Road America Preview: On the Surface, an Exciting Prospect

When the drivers and crew of the Gradient Racing #66 JG Wentworth Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 arrive at Road America this weekend, they will discover that the 4.048 miles and 14 turns of America’s National Park of Speed will be both immediately familiar and significantly different simultaneously.

In November of 2022, work was completed on the first total resurfacing of the track in more than a quarter of a century. A new layer of asphalt covers the entire layout and with it comes a new set of questions and challenges for the teams and drivers of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship..

For Sheena Monk, the new surface can only add to the experience of racing at one of the World’s best natural terrain road courses. “Road America with the new paving is going to be a real treat. The track's characteristics already make it a highlight every season and it's safe to say the new surface is going to make it even more enjoyable.”

The driver from Newtown, Pennsylvania is battling for the Bob Akin Award, given to the best Bronze rated driver in the GTD category. Monk is currently third in those standings, just 150 points off the lead and is not short on confidence ahead of Sunday’s race. “We're coming off a few race weekends where the team faced different forms of adversity and has grown closer and stronger. I'm still steadfast in my belief that the hard work and commitment of the drivers and crew for the JG Wentworth Acura will pay off soon. The championship is a dogfight in the few places ahead of us so it's important that we continue to execute in the final few rounds of the season.”

Katherine Legge returns to the track just days after competing in the NASCAR Xfinity race last weekend. Her initial experiences on the new surface in a stock car have given her an increased level of anticipation for Sunday’s race. “Team spirits are high as we get into the real meat of the season and Road America is on my all time favorites list,” explained the English-born racer. “I think we can keep up the momentum and have another strong result here for the championship and hopefully get that elusive podium on the new track surface.”

The new surface can only be a positive from the perspective of Team Principal, Andris Laivins. “I've loved Road America since the first year I started racing, but in the last few visits, this track hasn't agreed with our Acura. Since it's been repaved, I'm optimistic there will be a reset on the handling front, and we can find a setup that suits us better. It's the same for everyone, but since we've struggled here in the past, we have more to gain I think. We've heard that the grip level is higher, but in some places the track shape is different, so I'm eager to see where things are on Friday in practice.”

Coverage of Sunday’s race is live on USA Network and Peacock in the United States from 11:00am ET. For viewers without an international TV broadcaster the race can be seen live at IMSA.TV. IMSA Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio will also have non-stop coverage of the race. For full coverage please follow Gradient Racing on Twitter at @GradientRacing, on Instagram at @gradientracing and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GradientRacing/.