What a great way to end off the 2019 season! Last weekend was the IMSA Michelin Encore at Sebring International Raceway. I was racing the Mercedes-AMG GT4 with Riley Motorsports in the 4-hour race.
My co-driver, Jim Cox, would qualify and start the race. Jim drove outstanding and ended up qualifying 2nd, less than 0.2s off the pole. In the race, he was riding in 2nd for a couple laps. After he got settled in, he made a pass for the lead going into turn 5. He kept the lead for the entire first stint. We decided to double stint Jim. He was in the lead for the first 1 hour 30 minutes of the race. Due to new rules (only for the Encore), we were only allowed one wheel gun over the wall at a time. This really made quick tire changes a priority. The Riley Motorsports tire changers, Lloyd Potts and Mike Yankovich, were absolutely outstanding. Every pit stop we’d gain almost 10 seconds on our competitors. I got in the car with 2 hours 30 minutes left in the race. I was able to keep a comfortable lead for the rest of the race to bring home the victory! Our engineer and race strategist, Matt Bejnarowicz, really made this dominating effort possible. It has really been incredible to work with everyone on the Riley Motorsports crew this year.
My 2020 plans will be announced soon. I can tell you that it will be an exciting year. I’ll be back with Riley Motorsports in one, maybe two 😉 different series.
I cannot thank everyone enough for their support this year. A very special thank you to Jim Cox for believing in me and Wendy for her support. It has really been the best year of my life so far, and hope to keep going in this direction. It really means a lot to be able to be at the point I’m at now.
