mustang and the Porsche are equally good on tires.
McAleer and Filgueiras are going for the full season MPC championship in 2023. They don't want to risk it but would like to repeat here at Daytona. As I said, one hour in the bag, and so now we are into the race's second of four hours. We will go six times longer tomorrow in the Rolex 24 for the WeatherTech Championship and the new GTP prototypes. So, join us for that one, too. Get rested up and have plenty of food and coffee on hand. You will need it. Gonzalez and Pombo fight for position in TCR.
Tim Lewis Jr. leads the class in the Alfa Romeo and we still see Zane Smith leading overall in the Ford Mustang. Hailie Deegan's co-driver Ben Rhodes will be ready to go soon. Rhodes says Hailie Deegan is doing all she needs to do right now. Ben Rhodes and Hailie Deegan will be NASCAR truck series team mates this year. Zane Smith is the 2022 NASCAR Truck Series champion. The truck series will run two road courses at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, a venue IMSA has also raced at many times over the years.
The new McLaren Artura is a beautiful race car. It has a hybrid system on the road car, but it is not allowed in GT4. Maybe McLaren will build a hybrid GTP car in the future. We shall see. Alex Filsinger is driving the #69 car along with Jesse Lazare for MIA, Motorsports In Action. Tim Lewis Jr. in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta continues in the TCR lead. Oh my! More toruble for the defending champions! Eric Filgueiras is stopped on the road! This looks to be in the tri oval. Flat right rear Michelin tire! Deary me!
Chad McCumbee then, should move up and make it a Mustang 1-2 at the top of the shop. We thought we'd need it for the Rolex 24 and will need it... many of the teams. But break out the four horsemen of the repair apocolypse. The tank tape, the iPhone torch, the tie wraps, and the lump hammer. Full Course Yellow. Coming to turn one he spun out under braking and cut down the tire into turn one! Holy cow! That is Mr. Toad's wild ride! He's a lucky bloke after that one. He has to be unhappy. The Skip curse has just happened. I pegged the Community Beerworks team to be winners. Not today, mate. Not today.
We join Marty Sinder, Townsend Bell, and Steve Letarte who will also be a part of the commentary team on NBC Sports for the Rolex 24 tomorrow. We are so excited about the GTP cars! These new GTP cars ar amazing machines and we will be talking a whole lot about them. You have seen many, many posts from me about them to begin with. We wonder about how the cars will drive and how reliable they will be. Last year's race was freezing. This year, people are everywhere. People want to be here to see the new cars! I hope to be back next year. We shall see. We have been drinking from a firehose to look at these fabulous new race cars.
Everyone is excited but anxious. Endurance racing is fabulous. We are going to see a lot of talk about reliability. Engineer, plan, survive the whole way. That is what everyone wants to do, especially my friends at Action Express Racing. We want to win, and my fingers are crossed. The drivers tell you how much there is to manage on the steering wheel to make sure the systems are running correctly. Drivers will have to manage the car. Nothing has changed at Daytona for many, many years. There are ways to take care of the brakes, stay off the curbs, and not get into argy bargy early doors. Be careful but then throw caution to the wind for the final hour on Sunday afternoon.
You have to run nearly 3,000 miles. Do not crunch the car over the curbs. Be smart with your driving and stay focused. Many more people from the manufacturers are here, obsessing over the small stuff and the race team management will keep the big picture in mind. That is what we are doing at Action Express. The cars are cool. That is the big deal. Cadillac, Porsche, Acura, BMW. This is a new golden age of sports car racing. Once everything is pulled together, we are going to see something amazing in the next number of years.
Join us tomorrow for the Rolex 24 here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog and watch on Peacock if you have the app. TCR pit stops as Huindai are in for a driver change. This is the #33 car of Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker also getting fuel and tires taken care of. We are actually running under Full Course Yellow still after the misfortune for the #28 Porsche, the defending champions of this event. Something is going on under the rear end of the #33 Hyundai. Do they have a mechanical problem on that automobile? We'll have to wait and see. OK. No worries. #33 is back on track now.
