NASCAR on TV this week

Entry List: Northeast Grand Prix

This weekend, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship travels to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut for the first of two GT-only races on the schedule.  As a result, the entry is only 19 cars for this weekend.  It was originally only 18.

In the GT Le Mans class, there are no real changes.  The factory programs from Chevrolet, Ford, Porsche and BMW are all entered with their two car teams.

Last year, Lime Rock marked the first-ever worldwide victory for the Porsche 911 RSR.  They’re back with their pairings of Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy in No. 911 and Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor in No. 912.

In GT Daytona, there are only 11 cars entered.  Originally, it was 10, but Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian announced last week that the No. 86 Acura will compete full-time for the remainder of the season.  That allows Katherine Legge to keep her championship hopes alive.  She’s currently second in points, just three behind Paul Miller Racing’s Bryan Sellers and Madison SnowÀlvaro Parente will once again co-drive.

There is a change of note at 3GT Racing.  David Heinemeier Hansson has chosen to sit out the weekend.  Mario Farnbacher will race in his place.  Why?  He apparently doesn’t like the place.

Heinemeier Hansson has one previous start at Lime Rock, which came back in 2012 for Conquest Racing in an LMP2-class Morgan in the American Le Mans Series.  Back then, he finished on the lead lap in fourth overall, second in class.  In addition to apparently not enjoying his previous experience at Lime Rock, Heinemeier Hansson is referring to the often-discussed driver rankings in his tweet.  Drivers must submit a resume to the FIA, who then scrutinizes the backgrounds and recent results before giving a ranking of either Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum.  Platinum is effectively reserved for those who are (or have been) factory racers or Formula 1 racers.  Gold drivers are considered to be pros, while silver and bronze drivers are considered amateurs.  However, the line between a pro and an amateur in the eyes of the FIA is often blurry.  Of note, Farnbacher is rated as a silver driver, even though he’s well-known as a professional racer.

Turner Motorsport’s driver lineup is not listed on the entry list, but the team revealed via a press release Thursday morning that Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley will be back in the No. 96 BMW M6 GT3 this weekend for the Massachusetts-based team’s home race.  Liqui-Moly, which was on the car at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, will be back on the car.

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX ENTRY LIST

The Northeast Grand Prix is scheduled to go green at 3:10 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.  The race will air via tape delay on FOX Sports 1 starting at 4 p.m.

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.