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WeatherTech Championship

De Quesada in for Montecalvo; 18 Cars for Charlotte Roval

Michael de Quesada to fill in for Frankie Montecalvo for Charlotte Roval race…

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Michael de Quesada will sub for Frankie Montecalvo in this weekend’s Motul 100% Synthetic Grand Prix at the Charlotte Roval, which will feature an 18-car entry list for the GT-only shootout.

De Quesada will join Townsend Bell in the No. 12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 due to Montecalvo getting married this weekend.

The Oct. 9-10 event was added to the WeatherTech Championship calendar in August as a replacement for the canceled Lime Rock Park round, which was due to take place in July.

“We are all very happy for Frankie and his upcoming nuptials,” said AIM Vasser Sullivan co-owner Jimmy Vasser. “When it became apparent that he was not going to be able to drive at Charlotte we looked at all of our options.

“It immediately became clear to us that Michael was the best choice to step into the car. Michael has driven for AVS in two endurance races already this year and has shown he is fast and competitive.”

De Quesada added: “It’s unfortunate that Frankie can’t make it, but I think him getting married is a pretty legitimate reason. I’m looking forward to driving the Lexus RC F GT3 again and working with Townsend [Bell] and all the guys.”

It is one of two driver changes to the entry list for Saturday evening’s race, which sees the return of the factory Porsche 911 RSR-19s after missing Mid-Ohio due to COVID-19-related precautions.

While the GT Le Mans grid returns to six cars, a total of 12 cars are set for GT Daytona, with Jeff Kingsley to make his WeatherTech Championship debut in the No. 76 Compass Racing McLaren 720S filling in for Corey Fergus, whose wife is expecting the couple’s first child in the coming weeks.

Scuderia Corsa’s Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 is again not slated to take part, with Cooper MacNeil set to again focus on Ferrari Challenge North America, which is racing at Sebring International Raceway this weekend.

It comes despite a Balance of Performance break to the car for this weekend.

MacNeil confirmed to Sportscar365 the team will return tp WeatherTech Championship competition for next weekend’s Motul Petit Le Mans.

Track action on the 2.32-mile, 10-turn roval gets underway Friday evening with the race getting the green flag Saturday at 8:05 p.m. EDT with live coverage on NBCSN.

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

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