For Corvette Racing, It’s Simple

By Dennis Krause

With a narrow point lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Daytona PRO (GTD PRO) class standings, the task for the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R is really quite simple - finish ahead of the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 in Saturday’s 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Drivers Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims – who will team with Daniel Juncadella – lead the GTD PRO Drivers standings by 18 points with 385 total points available. The points difference between first and second is 30 points, it’s 20 points per position from second place to fifth place and 10 points between the remaining spots. The most likely scenario is that the highest-finishing entry between the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R and the No. 81 Ferrari will take the Drivers and Teams titles.

“We know what we need to do now to win the championship for us, Corvette Racing and Chevrolet,” Garcia said. “We definitely will have to race hard as there won’t be an opportunity for us to ease off with such a small points gap. We just need to continue doing the same things we have been doing for many years now – execute, make no mistakes and be on top of the strategy. That’s been the key to many of the race wins and championships that Corvette Racing has achieved. While I still really want to finally win this race, I want to win my sixth championship more!”

If the No. 3 team succeeds in doing that, it would mean a 15th Manufacturers Championship for Chevrolet, a 15th Drivers Championship and a 16th Teams Championship for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports.

"It feels like the entire championship happens in this one race,” noted Sims. “Lots and lots of things go on that throw the championship battles in one direction or the other throughout. It's a phenomenal track to drive. It's got some great undulation and quick flowing corners. There are parts of the track where the speed differential is quite great, so the GTPs (Grand Touring Prototypes) are always chomping at the bit to overtake on the outside. That creates some sketchy race moments, to be honest.

"This is going to be a crazy race. It always is at Petit Le Mans. All sorts of mayhem can happen. We want to try to optimize our package as absolutely as best as we possibly can to see if we can extract a bit more pace than what we had at Indianapolis.”

In the Manufacturers race, Chevrolet enjoys a 46-point lead heading into Petit Le Mans. Both Pratt Miller-run Corvettes can contribute to the points haul at Road Atlanta, so stakes also are high for the No. 4 Corvette of Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone. A second podium finish would go a long way toward securing Team Chevy another full-season championship.

Milner understands his primary goal this weekend is the Manufacturers Championship.

"Ultimately for the 3 Corvette guys and for us in the 4, championships are the talk. While the Drivers Championship for us is out of reach, we can certainly help Antonio and Alexander, but obviously the Manufacturers Championship is the No. 1 goal. Whether the 3 car guys have a good race or a bad race, we also need to be performing at the highest level we can so we are as far forward as possible. I'd love to be able to take as many points away from the other manufacturers. The more Corvettes we have up front, the better that is for the championship.

“As we know at Petit Le Mans, anything can happen the later it gets so it's about ultimately executing as well as we possibly can. As drivers, we lean on our experience to guide us through challenging situations. The same goes for the crew and the team. We're in a good position. We just need to continue to execute at a high level.”

As a program, Corvette Racing has raced at the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit every year since 1999 with eight Petit Le Mans victories…but none since 2010.

Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.

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