Behrman and Smith Will Co-Drive the No. 82 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 During Friday’s Four-Hour Endurance Challenge Race
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 21, 2024) – Brady Behrman returns to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge paddock this weekend at Daytona International Speedway with 20-year-old NASCAR hot shoe Sammy Smith as a co-driver in the four-hour season opener at the “World Center of Racing.”
Behrman and Smith, who will drive the No. 8 Jr Motorsports car in this season’s NASCAR Xfinity Series championship for the second consecutive season, are teamed in the No. 82 Pilot/TMC Transportation Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 prepared by van der Steur Racing for the Endurance Challenge on Friday afternoon in advance of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The green flag for the race flies at 1:45 p.m. EST on Friday, January 24, with live streaming on the Peacock platform.
“I’m beyond excited for the four-hour IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Daytona,” Behrman said. “It’s an incredible opportunity to team up with Sammy, whose talent and drive are going to be a huge asset to our team. This marks my third season with van der Steur Racing and looking back on everything we’ve accomplished together; I couldn’t be prouder. We’re definitely looking to build on that momentum as we head into 2025, and what better way to kick things off than at Daytona!”
Behrman’s last race at Daytona came in the 2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge season-opening doubleheader. Behrman drove his Aston Martin to a third-place finish among Bronze-rated drivers in the second of the pair of races, rebounding from a tough opener. Among his 2024 season highlights were a Bronze class win in the Pilot Challenge race at Watkins Glen, and leading overall on a restart at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Despite just three Pilot Challenge starts in 2024, he and then-teammate Scott Blind ran strong enough and earned enough points to finish second in the point standings amongst Bronze-rated drivers.
This season’s race at Daytona will lose the luxury of the Bronze category, teaming with 20-year-old, up-and-coming sensation Sammy Smith. Smith, who became the fourth-youngest Xfinity Series winner in history in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at Phoenix in 2023, is coming off a playoff-level season for JR Motorsports where he captured a playoff victory at Talladega.
The race at Daytona is his IMSA and sports car racing debut following a test at the Speedway with Behrman and van der Steur Racing in December.
“I was able to test this car at Daytona in December and learned a lot,” Smith said. “These cars are very different than our NASCAR Xfinity cars. I appreciate van der Steur Racing and Brady giving me the opportunity. I’m looking forward to the race.”
The race week kicks off the season for Smith as well, who will return to the JR Motorsports’ No. 8 in 2025 beginning on the Daytona oval in February. But both Smith and Behrman have given appropriate attention to the 3.56-mile road course in the lead up to the race.
“Sammy and I and our team have spent a lot of time together going through data and having strategy discussions to maximize our weekend,” Behrman said. “We’ve spent a lot of time on iRacing to help mitigate the time we missed at the Roar last weekend. Sammy’s driver coach Johan Schwartz and his JR Motorsports crew chief, Philip Bell, have been invaluable in support and we’re optimistic that this adds up to a strong race this week.”
Behrman, Smith and the Pilot/TMC Transportation Aston Martin will be on track for the first time on Wednesday afternoon for Free Practice 1, followed by a morning practice and qualifying at 1:35 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 23. The Friday, January 24 race gets the green flag at 1:45 p.m. EST.
