Newgarden, McLaughlin to Make Rolex 24 Debuts With Tower

NTT IndyCar Series stars Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin will make their Rolex 24 at Daytona debuts next month as part of Tower Motorsports’ LMP2 driver lineup.

The Team Penske teammates will share the No. 8 Oreca 07 Gibson with Kyffin Simpson and Bronze-rated John Farano in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener on Jan. 28-29.

Two-time IndyCar champion Newgarden finished second in this year’s standings, while McLaughlin ranked fourth as their teammate Will Power sealed the title.

Both of Tower Motorsports’ IndyCar signings are set for their first IMSA appearances, while 18-year-old Simpson made his WeatherTech Championship debut this year with GT Daytona team Gradient Racing.

“This is definitely an event that was on my bucket list, along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, so I am beyond grateful for this opportunity,” Newgarden said.

“We’re a group of very competitive people, and we all want to win. I think this is a very exciting challenge and I believe this team can accomplish great things together.

“I have a close relationship with Scott as well and I couldn’t be happier to be doing this with him as teammates.”

Despite being new to prototypes, three-time Australian Supercars champion McLaughlin has prior endurance racing experience at the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to race with this amazing group of drivers,” said the New Zealander, who completed his second IndyCar campaign this year.

“This is a stellar lineup and a perfect chance to show what we can do together.

“This is a proven crew that clearly knows how to win races, and that’s exactly what we’re setting out to accomplish at Daytona.”

Florida-based Tower Motorsports, which is co-operated with Capone Motorsports, won this year’s IMSA LMP2 title with Farano who was joined for most of the season by European Le Mans Series champion Louis Deletraz.

“Following last year’s successful season, we know we have the potential to challenge for a win at Daytona,” Farano said.

“There’s nothing we want more than to expand on our strengths and pick up some more hardware when we cross that finish line.

“I’m elated to partner with Josef and Scott, who are seasoned pros and will undoubtedly bring that added spark and determination to the team.

“I am equally excited to welcome the very talented Kyffin Simpson to our Team and looking forward to sharing our car with him for all the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races.”

Simpson made his Rolex 24 debut this year and was more recently part of the Gradient Racing lineup that took GTD class honors at Motul Petit Le Mans with an Acura NSX GT3 Evo22.

The Cayman Islands racer will contest all four Michelin Endurance Cup races with Tower Motorsports

“I’m proud to join Tower Motorsports in the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona,” said Simpson.

“I’m thankful for John Farano’s support and am counting down the days to join him, Josef, Scott and the entire team.

“We’re looking forward to putting our best foot forward with our eyes set on victory lane.”