DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Gradient Racing is set to add Mason Filippi to its Michelin Endurance Cup lineup for the remaining two rounds in the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The American will co-drive the No. 66 Ford Mustang GT3 alongside Till Bechtolsheimer and Joey Hand for the upcoming TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
Filippi possesses a great deal of sports car racing experience, as the Hyundai factory driver presently competes in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge for Bryan Herta Autosport. Furthermore, his endurance racing history includes competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, as well as the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, where he secured a class win in 2024 followed by a podium in this year’s rendition.
Additionally, he competed in the World Challenge series from 2017 to 2019, consistently finishing in the top five in the championship standings, and made select appearances in the NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to step into the GTD class in IMSA, and I’m beyond excited to make my debut with Gradient Racing at Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans,” stated Filippi. “I’m incredibly grateful to Andris and Hanley Motorsports for giving me this opportunity to take the next step in my career. The Ford Mustang GT3 is an incredible machine, and together with Joey and Till, we’re focused on achieving success at two of the most iconic races on the IMSA calendar.”
“Mason has been a true standout in Michelin Pilot Challenge, and we’ve been looking for an opportunity to work together in GTD for a while,” added Team Owner Andris Laivins. “We had a great test last week in the Mustang and I can’t wait to hit the ground running at Indy—Mason will be a natural fit. I appreciate the support from Bryan Herta’s team, letting us add a bit to Mason’s schedule next week.”
“I’d also like to thank Tatiana Calderón for being a great part of the Gradient family,” he continued. “We’ll be looking for more opportunities to race together in the future.”
The action for the next round will begin on Friday, September 19th, with Practice 1. Practice 2 will follow on Saturday morning, September 20th, with the Qualifying session taking place in the afternoon. The six-hour TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is scheduled for Sunday, September 21, starting at 11:40 a.m. ET. Flag-to-flag coverage will be available on Peacock, with the last three hours of the race available on NBC from 3 p.m. ET. International audiences can tune in on the official IMSA YouTube channel.