Chip Ganassi Racing enjoyed a memorable and victorious finish to its run with Cadillac Racing.
Rallying from two laps down in the opening hour, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R captured the Petit Le Mans, the final race of Ganassi’s four seasons with Cadillac. Though team owner Chip Ganassi wants to continue sports car racing, it’s likely his team will take a break from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year.
The No. 01 Cadillac won by nearly 3 seconds over the No. 6 of Porsche Penske Motorsport in the 10-hour season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
RACE RESULTS: Click here for overall l By class
“I love this place, I love IMSA,” Renger van der Zande, who teamed with Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon, told NBC Sports’ Dillon Welch. “To come off with a bang for Ganassi, the final race of our program for Cadillac, to win the last race. Man, I’m super proud.”
With 15 minutes remaining, van der Zande gave the No. 01 its first lead with a pass on Nick Tandy into Turn 1, but the drama wasn’t over. The headlights on the No. 01 began to flicker intermittently with 4 minutes remaining but stayed on long enough to avoid another black flag.
“Pretty scary,” van der Zande said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ Now we have to go back to the pits and repair or something that would end the race. I would have finished the race without the lights, no doubt.
“Just super proud of Chip Ganassi, Mike Hull, Mike O’Gara, everyone involved at the Ganassi factory. I’m just super proud of being a Ganassi driver for the last time and win it for them and the same for Cadillac. It’s been a brand that’s going to be with me for the rest of my life.”
Bourdais was forced to pit within the first 10 minutes because of a black flag for exceeding powertrain parameters, but the team battled back from two drive-through penalties in the pits and regained the lead lap with four hours remaining.
HEARTBREAK AGAIN: Wayne Taylor Racing knocked out by late-race incident
“I don’t even know where to begin,” Bourdais said. “Last year, we were winning until the final 30 minutes. This year we weren’t leading until right at the end. We had a torque sensor issue which affected the beginning of the race, so we had to do 100 laps on a set of tires.
“It looked like a lost race but the guys managed to fix it, and get us back to contending for the win at the end. I’m super happy to be able to finish on a high like this. It was frustrating last year to lose it, so we’ll definitely take it. I’m super happy for everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing, Cadillac and my two awesome teammates. It couldn’t be a better send-off.”
Said Dixon: “I’m so happy for the team. What a day. I’ve never been a part of anything like that. It’s so cool. As everybody saw the way it started we had a tricky day. We had a sensor issue, and kudos to everybody on the team side and Cadillac engineering for working through that and working with IMSA to enable that. Everybody had tremendous stints. I’m just so happy for everybody on the team and Cadillac.”
The No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport finished third and clinched the Grand Touring Prototype championship for co-drivers Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron (who were joined in the endurance race by Matt Campbell). The title capped a season that opened with a Rolex 24 at Daytona victory.
“Just incredible the way we pulled it off and the whole way we dictated the season,” Nasr told NBC Sports’ Matt Youcum. “It couldn’t have been better. Started at Daytona with a fantastic victory, incredible. And the whole competition all season long was really strong. We came out on top. It’s down to the people and the work we’ve done. The whole team worked really hard for this moment.”
Winners in other categories:
LMP2: Mikkel Jensen, Hunter McElrea and Steven Thomas delivered the fourth IMSA victory and second this season for the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07. No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports drivers Nick Boulle and Tom Dillman clinched the LMP2 championships.
GTD Pro: Franck Perera, Mirko Bortolotti and Jordan Pepper gave the No. 19 Iron Lynx | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 its first win in IMSA. The No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R won the championship.
GTD: Cedric Sbirrazzuoli, Albert Costa Balboa and Manny Franco delivered the fourth IMSA victory and first in GTD for the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. The No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and co-drivers Philip Ellis and Russell Ward won the championship with a ninth-place finish.
IMSA PETIT LE MANS RESULTS
Race results
Results by class
Fastest laps by driver
Fastest laps by driver after race (over the weekend)
Fastest laps by driver and class after race
Fastest lap sequence
Leader sequence
Lap chart
Race analysis by lap
Stint analysis
Best sector times
Race distance and average speed
Time cards
Pit stop time cards
Flags analysis
Weather report
2024 SEASON RECAPS
DAYTONA: Porsche wins Rolex 24 at Daytona, ending 55-year drought for Roger Penske
SEBRING: Michael Andretti, Wayne Taylor celebrate first win together
LONG BEACH: Chip Ganassi Racing wins Long Beach without a tire change
LAGUNA SECA: Roger Penske earns 100th sports car victory
DETROIT: Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti snaps 14-race winless streak
WATKINS GLEN: A redemptive victory for Porsche Penske Motorsport
ROAD AMERICA: Porsche Penske Motorsport 1-2
INDIANAPOLIS: BMWs sweep top two spots in the Battle at the Bricks