Again, the reason for this yellow is because of the rapid spin due to a cut down tire for Eric Filgueiras. I don't think he hit the wall. Maybe there's a small amount of damage. Is there a deeper issue on the car? That is the question as we are getting ready to back to racing action and in 25 minutes, we are going to be halfway home. Still lots of racing and still more words on paper in order to talk about it. We are now under our third Full Course Yellow of the day. Back to green. Christian Szymczak being harried by Zane Smith with Rory van der Steur now second in the #19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
The trio of drivers is Rory van der Steur moving up from TCR sharing with Wyatt Brichacek and Austin McCusker. Meantime, Matty Plumb in the #46 Aston Martin at TGM is pressing hard and now, a massive spin and crash for the TCR field and the #5 Alfa Romeo of Roy Block has clobbered the wall and gotten into it before the Le Mans chicane with one of the Audi's! That is a hard crash! That was the Rockwell Autosport Audi RS3 #15 of Nick Looijmans sharing with Denis Dupont and Eric Rockwell.
Wait. Never mind. That is the sister #10 car of Alex Rockwell, Preston Brown, and Tom O'Gorman. Game over. Roy Block is OK too. Both drivers are fine. Thank God! Something broke in the suspension on the Audi and turned straight to the right. Never mind. The Alfa Romeo. Something broke on the suspension, a left toe link. This was a massive shunt! Ker-runch! Straight into the wall on the tri-oval. That hurts! Full Course Yellow again.
In taking a walk and getting a snack, I saw in replay, another car that went off the road and that was the #11 Mercedes AMG GT4, the Wilsports Mercedes AMG GT4 shared by Kris Wilson and Gary Ferrera. Wilson spun off the road. Ryan Eversley says they are having some issues on the LA Honda World car, and the Honda Civic has no power steering. Cycle the ECU and see if that works. Reporters like me are a real issue for these guys bugging them in the lane. Please, leave us alone! That is the cry of the racing drivers as we poke around for information.
Eric Filgueiras too, he says that there was no indication of what happened when the car spun and crashed. Stevan McAleer was on hot tires and had to fend off the Ford onslaught. They are bummed, understandably and will have to regroup, in for the full MPC campaign in 2023 and we will see them next time out at Sebring. Ben Rhodes says that he and Hailey Deegan are running well, and Rhodes is still yet to drive his stint. He is learning a lot having driven a NASCAR truck for a number of years now. Reps on a road course is what this is all about and that is why the Ford factory wants to put their NASCAR drivers into sports cars for road racing.
The Mustang is easier to hustle through the corner compared to the NASCAR truck. Jeroen Bleekemolen is now the new race leader in the #83 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman sharing with Spencer Pumpelly and Thomas Collingwood. We have a green flag and are back underway. We have the second four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this fall/. So, Matt Plumb is beginning to push and he wants by Rory van der Steur and Zane Smith as well to try and catch Bleekemolen. Zane Smith has a head of steam and will he draft to the high side? Yes. Bleekemolen slams the door in his face.
Smith is going to try again. This is going to be majorly close, look. Porsche has the legs in the infield and for the Mustang, you want the grunt at the end of the straight. Here he comes. PLay it smart. Keep it tidy and do not force the issue and try to defend. Keep the gap. Smith to the inside off turn six as Bleekemolen is struggling for grip and Smith makes the pass. Bleekemolen still glued to the rear decklid of the Ford. Look at the debris field in the middle of the road! Yikes! In the background, look, a big chunk of debris flies off one of the cars. Elliott Skeer almost came into contact with it.
It looks like an inner fender or diffuser. Skeer driving the #47 Nolasport Porsche Cayman sharing with Adam Adelson. Victor Gonzalez has taken the lead away from Mark Wilkins. Gonzalez is now in the pit lane? No. That is Steve Eich who pitted and he could have shed the debris. That is the #89 HART Honda Civic. Eich sharing with Chad Gilsinger and Mario Farnbacher. Less than two hours to go and so we have passed the halfway mark. It is traffic jam time, look, in the International Horseshoe in Grand Sport!
