Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Bound for Petit Le Mans
Fans are encouraged to stop by the Michael Shank Racing transporter at 6:00 PM ET on Friday to sign the nose of the car which will once again feature the Justin Wilson tribute livery which was first showcased at Circuit of the Americas.
"We had numerous requests to keep the tribute livery on the car for Petit and we were quick to agree – we're honored and proud to do so," said Team Owner Mike Shank. "We also wanted to thank our fans by allowing them to sign their names on the car and ride along with us in the Petit Le Mans. It'll be an extra special livery this weekend with both the tribute to Justin and our fans riding along with us."
Pew and Negri are joined by McMurry for the 10-hour endurance race. McMurry previously raced alongside them in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Michael Shank Racing has raced at Road Atlanta twice before. The first outing came in 2013 when GRAND-AM made its debut at the track. A two-car Daytona Prototype effort saw Michael Shank Racing drivers Gustavo Yacaman and Antonio Pizzonia finish fourth while Pew and Michael Valiante finished seventh.
Last year, the Shank squad make its first Petit Le Mans appearance and finished sixth with Pew and Negri.
This Saturday's race will see the team take on Petit for the first time with a P2 car which the organization debuted at Daytona earlier this year. Since then, Michael Shank Racing's Pew and Negri have combined for three podium results and six top-five finishes.
After powering through for a fourth place finish in the previous two race outings at Road America and Circuit of the Americas, the group is aiming to add to its podium tally with a return to the top-three.
"We've been quick all year and it would be great to close out the season with another podium finish with this Honda-Ligier combination," said Shank. "These long distance races, anything can happen so hopefully we can be fast and trouble free into the night so when it gets racy at night, we are in a good position to have something to go race with. From where we started in Daytona with this car to where we are now, there has been so much progress and it'd be great to put that all together to end the year on a high note."
The Petit Le Mans event gets underway on Thursday with three practice sessions including a night session from 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM ET. A morning practice session on Thursday will be followed by qualifying at 4:35 PM ET.
The Petit Le Mans is set to go green at 11:10 AM ET with LIVE coverage for the first hour on FOX Sports 2. Coverage will alternate throughout the day with IMSA.com, including the finish and post-race coverage on FOX Sports 2 beginning at 8:30 PM ET.
There will also be a three-hour recap of the race on Sunday, October 4 which will be televised on FOX Sports 1 at 1:30 PM ET.
Sunday Group Management