*Team name change for 2014 season
*Race-winning line-up same as 2012 race-winning effort
*New EcoBoost power from Ford
Daytona Beach, Fla. (4 January 2014) –Building on a successful history together, team owner Mike Shank has assembled a list of familiar names to work together as he looks to return to victory lane at Daytona.
The 2014 edition of the classic race will mark a dramatic new launch into a new era for sports car racing, with the first-ever IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship event set to make history. New class regulations, a new Ford EcoBoost power plant, and a bevy of new competition will be on hand as the stakes have been raised and the next chapter of sports car racing is written.
For Shank, the best way to take on the new challenges is to work with some trusted and experienced partners, and the team is pleased to announce an expanded partnership with Mike Curb.
The 2014 IMSA season will see the team name become Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian.
Curb, who has built a legacy of success in the sport through his decades of team ownership and sponsorship support, first partnered with Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian in 2011. The Curb Records logo was also a prominent feature on Shank’s 2012 Rolex 24-winning machine, as well as the sister entry that finished the race in third place.
“Mike (Shank) has built a great team through the years,” said Curb. “It has been exciting to be involved with these guys, and now with the new IMSA TUDOR Championship, I think this is going to be one of the best Rolex 24 races yet. With this line up of drivers and the guys behind the wheel, this should be a team to watch, all year long.”
Adding to the familiar faces is the return of the same driver line-up that won the 2012 event as John Pew, Ozz Negri, Justin Wilson, and AJ Allmendinger have returned to the Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Rolex 24 line-up.
Pew and Negri will share the full-season driving duties for the fifth consecutive season in Daytona Prototype competition, while Wilson and Allmendinger first joined the team for the Rolex 24 in 2006.
“There are so many variables for the teams to learn heading into this new championship, so having a line up like this lets us focus as a team on what we need to learn with the new car and the new rules,” said Shank. “Having a year-long program with Curb I think also shows there is real commercial interest in this new IMSA TUDOR Championship and I’m thrilled that they will be with us all year long. With good partners supporting us and such a strong line up in the car, I’m just really excited about what this group is capable of.”
Michael Shank Racing will be in action for the Roar Before the 24 January 3-5 and will look forward to the 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona January 23-26.
