Daytona Friday Notebook

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

***Jonathan Woolridge has been named the “official test and development driver” for Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathasen Motorsports’ LMP2 effort. The Canadian driver, who is a race winner in VP Racing SportsCar Challenge LMP3 competition, will be embedded with the Bobby Oergel-led team beginning at the Rolex 24 and be on-site at every race this season.

***Woolridge said: “The 2026 LMP2 field is going to be competitive, so I am eager to add value to the team from day one. Being part of this program is a true honor, and it means a great deal to have the support of fellow Canadians like Fortress Technology. Together this journey has already been very exciting, and it feels like we’re only just getting started.”

***Renowned race engineer and strategist Lars Giersing will be missing his first Rolex 24 in nearly ten years, after being among multiple longtime crew members to be let go by Paul Miller Racing amid a team reshuffle following its reduction to a single BMW M4 GT3 EVO. It’s believed Giersing, also known for his time at Magnus Racing, last missed the Rolex 24 in 2017 when the John Potter-owned team defected to SRO America competition for a year.

***Sheena Monk told Sportscar365 that she hopes to be able to confirm a full season program in the Myers Riley Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 EVO “sooner than later” with the FIA Bronze-rated driver seeking “long-term stability” beyond her already confirmed Endurance Cup program with the team.

***Monk said: “My hope is to do the whole season. I think the team’s goal is to try and win the Akin award, so things are looking in that direction. It’s just, frankly, the focus has been getting to Daytona right now and the program for me, I joined pretty late. It was just a matter of getting some things down on paper to get the year rolling.”

***The team’s No. 16 Mustang GT3 EVO, which was delivered by Ford Racing in Motorcraft colors, is now sporting a throwback livery to the Bud Moore Engineering BOSS 302 Mustang that was driven by Parnelli Jones and George Follmer in the 1969 Trans-Am season. Car owner Ross Myers, the co-founder and director of 3 Dog Garage, has a number of Bud Moore-engineered cars in the collection.

***Sportscar365 understands the team is likely to feature a number of historic Mustang liveries on the car throughout the season.

***Manthey Racing team founder Olaf Manthey is on-site this weekend. The legendary former driver and team owner still has a 9 percent stake in the team, with Porsche AG holding a majority 51 percent ownership and brothers Nicki and Martin Raeder having the remaining 40 percent.

***Triarsi Competizione, which is currently only committed to the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds with its pair of Ferrari 296 GT3 Evos, could contest a few sprint races with its GTD entry for Kenton Koch and Onofrio Triarsi according to 2025 GTD runner-up Koch, whose only currently confirmed sports car racing program for this year is with the Florida-based outfit.

***Both of Triarsi’s cars are brand-new chassis, with the team electing to purchase two new cars instead of updating its existing 296 GT3s to Evo specification. They both completed a brief shakedown prior to its arrival at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

***The two Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are also brand-new chassis, Nos. 027 and 028, which received its first running in a private test at Sebring International Raceway late last year. Thirteen Autosport’s car, chassis No. 017, is the same car that ended the GTD season in the hands of AWA, which now serves as the Orey Fidani-owned team’s service provider. DragonSpeed’s new Corvette, meanwhile, is chassis No. 024.

***Van der Steur Racing has yet to confirm its driver lineup for the sprint races, in the Maryland-based squad’s first planned full season WeatherTech Championship campaign. Rory van der Steur, Valentin Hasse-Clot and Sebastien Baud are, however, set for the Endurance Cup campaign in the No. 19 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

***Sportscar365 understands that DXDT Racing has finalized Mason Filippi’s co-driver for the sprint portion of the season, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks. As previously confirmed Filippi will be joined by the returning Charlie Eastwood and Salih Yoluc for the Endurance Cup season, with IndyCar star Scott McLaughlin completing the lineup here at Daytona.

***IMSA President John Doonan said he’s hopeful that the FIA World Endurance Championship’s recent move to homologate its cars in the Windshear wind tunnel, the same facility that IMSA has utilized, will eventually lead to more LMH-based prototypes competing in the GTP class in addition to the existing dual series effort with Heart of Racing Team’s Aston Martin Valkyrie.

***The Ferrari 499P, new-look Toyota TR010 Hybrid and Peugeot 9X8 are all LMH cars that have yet to compete in IMSA but have made recent visits to the Concord, N.C.-based facility due to a re-homologation of all GTP/Hypercar class entries for the 2026 seasons.

***Doonan said: “Having all of the cars go through the same exact process at Windshear is critical to making sure everybody can perform in that same tight window. I hope so (on the prospects of more LMH cars joining IMSA). We again, have ongoing communication with all the manufacturers. The welcome mat is out, and we hope that they come knock on the door.”

***Doonan has reaffirmed to Sportscar365 no plans to change the date for this year’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, which is set to conflict with the CrowdStirke 24 Hours of Spa. The date of the IMSA enduro was changed both in 2024 and 2025 to alleviate the clash with the Intercontinental GT Challenge and GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS centerpiece race, which sees significant driver and selected team crossover.

***Sportscar365 understands that the clash will prevent Corvette Racing from lending factory drivers to JMR Johor Racing for the event. Alexander Sims took part in the race last year in the Malaysian squad’s Corvette.

***JDC-Miller Motorsports team principal John Church revealed to Sportscar365 that under the current testing rules for GTP/WEC Hypercar, which run under a combined set of regulations due to manufacturer crossover, a single-car team in the top class is only permitted two “team” test days per year, in addition being able to attend two additional test days that are controlled by each manufacturer.

***This excludes any IMSA (or WEC) sanctioned tests such as the Roar, Le Mans test day or Bahrain rookie test, as well as IMSA’s traditional November/December test.

***It was announced on Thursday that longtime Grand Prix of Long Beach promoter Jim Michaelian will assume a new role in Penske Entertainment effective June 30, with Jim Liaw named as the organization’s new President and CEO beginning on July 1.

***Michaelian, 82, will continue to lead efforts for this year’s event, scheduled for April 17-19, which will include a 100-minute WeatherTech Championship GTP/GTD race as well as the return of the IMSA-sanctioned Porsche Carrera Cup North America series. Penske Entertainment acquired the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach in November 2024.

***Saturday’s on-track action includes three more WeatherTech Championship sessions, from 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. ET, 3:10-4:10 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m., along with qualifying and Race 1 for VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and two test sessions for Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Davey Euwema contributed to this report

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