Following the news that Brad Keselowski will be making his IMSA iRacing debut this Thursday, here’s a look at several other NASCAR stars who have competed in IMSA since 2000 in real life.
Kyle Busch
After winning the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series championship, Busch’s return to the racetrack took place at the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona this past January. In the No. 14 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, Busch and his three co-drivers – Jack Hawksworth, Parker Chase and Michael de Quesada – finished ninth in the GTD class.
This wasn’t Busch’s first IMSA start, however, as he ran the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona in July 2009. He finished 10th overall in the DP category co-driving a Lexus-powered entry from Chip Ganassi Racing alongside Scott Speed.
The Earnhardts
In what would be one of the most memorable moments in Rolex 24 history, Dale Earnhardt Sr. co-drove with his son to a fourth place overall, second-in-class finish in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette in 2001. It would be less than one month later that Dale Sr. was killed in the Daytona 500.
Dale Jr. would go on to try again for a victory at the Rolex 24 in 2004, finishing third in the No. 2 Chevrolet Crawford less than one month before winning his first Daytona 500.
Jeff Gordon
Victory was sweet for four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon in the 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona. In the inaugural race for Daytona Prototype international (DPi) race cars, Gordon collected the overall victory alongside Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli for Wayne Taylor Racing in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi.
The win came 10 years after Gordon, Angelelli, Jan Magnussen and Wayne Taylor scored a third-place finish at the Rolex 24 in Gordon’s first IMSA start.
Jimmie Johnson
Tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most NASCAR Cup Series championships at seven, there’s still one victory that eludes Jimmie Johnson. Johnson made several attempts at the Rolex 24 in the 2000s, finishing runner-up twice, first in 2005 and again in 2008. Will Johnson try his hand again at Daytona? He has alluded to a return following his NASCAR retirement at the end of the 2020 season.
The Labontes
IMSA’s format of sports car racing allowed for Terry and Bobby Labonte – both NASCAR Cup Series champions and now members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame – to be co-drivers. The pair teamed up with Jan Magnussen and current IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge team owner Bryan Herta for a Rolex 24 effort in 2005. The No. 44 Pontiac/Doran DP finished the fight in ninth, capping off just one of a handful of IMSA starts for the Labonte brothers.
Joey Logano
Logano’s lone start in IMSA seemed promising initially, posting a lap in qualifying that was poised for the GT class pole position at Watkins Glen International in 2011. However, an incident on the next lap sent the No. 31 Chevrolet Corvette into the wall, forcing the team to field a different car – the No. 3 Corvette – and start at the rear of the field. Overheating issues during the race resulted in a 21st-place finish with road racer Boris Said.
Tony Stewart
Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has been known to test the water in other racing series and IMSA was no exception. In the same Rolex 24 as the Labontes, Stewart co-drove the No. 20 Pontiac/Crawford DP to a third-place finish with Andy Wallace and Jan Lammers. This came on the heels of two podium finishes in three IMSA races the year prior.
Stewart was also part of the 2004 Rolex 24 lineup with Dale Jr.
Kurt Busch, Kenseth, Biffle Form “Team of Champions”
Multimatic put quite the NASCAR star-studded effort towards its Rolex 24 pursuit in 2005, joining a trio of successful of stock car drivers with IMSA veteran Scott Maxwell. The co-drivers included Kurt Busch – fresh off his 2004 Cup Series championship – the 2004 Cup Series season finale winner, Greg Biffle, and the 2003 Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth.
The quartet encountered mechanical issues during the race, unfortunately dropping them to a 15th-place finish in the No. 49 Ford/Multimatic DP.
“Star Car” Wins 2015 Rolex 24 with Lineup of NASCAR, IndyCar Luminaries
There was another duo of NASCAR stars to claim a victory at the Rolex 24 include as part of a Chip Ganassi Racing driver lineup dubbed, the “Star Car.” Jamie McMurry and Kyle Larson teamed up with fellow Chip Ganassi drivers Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan from the IndyCar Series to win overall in the No. 2 Riley DP.
Casey Mears and Danica Patrick
Patrick joined Mears for a Rolex 24 effort in 2009, recording her best finish at the event in eighth place in the No. 2 Pontiac/Crawford DP for Childress Howard Motorsport. While her co-drivers in that race were Rob Finlay and Andy Wallace, her previous Rolex 24 start came with another Wallace – Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace. Patrick also ran in the American Le Mans Series at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, finishing 4th in the 2003 GTS class.
Mears, meanwhile, has three IMSA starts to his name with one of those being an overall victory – the 2006 Rolex 24 with Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing.
The WeatherTech Presents IMSA iRacing at Road America goes green on Thursday, May 14 at 6 p.m. ET on the iRacing Facebook and YouTube channels. The Torque Show will stream a pre-race showing at 5 p.m. on its Facebook page and John Hindhaugh will once again lead the race commentary.