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38 Cars on COTA TUSC Entry List

Field of 38 cars set for TUSC’s Lone Star Le Mans…

Photo: IMSA

Photo: IMSA

The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship’s second-to-last race of the year at Circuit of the Americas will feature one of its biggest entries of the season, with 38 cars expected for Lone Star Le Mans.

A handful of one-off and part-time entries join the usual full-season grid, as the TUDOR Championship sees its highest car count at a non-Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup event this season. There will be 9 Prototype, 9 Prototype Challenge, 8 GT Le Mans and 12 GT Daytona cars to make up the field.

ENTRY LIST: Lone Star Le Mans

In Prototype, both Mazda SKYACTIV Diesel Prototypes are listed. The No. 70 car, driven by Jonathan Bomarito and Tristan Nunez, has not raced since Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca back in May. Meanwhile the DeltaWing coupe makes its return to COTA after a one-year absence.

Prototype Challenge sees a handful of driver lineup changes, and a new entry into the class.

Starworks Motorsport has a second car listed for the first time, with Alex Popow and Mike Hedlund listed in the team’s No. 88 Oreca FLM09. A TBA slot is listed alongside Renger van der Zande in the team’s primary No. 8 car.

Team owner Peter Baron, however, told Sportscar365 that Hedlund will join van der Zande in the No. 8 car, with Popow to be paired with a to-be-determined pro driver.

BAR1 Motorsports runs two cars for the first time since the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Todd Slusher and John Falb (No. 16 Oreca FLM09) and Don Yount and Ryan Lewis (No. 61 Oreca FLM09) set to share the two cars.

Additional changes include Matt McMurry back at JDC/Miller Motorsports, which he drove for at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and Conor Daly confirmed at Performance Tech Motorsports, despite not having been initially scheduled to race this round.

No changes come in GT Le Mans, although Pierre Kaffer, Patrick Pilet and Earl Bamber will race in both the TUDOR Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship events in the same day.

GT Daytona will see a 12-car grid, with the previously announced Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS of Mike Vess and Jason Hart and the new Lone Star Racing Dodge Viper GT3-R joining the 10 full-season entries.

Practice for the Lone Star Le Mans begins next Thursday, Sept. 17, before the race on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Tony DiZinno (@tonydizinno) is Sportscar365's North American Editor, focusing on coverage of the IMSA-sanctioned championships as well as Pirelli World Challenge. DiZinno also contributes to NBCSports.com and other motorsports outlets. Contact Tony

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