Mustang Sampling Returns to JDC-Miller for Rest of Season

Image: JDC-Miller Motorsports

JDC-Miller Motorsports has reunited with Mustang Sampling for the remainder of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, reviving a partnership that took the Minnesota-based team to victory in the 2021 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

The team’s re-numbered No. 5 Porsche 963 will feature a throwback-style livery to that 2021 DPi season, when Tristan Vautier, Sebastien Bourdais and Loic Duval scored overall honors in the privateer Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Its GTP class Porsche will be driven in this weekend’s Sebring race by Tijmen van der Helm, Nico Pino and Kaylen Frederick, the same trio that kicked off the season in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“The Twelve Hours of Sebring is always a special race for JDC-Miller Motorsports,” said team boss John Church. “The challenges inherent to ‘the 12 Hours’ have always seemed to suit our team very well.

“We tend to thrive on adversity, and at Sebring, there is always hardship.

“Our win in 2021 taught us a valuable lesson in perseverance, as the team overcame a variety of difficulties, from the pandemic to car contact.

“We were hit so many times during that race that we ran out of spares in our pit box. Due to our completely different sequence, no one expected us to be in the lead late in the race.

“The battered and bruised car brought out the best in the crew and drivers, and we kept pushing until we secured the win.

“Looking back at that achievement five years later—racing during a COVID-19 environment, overcoming numerous challenges on the track, and crossing the finish line first—is something to celebrate.

“Reuniting with Mustang Sampling and Ken and Brenda Thompson is truly special and doing it five years after that special win in 2021 is very exciting.

“We are really looking forward to the renewed relationship. Sebring will be a great start.”

Mustang Sampling most recently sponsored Proton Competition’s Porsche GTP entry, which had an early end to its Michelin Endurance Cup campaign last year.

The German squad has since withdrawn from Hypercar/GTP competition.

“Brenda and I are thrilled to be back with JDC-Miller Motorsports,” said Mustang Sampling CEO Ken Thompson.

“This renewed partnership feels like a full-circle moment as it coincides with the five-year anniversary of our win at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

“It’s a serendipitous reunion with the team, and we are grateful for the family atmosphere that runs throughout the organization—from the Church and Miller families, to the pit crew and drivers.

“The 2021 season was incredibly meaningful to us, which made returning five years later an easy decision.

“We look forward to bringing Mustang Sampling back to JDC-Miller Motorsports and competing together in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.”

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