Action Express team ready for Motor City matchup

The IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship travels to Detroit, Michigan this weekend for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by Metro Detroit and Action Express Racing is thrilled to return to race action through the streets of Belle Isle Park on Saturday.

Action Express Racing is eager to return to race on Chevrolet’s home track, as the North Carolina-based team enters Round 5 of the TUDOR Championship with the championship lead and a strong record of success on the 2.35-mile temporary street circuit.

Drivers Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa teamed in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype for a second place finish last year, with Barbosa having won the race for Action Express in 2012 as part of the team’s emphatic 1-2 race finish with the Coyote-based Corvette.

The team enters the Detroit Grand Prix weekend with a healthy dose of momentum, as four races thus far have seen the team earn four positive results. A win in the Rolex 24, a podium in both the 12 Hours of Sebring and at Long Beach, and then a fourth place finish in the previous event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, have kept Action Express Racing atop the championship points all year long.

The Detroit weekend will see two of the four IMSA TUDOR Championship classes competing, with the Prototype class being joined by the large GTD field for the 100-minute sprint event.

“It is great to be back in Chevrolet’s back yard and to be returning to a track where we’ve done well in the past,” said Team Manager Gary Nelson. “I’ve been pleased with how well this team has performed this year. We always want to win, and nothing would be sweeter than claiming another win for Chevrolet at their home track. Our plan is to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

The Detroit event is a big and busy one for the popular Action Express Racing team. Fittipaldi will take part in a tech summit driver panel on Wednesday afternoon. He will then join Barbosa at the Quicken Loans Grand Prix Street Fest held Wednesday evening from 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM. The Rolex 24-winning drivers will sign autographs and meet fans ahead of the Grand Prix of Detroit race weekend which also features the Verizon IndyCar Series. The No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP will be on display at the festival and Action Express Racing will host a “Tech Talk” at the car.

On track action through the streets of Belle Isle begins on Friday with two practice sessions ahead of qualifying which will be streamed live on IMSA.com beginning at 5:45 PM ET. The 100-minute Chevrolet Sports Car Classic will begin at 12:10 PM ET and will be televised on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 1:30 PM ET.

MRN Radio will carry live coverage of the race at www.mrn.com. Live timing and scoring is available on www.imsa.com.

Action Express