Photo: Peter Burke/IMSA
Action Express Racing would “welcome the opportunity” to make its debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of Cadillac’s LMDh effort in the race according to team director Gary Nelson.
The four-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship-winning team was announced Tuesday as one of the luxury automaker’s partner teams for its LMDh effort beginning in 2023.
AXR and Chip Ganassi Racing are expected to represent the brand in the WeatherTech Championship, with CGR also mounting a FIA World Endurance Championship program with the Dallara-built LMDh-V.R.
The deal marks a continuation for the Jim France and Bob Johnson-owned team that began with the Cadillac DPi-V.R in 2017 and has been highlighted by wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Motul Petit Le Mans.
Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr currently sit second in this year’s DPi title chase in the team’s Whelen Engineering-sponsored entry.
“We are excited to continue our relationship with Cadillac and to run one of its all-new LMDh cars starting in 2023,” said Nelson. “The new LMDh platform is drawing a lot of interest from manufacturers around the world.
“The grid at the Rolex 24 in 2023 is going to be quite a site with a lot of new machinery vying for the overall win. We have had a lot of success with the brand since 2017 and we look forward to many more wins and championships in the future.”
Nelson said the team is already in the early stages of evaluating a potential Le Mans effort for 2023.
It would join CGR on the grid in the French endurance classic, pending the confirmation of an entry invitation by the ACO.
“I just returned from Le Mans,” Nelson said. “I sensed the same passion among the competitors in Le Mans that I feel each time we compete in the biggest events here in the USA.
“If the opportunity presents itself, it would be a new challenge for our team. We would welcome the opportunity to field a car in that race.”
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