{"id":827,"date":"2018-01-22T15:32:58","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T20:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/?p=827"},"modified":"2023-05-03T15:42:57","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T19:42:57","slug":"whelen-engineering-racing-2018-rolex-24-at-daytona-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/2018\/01\/22\/whelen-engineering-racing-2018-rolex-24-at-daytona-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Whelen Engineering Racing 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daytona Beach, Fla. (22 January 2018) Whelen Engineering\u00a0Racing<\/span>will look to make a big start to the team\u2019s 2018 IMSA campaign next weekend as the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will kick off with the 56th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona (2:00 PM ET<\/span><\/span>\u00a0FOX live coverage of Saturday\u2019s race start) at the Daytona International Speedway.<\/p>\n

The 2018 season will see the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac co-driven by Eric Curran (US) and Felipe Nasr (BR) through the full IMSA schedule, which will feature both sprint and endurance events on a collection of the best tracks in North America. Curran has long been a winning fixture in the Whelen Engineering effort, while Nasr returns to the team for his first full IMSA WeatherTech championship season, having raced with the squad in the 2013 Rolex 24 At Daytona.<\/p>\n

Whelen Engineering\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0will welcome the 2018 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Stuart Middleton (UK) to the lineup for the Rolex 24, as well as Mike Conway (UK)\u00a0 for the Daytona, Sebring, and Petit Le Mans rounds of the event schedule.<\/p>\n

The team is proud to once again carry the red and white colors for Whelen Engineering.\u00a0 After starting in a garage in 1952 when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon,\u00a0 Whelen Engineering has emerged as a continuing American success story. Based in Connecticut, Whelen is a leader in automotive and emergency vehicle lighting as well as in the industrial and aviation fields. Whelen, which recently announced the continuation of its designation as the \u201cOfficial Warning Lights of NASCAR,\u201d has a strong presence across motorsports including the Whelen Hall of Champions in the NASCAR Hall of Fame as well as with the NASCAR Euro Whelen Series.<\/p>\n

The 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona saw the Whelen entry targeting a strong start to its defense of the 2016 IMSA Team and Driver Championships. The team had to fight back from an incident in traffic that cost the effort several laps. Undaunted,\u00a0 the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac returned to battle and covered 2,274-miles (639 laps) during the rain-plagued 24 event\u00a0 for a sixth-place result. The team went on to break through for a victory at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park to notch its first victory with the Cadillac DPi-V.R platform.<\/p>\n

As new teams and manufacturers join the series in the Prototype class, the 2018 IMSA season promises to be the most competitive and compelling yet. Under the guidance of Gary Nelson and with the integration of veteran Tim Keene as Performance Coordinator for the No. 31 Whelen Engineering\u00a0Racing<\/span>entry, the Chris Mitchum-directed program has focused on continuing to develop the team in preparation for the outstanding competition that is expected in 2018.<\/p>\n

The Whelen Engineering\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0squad looks forward to utilizing the lessons learned in 2017 with the Cadillac DPi-V.R into another run at the championship starting with the Rolex 24 At Daytona.<\/p>\n

No. 31 Whelen Engineering\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0DPi-V.R 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona Driver Information and pre-race comments:<\/p>\n

Eric Curran<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/ericcurran31<\/a>
\nBorn: June 8, 1975 (42)
\nHometown: Springfield, MA
\nP Championships: 1 Overall
\nAccomplishments: 2016 IMSA Prototype Champion, 31 Professional Race Wins, 17 Professional Poles, Competing in SCCA World Challenge, Grand AM GT, Continental Tire Championships, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR K&N Series, ADAC GT Masters
\nHobbies\/Fun Fact: Co-Owner of West Coast Exotics and avid driver coach and HSR competitor during off weekends.<\/p>\n