Mercedes', Mustangs, and a Porsche Cayman all mixed up in that candy dish. Chad McCumbee chasing down Hailey Deegan. Mikey Taylor all over Mark Wilkins like a cheap suit. He is going to try passing in the trioval. He has the preferred line but no. The Canadian Hyundai driver passes the South African. Gavin Ernstone is also back there and had a solid qualifying run yesterday. Ernstone and Jon Morley won this race in TCR last year. This is a good example of the new generation and the older generation Audi RS3's. Trouble for the #1 Hyundai Elantra of Michael Lewis stopped dead stick after co-driver Taylor Hagler drove the first stint.
He may have radio communication issues. He and Taylor Hagler are going for three titles in a row. They need to change Lewis' helmet. He cannot communicate with the team and now, Ernstone passes Mark Wilkins for third place in TCR. Get into the groove and keep on trucking. Rory van der Steur, Hailie Deegan, and wheel to wheel stuff! This is fabulous racing between Deegan and McCumbee! Holy smokes! Respectful, clean, hard racing. No dirty tricks. This is an example of driving in any series, I don't care what it is.
For the #37 LA Honda World Honda Civic, they lost power steering and Mat Pombo could not steer the car. They are fixing the car right now as we speak. Ted Giovanis who is driving the #64 TGM Aston Martin. Hugh and Matt Plumb are pushing and so is Owen Trinkler in the sister car. This team will be in the Rolex 24 tomorrow as well. Giovanis will share with Matt and Hugh Plumb, and Owen Trinkler for the Rolex 24. It will be a busy weekend for the TGM boys. This is so cool to see all these great new cars as Elliott Skeer has moved to second for Nolasport, 2.2 seconds down on Zane Smith and now, the Le Mans chicane is turning into calamity corner.
Rear bumper damage to the #59 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4. No front splitter and rear bumper damage for Bob Michaelian and Luca Mars. Scott Andrews is pushing hard too. This is the #27 Lone Star Racing Mercedes AMG GT4 he shares with Anton Dias Perera. Andrews, the Australian driver. This is all part of a scrum for fourth place in the Grand Sport/GT4 class. No real change at the front, as Zane Smith continues to lead the motor race, defending NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion. He is a very disciplined driver with lots of pace.
One of the cars hit the wall out of the Le Mans chicane earlier. Anthony McIntosh was lucky to get out of that shemozzle unscathed. That is the #23 JTR Motorsports Engineering Mercedes AMG GT4 he shares with Jared Thomas. Chad McCumbee, a smart racer and is very patient and this is payuing off for him running in fifth spot. Trouble for the #99 Honda Civic of Victor Gonzalez and Gavin Ernstone is reeling him in for the lead and he gets it. Trouble in paradise for Gonzalez, possibly. He is looking at the dashboard. Honda will get a new TCR Civic coming out in May at Laguna Seca Raceway in California. Maybe April. I need to look at the schedule.
Oh dear! Auto Technic BMW in a spot of bother with Rob Walker at the controls. Karl Wittmer takes over the #99 Honda Civic. Gavin Ernstone leads the motor race in TCR being harried by Mikey Taylor. A lapped car, the #15 Audi of Dennis Dupont is also in your picture. Gavin Ernstone to the lane and now, the dominos are beginning to fall to the finish. What strategy will everyone play? Jon Morley should be getting into the car and he does so. Ernstone has finished his stint. Morley and Ernstone have had feast and famine here at Daytona.
Honda #37 back on track but out of winning contention and the two-time defending champs from Bryan Herta Autosport, the #1 Hyundai Elantra is back on track, but they too are out of contention. Motor racing giveth and motor racing taketh away. Honda #99 in the pit lane, still. The bonnet is indeed up on the #99. The four horsemen of the repair apocalypse in these enduro races are the tank tape, the lump hammer, the iPhone torch, and the tie wrap. This is a motor issue. Break out the toolbox. This is indeed becoming a race of attrition and so many contenders dropping like stones.
