This weekend, all of Pirelli World Challenge’s classes travel to Circuit of the Americas for a full weekend of racing. It is the season finale for Sprint-X and teams will be scrambling to get everything they can. Also of note, the second race that was scrapped due to heavy rains at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park will be made up Friday evening. Nothing quite like starting a race at 7:30 p.m. local time. It will be nearly dark by the time the race ends.
There is actually a separate entry list for the makeup race on Friday. On that list, there are eight separate teams that were entered for the race back in May that are not on the entry list for the rest of the weekend. As a result, the makeup race will likely only have 26 cars as opposed to 34.
For the regularly scheduled Sprint-X races on Saturday and Sunday, 34 cars are entered. There are some changes. For example, Absolute Racing is only running one car, the Pro-Pro No. 88 Bentley for Vincent Abril and Adderly Fong. R. Ferri Motorsport’s No. 013 Ferrari and both of the DXDT Racing entries are not entered.
In their place, McCann Racing is back with their No. 82 Audi for team owner Mike McCann and Mike Skeen. M1 GT Racing has entered two Audi R8s. Their newer chassis returns with Walt Bowlin and Lars Viljoen at the wheel. Also, Jorge De La Torre is back with his Aston Martin, along with Ate De Jong.
GT Cup sees a new team, R3 Motorsports (no relation to the former NASCAR team) making their debut. Conrad Grundewald and James Weiland will race a 458-based Ferrari Challenge car. Sprint-X GTS sees The Racers Group expand to two cars for the weekend with a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR for Craig Lyons and Kris Wilson.
Entry List: Pirelli World Challenge Sprint-X at COTA
| Class | Team | Drivers | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint-X GTS Am-Am | 03 - The Racers Group | Craig Lyons Kris Wilson | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| Sprint-X GT Am-Am | 04 - De La Torre Racing | Ate De Jong Jorge De La Torre | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Am | 07 - Dream Racing Motorsport | Lawrence DeGeorge Cedric Sbirrazzuoli | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 |
| Sprint-X GTS Am-Am | 09 - The Racers Group | Derek DeBoer Sean Gibbons | Aston Martin Vantage GT4 |
| Sprint-X GTS Pro-Am | 017 - Case-It Racing | Trent Hindman Adam Merzon | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| Sprint-X GTS Am-Am | 018 - Case-It Racing | Philip Bloom Cameron Cassels | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| Sprint-X GTS Am-Am | 019 - Stephen Cameron Racing | Ari Balogh Greg Liefooghe | BMW M3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 2 - CRP Racing | Ryan Dalziel Daniel Morad | Mercedes-AMG GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 3 - Cadillac Racing | Johnny O'Connell Ricky Taylor | Cadillac ATS-V.R. |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 4 - Magnus Racing | Pierre Kaffer Spencer Pumpelly | Audi R8 LMS GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 6 - K-PAX Racing | Michael Lewis Bryan Sellers | McLaren 650S GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 8 - Cadillac Racing | Michael Cooper Jordan Taylor | Cadillac ATS-V.R. |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 9 - K-PAX Racing | Ben Barnicoat Àlvaro Parente | McLaren 650S GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Am | 14 - GMG Racing | Mathieu Jaminet James Sofronas | Porsche 911 GT3 R |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Am | 16 - Wright Motorsports | Jan Heylen Michael Schein | Porsche 911 GT3 R |
| Sprint-X GT Cup Am-Am | 18 - R3 Motorsports | Conrad Grunenwald James Weiland | Ferrari Challenge |
| Sprint-X GT Am-Am | 23 - M1GT Racing | Jason Bell James Dayson | Audi R8 LMS Ultra |
| Sprint-X GT Am-Am | 24 - M1GT Racing | Walt Bowlin Lars Viljoen | Audi R8 LMS GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Am-Am | 30 - NGT Motorsport | Henrique Cisneros Peter Ludwig | Ferrari 458 GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 31 - TR3 Racing | Daniel Mancinelli Niccolo Schirò | Ferrari 488 GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 43 - RealTime Racing | Tom Dyer Ryan Eversley | Acura NSX GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Am | 44 - Magnus Racing | John Potter Marco Seefried | Audi R8 LMS GT3 |
