Breaking It Down: Wild Road Atlanta finish caps off with storybook endings in GTP
In what was expected to be a weekend full of chaos and excitement, the season finale at Road Atlanta surely delivered on its wish and brought one of the most dramatic finishes of the year, a fitting way to mark the season’s end.
It was the tale of two very different track conditions from Friday to Saturday, going from a wet surface to a dry surface, but the conflicts that happened throughout Saturday night’s finale showcase caused a graveyard of cars that left the grid, some of which were in the running for a shot at titles, class, or endurance.
In total, 16 cars did not finish the race through all the chaos, which drastically affected the race towards the crown. But some teams had a more fitting ending to the season, and in Meyer Shank Racing’s case, a chapter.
All race long, this 10-hour marathon provided great racing and tested drivers all day, especially when it came to pit strategy, avoiding traffic, and night racing, which proved to have brought out something in many of the teams late in the race.
History of Hybrids
The GTP class was the talk of the town heading into this weekend, and for good reason.
Not only being the top class on the grid, the GTPs have given IMSA and the sportscar racing scene a new breed of life on race day with how uncertain each weekend has been in regards to who could take home the checkered.
Although as this weekend progressed, teams shuffled out of contention, such as the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac of Regner Van der Zande and Sebastian Bourdais, who needed to take pole to have any shot to win a title, there were seven total entries on the grid that had a mathematical shot to win heading into race day, and that intensity showed on track via that.
The first big domino to fall would be the #6 Porsche Penske entry.
Nick Tandy got caught up in a car-collecting wreck that took two of the GTD cars down as well, sending the car into the gravel and causing damage to the rear.
Due to the AMR team needing to follow protocol, Tandy was forced to see his car hoisted back to the paddock, which put the team behind the eight ball and out of contention, closing the door to what was a frustrating race for the group, suffering an illegal lane change penalty prior to the wreck after the first caution.
For the most part, following the incident, the GTP class remained untouched in terms of casualties; however, the chess match between the Acuras and Cadillacs was a sight to watch, with the #01 Chip Ganassi and #31 Action Express Cadillacs battling between the Meyer Shank #60 and Wayne Taylor #10 Acuras, with all four entries holding the lead at some point during the race.
This chess match finally saw a grid favorite fall with just a little over an hour to go in battle between the #31 Action Express Cadillac and the #10 Wayne Taylor Acura entries, as Albuquerque ran out of room in the opening turn off the frontstretch of the circuit, resulting in a heavy crash on the car and knocking the team out of the race.
Cautions and pit strategy would come into later effect for the GTPs, resulting in some teams playing it risky and staying out on track, but it also led to the finishing of the race, which saw Meyer Shank Racing take home the race win, closing the door on their IMSA work in fashion and giving Helio Castroneves his final potential IMSA victory.
Through all that, Action Express Racing had to stay consistent, which helped through the late-race cautions, giving them their second DPi/GTP championship in the past three seasons.
Other notables to come out were the Proton Competition, which grabbed a 3rd place podium.
The team showed great speed all weekend long, which was a bit of a surprise given their previous two race finishes and the team’s only two races in IMSA prior to tonight.
It also gives veteran Harry Tincknell a favorable final ride with the group before moving down to work with the new Ford Mustang GT team.
Not seeing Wayne Taylor Racing at all with a top spot on the podium was also a bit of a shocker, but given their season and how winning did not translate to season results, the #31 Action Express Racing crew of Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims grabbing the title of consistent finishes turned out to be the best thing to do.
Crushing Crash
Beyond the GTPs, the LMP2 class was the other fascinating class to look out for Saturday night in the battle for the championship lead, and mistakes led to a rise-and-fall effect on the night in the class.
The #11 TDS Racing machine, which at the moment of impact was wheeled by Mikkel Jensen, was heading into the weekend with a race lead and a chance at potentially grabbing a season-ending victory, but all that went in the blink of an eye following a massive wreck with over three hours to go in a race off one of the tire walls, completely destroying the front right side of the car.
That moment in the race opened the door for the sharks in the water, if you will, allowing for the #04 CrowdStrike Racing entry and the #52 PR1 Mathiasen entry to battle back and forth with each other. But with such a hefty lead for Mathiasen in the point standings over CrowdStrike and a late race spin-out by the #18 Era Motorsports entry, it allowed for the team to capture victory for the season all while finishing third in the race.
That crash was truly a crushing blow for the #11 TDS team, who had finished on podium in all but one race this season and have been one of the best cars in class. But mistakes like what Jensen did are a no-no, especially given that there was no one around in traffic, a heartbreaking finish to what was an impressive season for the team.
Final Thoughts
Looking back at this race, it embodies everything that the 2023 season brought us.
Suspense, drama, chaos, and excitement. Those are just a handful of descriptors of how this 2023 season played out and what we saw at Road Atlanta tonight.
There were many intriguing storylines coming into the weekend, whether that came in the championship battle or final drive times for teams or drivers.
Whatever it was, there was so much drama surrounding this weekend, and it set for what will be the most compelling offseason to date.
The GTP class became a success this year, and the GTD classes saw physical action all season long. Not to mention, close points races and races even, in the case of Daytona, for the LMP2s, created what was a memorable weekend and season across the board.
2024 is looking to be even bigger than this year, and with a larger grid coming to Daytona, the future of sports car racing is in a healthy spot right now.
Class Champions:
* GTP: #31 Action Express Racing Whelen Cadillac (Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims)
* LMP2: #52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (Ben Keating, Paul-Loup Chatin)
* LMP3: #74 Riley Motorsports (Gar Robinson)
* GTD Pro: #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus (Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat)
* GTD: #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW (Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow)
Manufacturers Championship:
* GTP: Cadillac
Michelin Endurance Cup:
* GTP: #31 Action Express Racing Whelen Cadillac (Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims)
* LMP2: #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR (Ben Hanley, George Kurtz)
* LMP3: #74 Riley Motorsports (Gar Robinson)
* GTD Pro: #79 WeatherTech Racing (Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon)
* GTD: #32 Team Korthoff Motorsports (Kenton Koch, Mike Skeen)
Sprint Cup:
* GTD: #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW (Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow)