Archangel Motorsports is in search of new programs following the parting of ways of both of its customers during the off-season according to team owner Mike Johnson.
The Missouri-based team fielded Magnus Racing’s Acura NSX GT3 Evo in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as IMSA Prototype Challenge and Michelin Pilot Challenge entries for Alan Brynjolfsson, although both programs have decided to go its separate ways.
Sportscar365 understands that John Potter is resurrecting his own team for a Michelin Endurance Cup-only program next year while Brynjolfsson will move to a different team in Pilot Challenge with his GS class entry.
It has left longtime team owner/manager Johnson without any full-time work for his crew, with only a handful of days before IMSA’s entry deadline for January’s season-opening races at Daytona International Speedway.
“John [Potter] was really up front,” Johnson told Sportscar365. “We knew that he wanted to do a different program for next year.
“We had the idea at VIR and had a strategy for his future when we were at Petit. Everybody was able to talk to teams and figure stuff out and split parts and equipment and all that stuff.
“By the time Petit was done, we knew where the trucks were going, we knew where the equipment was settled and people had an opportunity to do stuff.
“With Alan, we had three successful years with Archangel Motorsports, whether it was Park Place, Archangel or VOLT with Archangel, it was pretty much all the same people, and he was just looking for a change.”
Johnson said his team’s best chance of being on the grid is currently with Brynjolfsson’s Ligier JS P320 Nissan LMP3 car, which Archangel has retained in the hopes of putting together a program in the WeatherTech Championship or IPC.
It’s understood Johnson is also in discussions with another potential program that would be for the GT Daytona class.
“Right now I’m keeping the LMP3 car,” he said. “We have the car, the parts and we’re looking for a WeatherTech or IPC program with that car.
“Alan still has some interest in maybe doing Daytona or something. But with six days left until entries are due and we haven’t put much work into it, it’s going to be a pretty hard road to get.”