Closing out first full-season IMSA WeatherTech Campaign
Braselton, GA (26 September 2022) – Jr III ( “Junior-Three”) Racing will head just three hours south to Braselton, Georgia, for the IMSA season finale this weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
The 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans event weekend will not only feature Saturday’s 10-hour race (12:00pm ET, NBC), but it will also see the final event of the IMSA Prototype Challenge (IPC) season (Friday, 8:00am ET, Peacock TV). Jr III will look to be a factor in both series events as the Charlotte-based team has three entries fully prepared for the traditional season-ending IMSA weekend.
Jr III Racing will field the No. 30 Airbnb Ligier JS P320 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as the No. 3 and No. 30 LMP3 Ligier JS P320s for Friday morning’s IPC finale.
The event marks the close of the growing team’s first full-season competing at the IMSA WeatherTech level, having first made an IMSA entry and scoring the Bronze Cup in the 2019 IPC finale. The team, which also maintains an active racing program in vintage competition for a range of clients, has continued to build from that promising first IMSA start. The return to Road Atlanta is the second outing for the team in the 10 hour Petit Le Mans, having raced to second place in its debut outing in the 2021 edition of the race.
The No. 30 Airbnb WeatherTech entry will be driven by team regulars Ari Balogh and Garett Grist, with young Nolan Siegel returning to the driver roster for the 10 hour enduro. Siegel, who joined the team for the six-hour event at Watkins Glen International, recently made his Indy Lights debut closing out a promising rookie effort in Indy Pro 2000, where he finished fourth in point standings which include wins in St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park.
“I am really excited to be back with the team for Petit,” said Siegel. “I think that we all worked really well together at Watkins Glen and we’ve made a lot of progress through the tests that we’ve done together. It will be my first time running this race, but I think that we will have a fast car and a good shot at a strong result!”
The Jr III Racing WeatherTech entry has earned three podium finishes this season, including an impressive run to the podium in the team’s first foray in the grueling Sebring 12 Hour in March. Heading into the finale, the team sits third in the point standings and will look to move up the championship with a return to the IMSA podium on Saturday night.
“The team is excited to get to work at Petit,” said Grist. “We’ve had three test days at the track and feel like we have a great car. Now it’s just a matter of putting finishing touches on it. I have a good feeling going into the weekend; we had success here last year in our WeatherTech debut and have a chance at the championship this year.”
It will be a busy string of days for the Billy Glavin-led squad, with IPC practice kicking off the action on Wednesday morning with practice ahead of Thursday’s qualifying and the race on Friday morning.
Behind the wheel of No. 30 Jr III IPC entry will be Ari Balogh and Siegel, pulling double duty for both WeatherTech and IPC. Courtney Crone and Terry Olson will once again share the driving duties onboard the No. 3 Jr III Racing entry.
“Over the last couple weeks, Terry and I were able to test at Road Atlanta,” said Crone. “I’m feeling comfortable going into the season finale, we made some new changes to the car and everything has been super positive. I love this track, it’s one of my top five favorites. I’m ready to get back at it! I think we will end the season on a high note.”
“Courtney and I tested well over our three days testing at Road Atlanta,” said Olson. “We have high confidence going into the finale. Let’s go!”
The final round of IPC will see the green flag Friday, September 30th at 8:00am ET with live coverage on Peacock. Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech Motul Petit Le Mans will begin at noon ET, broadcasting on NBC until 3 pm ET; the full 10-hour race will be live on Peacock.
Jr III Racing at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta:
Jr III first debuted in IPC at Michelin Raceway in 2019 with Kris Wilson behind the wheel. The veteran driver brought home his second Bronze Cup award in his second start in IPC. The team returned in 2020 with Eric and Greg Palmer behind the wheel. In 2021, they entered the IPC competition with two entries. The No. 3 with Terry Olson and Mike Skeen earned a podium finish. The team scored an impressive second place result in the 2021 Motul Petit Le Mans with drivers Ari Balough, Spencer Pigot, and Garret Grist.
Most recently, both IPC Ligiers competed at Virginia International Raceway last month, bringing home a top-five finish.
