Rebel Rock optimistic for four-hour race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

BRASELTON, GA (1 Sept. 2020) – Rebel Rock Racing returns to endurance mode this weekend when the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge visits Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the four-hour VP Racing Stay Frosty 240 on Sunday (TrackPass, 1210pm ET).

Andrew Davis will rejoin regular Rebel Rock Racing drivers Frank DePew and Robin Liddell in the No. 71 Urban Grid Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R for the race, which was rescheduled from Watkins Glen International due to New York State’s current travel restrictions.

The team is coming off a promising – but ultimately disappointing – 10th-place finish at Virginia International Raceway where a late-race penalty negated a solid shot at the top step of the podium.

“I’m really looking forward to the four hours at Road Atlanta this weekend,” Liddell said. “Andrew Davis will be back in the car with us for this event and we are very keen to rebound from the setback at VIR with a result that reflects what the team is capable of.”

Aggressive pit stop strategy had a podium finish – and possibly a victory – in the cards at VIR.

However, the rear wheels turning while the car was still on the jacks on its final scheduled pit stop led to a drive-through penalty. Liddell charged back through the pack up to eighth place, only to run out of fuel in the last turn on the final lap and finished tenth.

The changed schedule for the 2020 season will see IMSA make two visits to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, having last raced at the track as part of the season-finale event in October. Rebel Rock showed well in last season’s race, fighting in top ten contention before suffering an issue late in the race.

“We’re strong at Road Atlanta,” DePew said. “We had a loss of power issue there last year, which we hope we’ve solved for this year. It’s a four-hour race, and I think we can do well. I drove well in the race there last year and I am continuing to perform better each time I am in the car. We’re very optimistic and looking forward to getting back to Road Atlanta.”

The enduro format will see Davis once again added to the driver strength, adding another Rebel Rock Racing appearance for the Atlanta-based driver, having raced with the team on several occasions since moving to the Camaro GT4.R platform. Davis has been coming to Road Atlanta since he was four, and as a local with a strong record of success at the track, he is eager to get back in action with the team once again.

“Road Atlanta has been home for me since I was four years old, so my love affair with the circuit began long ago,” said Davis, who lives just up the road from the track in Athens. “To have the opportunity to jump back in with a team like Rebel Rock on my home turf is very special. We will all miss being at Watkins Glen this year, but if you have to pick another track to go to, I am thrilled that it is Road Atlanta! Frank (DePew) and Robin (Liddell) have built up a really strong program, which makes it much easier to simply plug into the line-up with a high level of confidence. It seems like it has been forever since I last drove with the team back in January at Daytona. So, I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the Camaro GT4.R! I want to thank the team for continuing to have me as part of the program.”

Rebel Rock will have a pair of one-hour practice sessions on Friday, at 12:55 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. (all times ET). Saturday’s lone activity is 15-minute GS qualifying at 6:35 p.m., following the six-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge event. Sunday’s race takes the green flag for four hours of racing at 12:10 p.m.