It is hard for these ladies and blokes to not run over the curbs in the Le Mans chicane. Do not abuse the car. Jeroen Bleekemolen keeping both Christian Szymczak and Hailey Deegan at bay. Zane Smith continues in the lead of the motor race, 4.3 seconds to the good over Elliott Skeer. Deegan on the high line and she is giving Szymczak everything he can handle as Matty Plumb is now right on her six. Plumb is the winningest Michelin Pilot Challenge driver, along with former Ford factory driver Billy Johnson. Power steering and front axle failure for the #99 Honda team.
The TCR cars are dropping like flies, and we still have an hour and a half left of the race. Mikey Taylor to the pit lane. Ten races in 2023. Each class will have a dedicated standalone event. Detroit Belle Isle for GS and Lime Rock Park for TCR. 52 second time delta for a full fuel load in a TCR car. Jeroen Bleekemolen to the lane. On the Porsche, the fuel tank is at the front and the crewman has to jump on the bonnet to add the petrol. Team boss Cole Scrogham at Unitronic JDC-Miller said they almost gave up on racing this weekend, with fuel pressure woes. But they are in it now.
Bryan Herta Autosport has one bullet in the gun as Mark Wilkins is pitting now for tires and fuel sharing his car with Mason Filippi. Filippi in the #98 Hyundai Elantra. They want to win Daytona and have won everywhere else. Wilkins has won the Rolex 24 before. Keep the big picture in mind and the big picture is the season long championship. We will end the year at Road Atlanta in October. Zane Smith in the lane and he was passed by Elliott Skeer in the Porsche. Harrison Burton will take over for his stint in the #42 Ford Mustang. Chad McCumbee and Hailey Deegan also into the lane. Ben Rhodes now taking over the sister car #41 from Hailie Deegan.
Skeer nw leads. Porsche, Mustang, Mercedes, Mustang, Aston Martin, Mustang, BMW M4, Mustang, Aston Martin, Aston Martin. Joey Hand is a driver coach and will develop both the new Mustang's for next year, the GT4 car for Pilot Challenge and the GT3 car for the WeatherTech Championship. Rob Ecklin is passed in the #09 Automatic Racing Aston Martin. Ecklin sharing with Ramin Abdolvahabi. On cold tires, Zane Smith goes off in the dirt in the Le Mans chicane. A small wiggle and no grip. No answer from the front end of the car.
More pit work needed for the #99 Honda as we continue to watch the scrap between Chad McCumbee and Harrison Burton. Jeff Westphal is also back there having taken over the #39 Carbahn with Peregrine Racing Porsche Cayman. We have a Captain Cook at the #64 Team TGM Aston Martin as well. Good battles all around this 3.56-mile combined NASCAR trioval and infield road course. The BMW Endurance Challenge is coming steadily to a close. A Mustang is in the lead, but it is a different one. It is the NV Autosport entry of Stephen Vajda, the #79 NV Autosport entry. Zane Smith has been told to drive in the fast lane of pit lane.
He says he had a great stint. The Ford Mustangs are fast indeed, and it is hard to say how things will play out. Smith is doing all he can to manage the car. All of these cars are so different. Hailie Deegan, too, knows that drafting is important from the truck series, and she has experience in a GT4 Mustang as well. She is having a great time driving the car. Ben Rhodes is getting better in the Mustang as well and of course Deegan and Rhodes will be teammates. All four of the Ford Mustang drivers have done a fantastic job. Owen Trinkler in the pit lane for scheduled service. Jason Altzman will have to finish this race and take over for Chad McCumbee until the end.
Even if it costs you time, you want to get into the car. Robert Wickens had a wild ride on three wheels through the Le Mans chicane! He is carving the corner, right on the limit, bicycling the Hyundai with front wheel drive of course. That was go karting stuff! Robert Wickens started both races they won last year and wants to see the checkered flag. Bryan Herta Autosport are working for an Indianapolis 500 program for Robert Wickens. Will he be back in an IndyCar? We will have to see. He wants to come back to the Indianapolis 500.
They are working on a plan for 2024 to use hand controls in an IndyCar and he wants to also be a part of the WeatherTech Championship. The battle rages between both Mustangs of Chad McCumbee and Harrison Burton! This is fabulous to watch! A possible flat tire for one of the BMW's? I could have sworn I saw something. McCumbee and Burton in both of the Mustangs are still chasing down the leader, Elliott Skeer in the #47 NOLASPORT Porsche Cayman sharing with Adam Adelson as Chad McCumbee shoves Zane Smith off the road! Ben Rhodes, meanwhile, uncorks the fastest lap of the motor race at 1:52.6.