Full-time\u00a0Action<\/span>\u00a0Express<\/span>\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0driver Eric Curran brings over 20 years of race experience to the team. Most notably, he won the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with\u00a0Action<\/span>\u00a0Express<\/span>\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0and followed that up with a run to second in the 2017 championship standings. He has raced for\u00a0Action<\/span>Express<\/span>\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0since 2015. Curran has competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series (2008-2010) and won races in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, and Pirelli World Challenge driving a variety of different machinery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think 2018 is going to be an amazing year,\u201d said Curran. \u201cI think all of IMSA\u2019s hard work through the last few years is really coming to pay off. This DPi platform is really taking off and it is amazing to see 20 of these Prototype cars that are going to really\u00a0 battle for the Rolex 24 this year. For sure it is the best cars, the best drivers, worldwide from F1, IndyCar, sportscar\u00a0racing<\/span>\u00a0around the world. And then some of the best teams in the world as well so this will be superb for the fans. I think it is going to be\u00a0 quite the event\u2014having grown up watching the GTP cars and the World SportsCars, it is like that golden time right now so it is exiting to be a part of it. For the fans and for IMSA it is an amazing kick-off to the 2018 season. It will probably be the best one we\u2019ve seen for a long time. The Whelen Engineering Cadillac was great in testing and hopefully we can be right in the mix at the finish here at Daytona.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felipe Nasr<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/FelipeNasr<\/a>
\nBorn: August 21, 1992 (25)
\nHometown: Brasilia, Brazil
\nP Championships: 2018 will be first full season of IMSA Competition. 2012 Sunoco Challenge Winner, 2012 Daytona 24 Hour Prototype Podium Finish
\nAccomplishments: 2009 Formula BMW Europe Champion, 2011 British Formula 3 Champion, 2011 Macau Podium\/F3, 2014 Official Williams F1Test Driver, 2015\/2016 Sauber F1 driver, 39 Career F1 Starts w\/29 career points
\nHobbies\/Fun Fact: Began Karting at age 7. Enjoys sports, fishing and mechanics. Favorite films are Star Wars, James Bond and his favorite race track is Spa-Francorchamps<\/p>\n

Former Formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr joins\u00a0Action<\/span>\u00a0Express<\/span>\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0full-time in 2018. With over 40 starts in F1, Nasr finished fifth in his first-career F1 race in the Australian Grand Prix in 2015. It was\u00a0the best ever result for a Brazilian driver making a Grand Prix debut.\u00a0He also served as a test and reserve F1 driver in 2014 for WilliamsF1. A multi-champion across several European open-wheel divisions, Nasr first teamed with\u00a0Action<\/span>\u00a0Express<\/span>\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0in the 2013 Rolex 24 At Daytona after having scored a third place finish in his Rolex 24 At Daytona debut as a Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner in 2012.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be back here in IMSA and finally I am here,\u201d Nasr said. \u201cThe team is really focused on the race. We all feel very confident in the car. Today in the qualifying session, we gave everything we had and finished first. The cars at the front are very close in time. I am pretty happy with the way the Cadillac is performing. When I ran here in 2012 it was one of the best experiences of my career. The IMSA championship is growing. There is such a strong field here, it is great for a\u00a0racing<\/span>\u00a0driver to be competing at Daytona. I got a third place here, and now I want to go for the win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike Conway<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/mikeconway26<\/a>
\nBorn: August 19, 1983 (34)
\nHometown: Bromley, England
\nP Championships: 1 NAEC
\nAccomplishments: Competed in Formula Ford and F3, 2004 Formula Renault UK Champion, 2006 British Formula 3 Champion, GP2 Driver, 4 IndyCar wins, 2014 Honda F1 test driver, Toyota P1 Factory Driver in FIA WEC, and Formula E Championships, finished 2nd in the 2016 24 Hours of LeMans.
\nHobbies\/Fun Fact: Began Karting at age 8. The world record holder in the “Fethard to ‘Keeffes run”.<\/p>\n

Mike Conway returns to\u00a0Action<\/span>\u00a0Express<\/span>\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0in 2018 as a Whelen Engineering\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0endurance driver for the Rolex 24, Sebring 12 Hour, and Petit Le Mans events. Conway has years of experience across several different\u00a0racing<\/span>\u00a0platforms that include winning outings in IndyCar and World Endurance Championship competition as well as big performances in FIA Formula E.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am excited about the race,\u201d said Conway. \u201cThis year will be bloody hard. There are 20 cars that will be fighting for the win. We will need to race well, make smart moves and be there at the end to go for the win. That is easy to say, but to do that takes a lot of team work and luck. Hopefully we can have another good run. We have strong drivers in the Whelen Engineering Cadillac. I think we have a good chance to go for the win. It is a little easier the second time around. The team is used to the car and drivers. There are some newcomers here, but with experienced teams running the cars. It is going to be interesting. I think it will be a close one. There are several cars within a few tenths. The competition will be good, that\u2019s what the series needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stuart Middleton\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/stuartmiddletonracing.co.uk\/about\/<\/a>
\nBorn:\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a010\/11\/99
\nHometown: Ashington, Northumberland
\nAccomplishments: 2018 Sunoco Whelen Engineering Championship winner
\nInterests outside of Motorsport; football, keeping fit & gaming<\/p>\n