| Sprint-X GTS Am-Am | 47 - NOLAsport | Jason Hart Mike Vess | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport Mr |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Am | 54 - Black Swan Racing | Jeroen Bleekemolen Tim Pappas | Mercedes-AMG GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Cup Pro-Am | 55 - Dream Racing Motorsport | Alessandro Bressan Yuki Harata | Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 58 - Wright Motorsports | Jörg Bergmeister Patrick Long | Porsche 911 GT3 R |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Am | 75 - Always Evolving Racing/AIM Autosport | Frankie Montecalvo Ricardo Sanchez | Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Am | 77 - Calvert Dynamics/GMG Racing | Dr. Preston Calvert Alec Udell | Porsche 911 GT3 R |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Am | 82 - McCann Racing | Michael McCann Mike Skeen | Audi R8 LMS GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 88 - Absolute Racing | Vincent Abril Adderly Fong | Bentley Continental GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Cup Am-Am | 90 - Autometrics Motorsports | Cory Friedman Joe Toussaint | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 93 - RealTime Racing | Peter Kox Mark Wilkins | Acura NSX GT3 |
| Sprint-X GT Cup Pro-Am | 95 - Tool Racing | Erich Joiner Andy Lee | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup |
| Sprint-X GT Pro-Pro | 99 - GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing | Jon Fogarty Wolf Henzler | Porsche 911 GT3 R |
Regular GTS is up from 19 entries to 23. Scott Dollahite returns to the series with his Lotus Evora (pictured above last year at Lime Rock) for his first start of 2017. Performance Motorsports Group is back with their Ginettas for Parker Chase and Harry Gottsacker (both drivers are from New Braunfels, 45 minutes away). Also, GMG Racing is fielding a third car for Brett Meredith.
Entry List: Pirelli World Challenge GTS Class at COTA
| Class | Team | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTSA | 04 - GMG Racing | George Kurtz | McLaren 570S GT4 |
| GTSA | 017 - Case-It Racing | Adam Merzon | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| GTSA | 018 - Case-It Racing | Cameron Cassels | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| GTSA | 2 - Racers Edge Motorsports | Jason Bell | SIN R1 GT4 |
| GTS | 3 - Flying Lizard Motorsports | Rodrigo Baptista | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| GTSA | 7 - GMG Racing | Carter Yeung | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| GTSA | 9 - ANSA Motorsports | Bill Ziegler | KTM X-Bow GT4 |
| GTS | 10 - Blackdog Speed Shop | Lawson Aschenbach | Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R |
| GTSA | 11 - Blackdog Speed Shop | Tony Gaples | Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R |
| GTSA | 12 - Ian Lacy Racing | Drew Staveley | Ginetta G55 GT4 |
| GTS | 14 - Flying Lizard Motorsports | Nate Stacy | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| GTS | 19 - Performance Motorsports Group | Parker Chase | Ginetta G55 GT4 |
| GTSA | 24 - Ian Lacy Racing | Frank Gannett | Ginetta G55 GT4 |
| GTSA | 25 - ANSA Motorsports | Dakota Dickerson | KTM X-Bow GT4 |
| GTSA | 45 - Racers Edge Motorsports | Bob Michaelian | SIN R1 GT4 |
| GTS | 46 - SDR Motorsports | Scott Dollahite | Lotus Evora GT4 |
| GTSA | 47 - NOLAsport | Keith Jensen | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| GTS | 50 - Team Panoz Racing | Ian James | Panoz Avezzano GT |
| GTSA | 62 - KPR | Mark Klenin | McLaren 570S GT4 |
| GTSA | 64 - GMG Racing | Brett Meredith | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR |
| GTS | 69 - Performance Motorsports Group | Harry Gottsacker | Ginetta G55 GT4 |
| GTS | 80 - Mantella Autosport | Martin Barkey | KTM X-Bow GT4 |
| GTS | 99 - JCR Motorsports | Jeff Courtney | Maserati GT4 |
In the Touring Car classes, the overall entry is down from 50 to 47. Only 18 BMW M235iRs are on the entry list as opposed to 22 in Utah. However, the two-car GenRacer team for Jeff Ricca and Dan Honovich are back after missing Utah.
There are ten entries in TCA. Daniel Williams moves from the No. 68 Mazda for S.A.C. Racing to Tech Sport Racing’s No. 22 Scion. The No. 68 is not entered. The DG-Spec Racing Toyota 86 only did Utah as a one-off. Glory Racing is also not entered. Finally, there are seven entries in TCB. Indian Summer Racing’s No. 77 MINI for Taylor Handwerk is back after the team decided to focus solely on Travis Washay‘s new Audi RS 3 LMS Club Sport at Utah.