Jeff Westphal is now catching Chad McCumbee hand over fist. Burton to fourth and we are watching Michael Cooper battling with Daniel Morad. Morad is laps behind. Cooper in the #44 Accelerating Performance Aston Martin Vantage GT4 he is sharing with Moisey Uretsky and Justin Piscitell. Gavin Ernstone drove half this race did the British driver. The Road Shagger Racing team will have a new Audi RS3 LMS TCR next time out at Sebring in March. They will test the new car at Road Atlanta next month.
Bonk. Pardon me, as Chad McCumbee gets muscled out of the way by Jeff Westphal with Harrison Burton watching all of this argy bargy in front of him. Discretion was the better part of valor for Harrison Burton there. Flat right front tire for one of the Audi's in the lane, the #15 car. That is the Denis Dupont driven Audi RS3 for Rockwell Autosport Development sharing with Nick Looijmans and Eric Rockwell. The Porsche and the Mustang pass by the lapped McLaren Artura GT4, the #69 car of Jesse Lazare sharing with Alex Filsinger for Motorsports in Action. It is a learning process for the NASCAR drivers to learn how to go sports car racing or road course NASCAR racing for that matter.
Less than an hour to go now and Harrison Burton scythes past Westphal. Back to power, and he found traction. Keep the lap times going and keep the handling under the car. New tires coming soon as we watch fourth place TCR runner Tyler Maxson in car #70. This is the Deily Motorsports entry with Maxson sharing with Jacob Deily. This is Jacob Deily's second TCR race. Elliott Skeer is in the lead of this motor race to the tune of nearly 8.8 seconds. Porsche leading at Daytona and we have heard that many, many times over the years.
Chad McCumbee runs second in a Ford Mustang GT4 as we are ten minutes away from the final pit stop. Jeff Westphal has clobbered the wall! Another massive accident in this race with big damage and maybe just maybe that is another blown tire! Full Course Yellow, now. Phew! That was ugly! This is the fifth Full Course Yellow of the motor race and we are in the window for the GS cars to go to fuel save. Eat up more of the clock, more of the pie, to save petrol. There's water everywhere with a burst radiator because the Porsche's radiators are right up front. Westphal radioed into the crew to say "I have stuffed it in the barriers. Sorry, guys."
In replay, off NASCAER turn four, he did lose the right rear tire and spun almost all the way 'round. Onboard, he did lose the right rear and went way too fast, spinning. Game over for Carbahn with Peregrine Racing. Jeff Westphal, Nolan Siegel, and Sean McAllister, done for the day. Siegel will be starting as a fill-in driver in the Rolex 24 tomorrow with an LMP3 team, Sean Creech Motorsports. Still 50 minutes on the board as we run under Full Course Yellow at Daytona Internatinal Speedway. Pit stop time for the #29 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for TR3 Racing. That was a quickie.
Shadows growing long as the sun draws lower in the sky here at Daytona International Speedway and we close in on the finish of this race. Tomorrow at this time, for the Rolex 24, we know we will have a long, long, long way to go. Final pit stops for the GS cars. Three Ford Mustang's and the race leading Nolasport Porsche Cayman and Jenson Altzman will take the #13 Mustang to the end while the #42 will have Harrison Burton finishing the race. Rhodes got boxed in and Altzman as well lost some track position. Elliott Skeer is back on track, too.
Elliott Skeer is back out and Harrison Burton had a quicker stop than Harrison Burton. Chad McCumbee has finished his stint and will let Jenson Altzmann know what is going on. The heat can be generated from the wheel into the tire and weaving the tires keeps them clean. Fresh, cold tires. Hot tires snowball getting all the clag, all the marbles stuck to them. TCR cars in the lane. LA Honda World #73 will have an easy out with Dr. William Talley. The #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi also has a good stop. Tyler Maxson will take the #70 Deilly Racing Hyundai to the end of the race. Jon Morley will finish the race in the #61 Audi.
