Road Atlanta CTSC Pre-Race Notebook

***Chevrolet will attempt to win the GS Manufacturer’s Championship despite being issued a 26-point penalty following the release of the official results from Virginia International Raceway. The manufacturer was found in violation of Attachment 2, Article 2.1.9 of CTSC Competition, which outlines Competitor or Manufacturers deliberately giving false information, attempting to influence the BoP process or displaying a level of performance beyond the expected result. While the violation was found, GM has opted not to appeal the penalty, and proceeds this weekend attempting to overcome a seven-point gap to BMW.

***As Team Sahlen looks to secure the ST class championship with Wayne Nonnamaker, the team has drafted in Michael Valiante to share the cockpit in both the team’s No. 42 and 43 Porsche Caymans. Valiante and Wayne Nonnamaker make up the lineup in the contending No. 42, where Nonnamaker currently sits nine points behind Eric Foss. Valiante was available following the withdrawal of the HART Racing Team ST Honda Civics after VIR.

***Tim Bell Racing returns to the track following the brake failure that led to Bell’s massive accident at COTA. The team’s new No. 28 Nissan 370Z will feature Bell and Puerto Rican driver Bryan Ortiz. Bell’s full-season co-driver, Dane Cameron, has opted for a sole focus on his TUDOR United SportsCar Championship commitments this weekend as he seeks the GT Daytona class title.

***Burton Racing brings in BMW veteran Bill Auberlen to share its ST class No. 22 BMW 128i alongside Connor Bloum. Auberlen has raced sporadically in CTSC this season in Turner Motorsport’s GS class BMW M3.

***Brandon Davis, who will share the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 997 with Matt Plumb, makes his first Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge start of the year.

***Austin Cindric, the 16-year-old who raced in the USF2000 series and GRC Lites this season, makes his CTSC debut alongside David Levine in the No. 78 Racers Edge Motorsports Ford Mustang Boss 302R. Cindric most recently raced a Mustang in the Pirelli World Challenge GTS class at Mid-Ohio in August. He’s also juggling school work this weekend in-between sessions.

***David Calvert-Jones, who had been in the Racers Edge No. 78 at COTA, switches to the sister No. 68 alongside Ricardo Flores this weekend. Calvert-Jones is pulling double duty, and won the Platinum Master’s division in Thursday’s IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA race.

***Continental Tire will present the “Driving Confidence” Award to GS and ST teams that have completed the most miles this season at the year-end banquet. Heading into the final race, the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 (2,265.088 miles) leads GS over the aforementioned No. 78 Racers Edge Ford (2,238.159), while the No. 56 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman (2,230.376) leads ST over the No. 81 Bimmerworld BMW 328i (2,221.977).

***Rebel Rock Racing sees Brett Sandberg return alongside Al Carter in the team’s No. 7 Porsche 997 car (GS) after he missed COTA. David Block and Corey Lewis (No. 87) and Tom Dyer and Corey Fergus (No. 88) share the ST class Caymans.

***Bodymotion Racing will have Shane Lewis and Lukas Johnson share the team’s No. 12 Porsche 997 in GS, Johnson moving up from ST, while Cody Ellsworth and Jason Rabe will be in the team’s ST class No. 31 Cayman. Ellsworth has driven for several teams this season.

***Other entry items of note: CKS Autosport will run a single Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R this weekend with the No. 00 withdrawn; the No. 4 LRT Racing Honda Civic returns in ST, as does the No. 85 All Out Auto Motorsports Mazda MAZDASPEED 3; Craig Conway is back in the No. 95 Irish Mike’s Racing Hyundai Genesis after missing COTA and Christian Szymczak will be in the No. 27 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5.

***The live race broadcast of the Road Atlanta season finale will air at 1:15 p.m. ET on IMSA.com.