Drugovich Confirmed at AXR for Daytona; Vesti to Sub at Laguna

Photo: Julien Delfosse/DPPI

Felipe Drugovich will make his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut with Cadillac Whelen Racing in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona as the team’s fourth driver.

Confirmed on Saturday, the 2022 FIA Formula 2 champion, who took part in the team’s lineup in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, will join the previously confirmed Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti in the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R for the twice-around-the-clock Florida endurance classic.

Drugovich got seat time during this weekend’s IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway.

“I am really delighted to be here in Daytona for the first time,” he said.

“AXR and Cadillac gave me the opportunity to do my first Le Mans 24 Hours and now they are putting me to do the other mythical 24 hours — the Daytona one in January 2025.

“[I] hope to help the team and my fellow drivers in this exciting and unforgettable experience, starting with these tests. I feel privileged and happy to be here.”

In other AXR news, Vesti, the team’s third driver for the Michelin Endurance Cup races, will be drafted into the two-hour and 40-minute race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in May as a replacement to Earl Bamber, alongside full season driver Jack Aitken.

Bamber will be on FIA World Endurance Championship duty with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA that weekend, with Cadillac having elected to prioritized the Kiwi’s championship-scoring program in the WEC.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John