The #73 Honda team had a rattle gun failure. The crewman yells to the team, "no pressure! Give me a spare gun!" That was a tight squeeze there between Morley and Maxson on pit exit as well. Less than 40 minutes to go now. Mark Wilkins could very well assume the lead of the motor race in TCR. We have a jet dryer on track blowing away debris from the apron of the trioval. Chad McCumbee says that McCumbee McAleer Racing has done very well. We are getting down to the nitty gritty now with just over half an hour of racing remaining for Pilot Challenge in the lid lifter of the 2023 season at Daytona.
Owen Trinkler and Team TGM lead. They could be short on gas before the end. Kris Wilson and Elliott Skeer next followed by Ben Rhodes. Aston Martin, Mrcedes, Porsche Cayman, Ford Mustang, the top four. Green flag. Owen Trinkler is your leader. Kris Wilson tries it and Elliott Skeer is giving Wilson all he can handle! Skeer pushing to second spot and Ben Rhodes is in the pound seats as well, look. Trinkler needs a iracle and he goes wide. Skeer slashes across the front and goes for the lead. Poor old Trinkler could be in trouble. He gets tagged by Kris Wilson and is real tight on fuel. They are going to gamble.
Poor old Owen Trinkler is giving it all he has. But he has now lost two places. Those scrubbed Michelin Pilot tires are not coming up to temperature. Ben Rhodes makes his move on Kris Wilson. Buried into the ABS. Mustang vs. Mercedes. They touch again into the International Horseshoe. Half an hour to go. This is going to be hot! While these blokes are scrapping, Elliott Skeer can push the bye bye button. Skeer will surely know of the tire incidents we have seen with other Porsche Cayman's today. Rhodes only six tenths of a second heuind with the lapped BMW of Neil Verhagen in the way. Now then, Trimkler is back to chasing Wilson.
Those tires on Trinkler's car are going to be slimy! Mark Wilkins in the Hyundai Elantra is a second ahead of the Honda of Mike LaMarra, although Wilkins is worried about speed. Wilkins teamed up with Mason Filippi for the first time in 2023. The last few minutes of this race are going to be very exciting. Stay with us. Don't go away. If you need to run to the fridge, do it now. You won't want to miss any of this. Tom Long now driving the #9 Aston Martin is in a fight here with Jenson Altzman just inside the top ten and he is chasing Christian Szymczak.
Aston Mattin, Mercedes, and more. Owen Trinkler is giving teammate Matt Plumb fits right now. Tom Long is going to slingshot to the outside threading the needle into the Bus Stop! He did it! Two in one! Holy cow! Long sharing with Jim Jonsin, and Brett Sandberg. Kris Wilson gets snookered by Christian Szymczak and poor old Owen Trinkler is a shot duck. Mark Wilkins, Mike LaMarra, and Jon Morley, these are the three in the fight for TCR. These three want it. Tyler Maxson is in with a shout while fifth place Mikey Taylor in the Audi is seven plus seconds down. LaMarra wants by Wilkins and Morley too, right there.
The older generation Audi could go out with a bang. Oh no! Elliott Skeer is off the track! Morley tries and has to back out of it. Wilkins in deep and LaMarra takes it! He is the new TCR leader in the blazing afternoon sun here at Daytona. Morley has to time his run through the Le Mans chicane to pass Wilkins. Harrison Burton passes Ben Rhodes for the lead of this motor race. Burton and Rhodes run 1-2 for Ford. At Bryan Herta Autosport, fourth gear of the transmission is questionable while Jon Morley makes his move for second and now. he is absolutely monstering LaMarra. Morley has the experience and the car with the Audi. IMSA wants to equalize these cars that make their time in different areas of the track.
Harrison Burton, driving for the legendary Wood Brothers in NASCAR Cup. Could Burton win in a sports car? We'll see. Again, the new generation NASCAR Cup cars are constructed similarly to how these production sports cars are. What does Jon Morley have left in the locker? He might just ahve to make his move now with 18 minutes to go. He wants the side draft on the Honda to the high side. No dice. LaMarra brakes deep and holds the racing line. Morley is planning, how can I be closer out of the Le Mans chicane? LaMarra is doing all he can right now to stay ahead while Morley too needs to be in position before the start/finish line.
