Heinricher Racing Qualifies Fifth at VIR

Alton, VA. (24 August 2019) – Making her North American racing debut, Alice Powell placed the Heinricher Racing No. 57 Caterpillar Acura NSX GT3 with Meyer Shank Racing on the third row for Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge (1:35pm ET NBCSN).

The start to the race weekend at Virginia International Raceway has been difficult with several heavy rain showers changing the conditions of the track for Friday’s two practice sessions. The Heinricher Racing team worked to improve the balance of the Acura while Powell continued to get acquainted with the NSX platform.

In her first IMSA qualifying run, Powell eased forward as the track transitioned from wet to dry. Getting more comfortable with the balance and stability of the car, she made a quick jump from eighth to fourth in the order with just two minutes to go.

Continuing to push the car in changing conditions, Powell closed out the session with a 1:48.159-second lap to start fifth for the Michelin GT Challenge on Sunday.

“For my first qualifying effort with Heinricher Racing, it was probably one of the toughest conditions you could have, really,” said Powell. “It was a situation where it was ‘do we go slicks or do we go wets?’ In the end, we opted for slicks and it was definitely the right decision. We just needed to get the slicks worn in. Mike (Shank) told me the car was going to be there for me at the end so that’s where I wanted to be. Everything went well and then Trent (Hindman) came through and I just tried to latch on to the back of him. Overall, P5 is a good starting position in some tricky conditions and I’m excited to make my IMSA race debut.”

The two hour and 40-minute Michelin GT Challenge will go green at 1:35pm ET and will be broadcast on NBCSN.