Entry List: Pirelli World Challenge TC/TCA/TCB Classes at COTA
| Class | Team | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCB | 01 - Drengler Racing | Jasper Drengler | Honda Fit |
| TCB | 02 - Believeland Motorsport | Ted Sahley | Mazda2 |
| TC | 009 - BERG Racing | JT Coupal | Audi RS 3 LMS Club Sport |
| TC | 065 - Rearden Racing | Daren Jorgensen | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 1 - Classic BMW | Toby Grahovec | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 2 - Classic BMW | Gino Carini | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 3 - Rearden Racing | Vesko Kozarov | Nissan 370Z |
| TC | 5 - BERG Racing | John Weisberg | Mazda MX-5 |
| TCB | 6 - Jake Pipal Racing | Jake Pipal | Honda Fit |
| TC | 8 - Stephen Cameron Racing | Rodrigo Sales | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 12 - Winding Road Team TFB | Mason Filippi | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 16 - Zorro Racing | Derek Kulach | Nissan 370Z |
| TC | 17 - Hale Motorsports | Randy Hale | Mazda MX-5 |
| TC | 18 - Zima Motorsports | Stefan Sajic | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 19 - Stephen Cameron Racing | Ari Balogh | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 20 - Stephen Cameron Racing | Greg Liefooghe | BMW M235iR |
| TCA | 22 - Tech Sport Racing | Daniel Williams | Scion FR-S |
| TCA | 23 - Tech Sport Racing | Eric Powell | Scion FR-S |
| TCB | 24 - Tech Sport Racing | Canaan O'Connell | Chevrolet Sonic |
| TCB | 25 - Tech Sport Racing | PJ Groenke | Chevrolet Sonic |
| TC | 26 - Classic BMW | Matt Travis | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 28 - AutoTechnic Racing | Robert Nimkoff | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 29 - Classic BMW | Justin Raphael | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 30 - Indian Summer Racing | Travis Washay | Audi RS 3 LMS Club Sport |
| TCA | 33 - Murillo Racing | Kenny Murillo | Mazda Global MX-5 Cup Car |
| TC | 36 - Zima Motorsports | Chetan Puranik | BMW M235iR |
| TCB | 37 - ISellMiataParts | Blake Thompson | Mazda2 |
| TC | 38 - ST Racing | Samantha Tan | BMW M235iR |
| TCA | 56 - Murillo Racing | Tim Probert | Mazda Global MX-5 Cup Car |
| TCA | 67 - Shea Racing | Shea Holbrook | Honda Civic Si |
| TC | 69 - S.A.C. Racing | Anthony Geraci | Audi RS 3 LMS Club Sport |
| TCA | 70 - S.A.C. Racing | Elivan Goulart | Mazda Global MX-5 Cup Car |
| TC | 71 - C360R | Paul Holton | Audi RS 3 LMS Club Sport |
| TCA2 | 73 - S.A.C. Racing | Daniel Moen | Mazda MX-5 |
| TCA | 74 - S.A.C. Racing | Matthew Fassnacht | Mazda MX-5 |
| TC | 75 - GenRacer | Dan Honovich | Hyundai Genesis Coupe |
| TCB | 77 - Indian Summer Racing | Taylor Handwerk | MINI Cooper |
| TC | 78 - GenRacer | Jeff Ricca | Hyundai Genesis Coupe |
| TC | 80 - Rooster Hall Racing | Anthony Magagnoli | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 81 - Winding Road Team TFB | Jacob Ruud | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 87 - Stephen Cameron Racing | Henry Schmitt | BMW M235iR |
| TCA | 89 - Winding Road Team TFB | Jeff Sexton | Mazda Global MX-5 Cup Car |
| TC | 91 - ST Racing | Nick Wittmer | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 92 - Classic BMW | Chris Ohmacht | BMW M235iR |
| TC | 93 - Team HMA | Joshua Foran | Honda Accord Coupe |
| TCA | 94 - Shea Racing | Tom O'Gorman | Honda Civic Si |
| TC | 99 - Honda Ste-Rose Racing | Karl Wittmer | Honda Accord Coupe |
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.