Gavin Ernstone looking on. Just a handful of laps to go and only 17 minutes. Morley runs tighter through the chicane. Here he comes. Don't let the GT4 car mess with you but now he gets a tow ut he is slowing! LaMarra goes back by! Weird stuff there. Weird stuff. Game over for Nolasport being towed in along the backstretch and by Lake Lloyd. They probably lost a gearbox on the #47. Such a shame there. Poor Matt Travis. He is absolutely devastated. This team won boatloads of races in the GT4 class in SRO last year.
Burton leads Rhodes by a second. Now, Jon Morley is coming back trying to pass Mike LaMarra. In the trioval, that is where the Honda comes alive. LaMarra now runs wide, and Morley is in the pocket trying to make the pass. The low, defensive line can wear out your tires. LaMarra, Morley, Wilkins, the top three. The PF Racing Mustang's continue to lead. Morley to turn one, in the brakes and he cuts back on LaMarra. Morley to the inside and he makes the move. Wow. LaMaraa is not done yet. He is going to fight it. Morley clears him and now has to gap the Honda driver.
Wilkins also in striking range. Sun setting at Daytona. This race is nearly done and dusted. Here comes LaMarra back. Morley uses more road out of the chicane. LaMarra right on the decklid. Wilkins knows he could pick something up if these two blokes get tangled up. Wilkins dropping away from the top two. Burton and Rhodes still 1-2 in the overall for the PF Racing Ford Mustang team. Mike LaMarra is a former TCR champion and he is closing in on Morley. Morley has been told where the Honda is and LaMarra will try into the horseshoe. Morley wide!
LaMarra almost to the lead but Morley takes it back. Eight minutes to go now. Morley on the outside. Again, those tires are sliding around more than expected. For Morley you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. He will be sliding no matter what as they scream through the Le Mans chicane. Slow in, fast out. Morley keeps it together. Ben Rhodes might not be able to get to teammate Harrison Burton. Morley leaps off turn six and LaMarra now has to catch up. Oh dear. BMW in trouble. Local yellow for the #25 BMW M4 GT4 of John Dubets.
Five minutes to go. JCD is back on track now. John Capestro-Dubets is back in the race. Oh wow! Spencer Pumpelly is putting massive pressure on Ben Rhodes for second place! Pumpelly is really going for it and he has made the pass on Rhodes! Rhodes slid up the track and left bucketloads of room for Pumpelly to go by! This is going to be a Mustang 1-3. Does LaMarra have anything left in the locker to push Morley? Morley is eking out a gap. Rhodes is now really reeling in Pumpelly and now LaMarra's front end is washing out.
Burton has 1.4 seconds in the lead and Rhodes goes off in the dust through the Le Mans chicane. White flag this time by. One lap left for Harrison Burton and company. Two laps left in TCR. Lapped GS cars ahead. The Mustang's also did well in VP Challenge last weekend that you read about. Harrison Burton is still being harried by Spencer Pumpelly. Final lap. No traffic to worry about. Harrison Burton will win at Daytona International Speedway in a sports car for Ford and PF Racing! A great run by Spencer Pumpelly chasing him down. Now for the TCR scrum.
Morley has to hang of for half a lap. LaMarra is coming in a hurry! He is keeping Morley honest and here comes LaMarra onto speedway turn one. LaMarra is pushing, hard. Who si going to win? To the Le Mans chicane for the last time of asking. Do not open the door. Keep it clean. He slides and keeps the momentum up. Can LaMarra catch the draft through speedway turns three and four? Morley and Ernstone are going to replicate their feat of 2020 and win TCR at Daytona!
Overall/Grand Sport: #42 Burton/Smith PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4
TCR: #61 Morley/Ernstone Road Shagger Racing Audi RS3 LMS SEQ
That's a wrap for Michelin Pilot Challenge here at Daytona International Speedway for another year. We will see you for round two at Sebring International Raceway in central Florida, in mid-March. So long for now, everybody. Take care.
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