The newest, and youngest racer to join Whelen Engineering\u00a0Racing<\/span>,\u00a0Stuart Middleton\u00a0already has earned some significant accolades.\u00a0\u00a0Middleton became a Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner in 2014, secured the Ginetta Junior Winter Series Championship title in 2015, and netted the Ginetta Junior Series vice-championship in 2016.<\/p>\n

The Ashington, Northcumberland native is recognized as a British\u00a0Racing<\/span>Drivers\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0Club (BRDC) ‘Rising Star’ who most recently earned the 2017 British GT4 Championship – in his first year in GT4 competition.\u00a0\u00a0That honor was capped off by being named the winner of the 2017 Sunoco Whelen Challenge, which earned him the opportunity for a drive the No. 31 Mustang Sampling\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0Cadillac DPi-V.R in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to kick off the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cadillac is one amazing machine,\u201d Middleton said. \u201cIt is very different from what I usually drive in terms of power, grip and downforce. The car just goes. You really have to be on top of your game with one of these machines for sure. I am loving the experience of driving the Cadillac. It will be a whole different experience for me in the race. I have never driven at night or run in a 24-hour race before. There a few different things to learn. I am not dreading it or concerned, I just want to learn as much as I can from my teammates and the team. I am really excited and looking forward to the race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tune-in Information:\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Rolex 24 At Daytona<\/p>\n

Saturday, January 27th
\n2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EST<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0FOX Channel
\n5:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0FS2
\n10:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Fox Sports Go App
\n11:00 PM to 1:00 AM EST<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0FS1<\/p>\n

Sunday, January 28th
\n1:00 AM to 8:00 AM EST<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Fox Sports Go App
\n8:00 AM to 10:30 AM EST<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0FS2
\n10:30-3:00 PM<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0FS1<\/p>\n

Action<\/span>\u00a0Express<\/span>\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0History:<\/p>\n

CHAMPIONSHIPS<\/p>\n

2017 Tequila Patr\u00f3n North American Endurance Cup \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(No. 5 Mustang Sampling)
\n2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(No. 31 Whelen Engineering)
\n2016 Tequila Patr\u00f3n North American Endurance Cup \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(No. 5 Mustang Sampling)
\n2015 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(No. 5 Mustang Sampling)
\n2015 Tequila Patr\u00f3n North American Endurance Cup \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(No. 5 Mustang Sampling)
\n2014 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(No. 5 Mustang Sampling)
\n2014 Tequila Patr\u00f3n North American Endurance Cup \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(No. 5 Mustang Sampling)<\/p>\n

Action<\/span>\u00a0Express<\/span>\u00a0Racing<\/span>\u00a0Wins:<\/p>\n

2017 Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
\n2017 Sahlen\u2019s Six Hours of the Glen
\n2016 Sahlen\u2019s Six Hours of the Glen
\n2016 Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
\n2016 Continental Tire Road Race Showcase
\n2015 Petit Le Mans
\n2015 Continental Tire Road Race Showcase (1-2 sweep)
\n2015 Chevrolet Sports Car Classic
\n2015 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
\n2014 Continental Tire Road Race Showcase
\n2014 Brickyard Grand Prix
\n2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona
\n2013 Sahlen\u2019s Six Hours of the Glen
\n2013 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
\n2012 Sahlen\u2019s Six Hours of the Glen
\n2012 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix (1-2 sweep)
\n2011 Virginia International Raceway
\n2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona<\/p>\n

Whelen Timeline:\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0http:\/\/www.whelen.com\/pb\/Automotive\/ProductSheets\/Misc\/Whelen_History.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Daytona Beach, Fla. (22 January 2018) Whelen Engineering\u00a0Racingwill look to make a big start to the team\u2019s 2018 IMSA campaign next weekend as the 2018 IMSA [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":829,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827\/revisions\/829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}