General Motors staged a dominant championship sweep at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta during last Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans, capturing top honors across both the GTP and GTD Pro classes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Headlined by Cadillac’s clean sweep of the GTP Manufacturer, Team, and Driver titles, Chevrolet also locked up the GTD Pro Manufacturer championship. Though Cadillac Racing did not take the overall race victory on Saturday, simply starting the endurance showcase was enough to lock up Cadillac’s 11th IMSA Manufacturer title – and its fifth since 2017.
The achievement was powered by a unified effort across the grid, combining the entries of Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (the #10 and #40 cars) with Action Express Racing’s #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R.
“What a tremendous accomplishment for General Motors, Cadillac Racing and Corvette Racing,” GM President Mark Reuss said. “Both Cadillac and Chevrolet winning manufacturer championships shows the strength of our racing programs, and the talent and execution of our drivers, engineers and crews. These championships represent the hard work of everyone across GM Motorsports, Cadillac Racing and Corvette Racing, and they showcase the culture of winning taking root on their teams and across General Motors, every day. We’re proud of this achievement and of the teams who made it possible.”
Eric Warren, Vice President of Global Motorsports Competition for General Motors, attributed the GTP success to the “Team Cadillac” unified strategy established between its program partners.
“I think for General Motors and Cadillac, it really just comes down to great partners that we had,” Warren said. “We had really two great teams this year. We worked on this Team Cadillac approach. Really the consistency the Cadillac team has shown has been incredible. The performance at every track starting at Indy last year, we were talking about Cadillac, I think we’ve been on the podium 10 races in a row there. Other than the end of Road America… Couldn’t be more proud of the work that’s been done. These cars are tough to race, the competition, different manufacturers racing against. It’s a great honor for GM, Cadillac. Same thing with Corvette. What a battle that’s been. A little bit rougher than I’d like to see probably.”
#31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R: Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images
In the driver standings, Jack Aitken secured his first career IMSA series championship, with the aid of co-drivers Earl Bamber and Frederick Vesti in the #31 Whelen Cadillac. Aitken’s title caps a remarkable arc of consistency, which featured eight consecutive IMSA GTP podiums and nine in his last 11 races dating back to Indianapolis last year.
The driver title coincided with Action Express Racing (competing as Cadillac Whelen) capturing its seventh IMSA Team championship – a historical milestone that ties the organization with powerhouse teams Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske for the most all-time.
Action Express representative Chris Mitchum reflected post-race on what led to the team’s relentless season.
“I think, to back up, it sounds awesome. Pretty incredible to hear,” Mitchum said regarding the championship. “I don’t think it will sink in until tomorrow. We’re focused trying to pull off a win. Thinking beyond that, really it comes down to execution, having the tools to do the job. We’re so fortunate to have had such a long partnership with GM all the way dating back to the Grand-Am and DP (Daytona Prototype) time to now.”
Mitchum emphasized that the close collaboration across Cadillac teams was central to their success.
“Those tools that we get from — we say we’re a good partner, the reality is it truly is a one-team approach,” he said. “We would not be sitting here in this position without our partners at Wayne Taylor, how much effort they’ve put in. We’ve truly grown as one team. I think we can always get better. I can’t unfortunately tell you all of our successes this year, but I can list seven of our missed opportunities if you look at tonight. I think that’s what racers are. Same cliché, but it’s true when you live it. We hate losing more than we want to win. I think that’s what drives everybody in our team.”
He added: “I think our drivers will back me up when I say our pit crew was phenomenal tonight. Can’t say flawless. Definitely had our moments. Everybody does. It’s about how you recover. I think what made the difference this year is when we weren’t able to finish on the top step, we were resilient, we recovered and got the most out of it we could. Kind of alluding to what Eric pointed out with the number of consistency in the podiums, that was really the secret to the championship this year.”
#31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R: Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti
Photo by: Art Fleischmann
When asked what it meant for Action Express Racing to join Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing at seven titles, Mitchum deferred praise to the organization’s long-standing crew and leadership.
“I mean, a tremendous honor, right? You’re talking about some of the strongest teams in the sport, I think that everybody knows, globally,” Mitchum noted. “I think having Action Express’ name partnered with a global, dominant brand like Cadillac, we really came into the season with that pride as part of our program already. I’ve been fortunate enough to be with Action Express for 13 years now. Our team manager, Gary Nelson, has a very straightforward racing approach. That’s why I like working here.
“Hindsight, he’s great, but he always shows up late. I think our racing approach of always fighting for the win every opportunity we get has gotten us to a point where we can be compared to. I would have to be completely honest that it’s more of an honor to compete against those groups than it is to be compared against them. But to know that the numbers are stacking up in our column, I think it’s a testament to all the men and women that have put Action Express together. There’s a number of people that you’d want to call out and say how long and how much effort they put into it.”
Mitchum cited key personnel behind the team’s longevity.
“We’ve been through a rotation of people, for sure. At the top it’s always been Gary Nelson and Iain Watt; our crew chief, Bill Keuler; and our shop foreman, Brian Hay. Have all been there longer than myself. We’ve all been together since 2014. That bond has allowed us to get to where we are. Maybe I’m not saying it clearly, but I don’t know that I’m the one that should be able to take that credit, to be honest. I think all the people that have worked at Action Express over that many years to make it happen have given us that opportunity. What’s more exciting from what you just said is that we’ve have an opportunity next year to take that next step and stand there on our own with eight championships. That will be our goal.”
#4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone
Photo by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen via Getty Images
On the GT side of the garage, Chevrolet brought home its 16th manufacturers’ title since the founding of the factory Corvette Racing program in 1999. The final hours of the race proved chaotic for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, as late-race accidents relegated its two Z06 GT3.Rs to eighth and 12th-place finishes, narrowly denying Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg the driver and team championships. However, customer outfit DragonSpeed picked up the mantle by finishing sixth – ahead of both Ford Racing Mustang GT3s – and helping close out the GTD Pro Manufacturer crown.
Despite the hectic race finish, GM executives celebrated the overall achievements of the new GT3 platform’s global footprint.
“It’s been exciting,” Warren said of the Corvette program. “The Corvette Z06 GT3.R really has come into its own the last year across IMSA, WEC. Really proud of that championship. Came down to the wire there, as well. It’s great to have another championship. That car is just incredible. Couldn’t be more proud.”
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