Stephen Simpson will return to JDC-Miller Motorsports for a full-season campaign in the team’s step up to the Prototype class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Team co-owner John Church confirmed to Sportscar365 that the former open-wheel ace will join the previously confirmed Mikhail Goikhberg in the No. 85 Oreca 07 Gibson for the entire championship, kicking off with this month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

It rekindles a successful driver pairing that delivered two Prototype Challenge class victories and a third place finish in the championship last year.

“It’s good continuity for the team,” Church told Sportscar365. “It will be good. Mikhail loves this car.”

Simpson, who had already been confirmed for Daytona, will take on his first season in IMSA’s top category.

“We’d been talking about this early into last year so it’s something that we’ve been talking about for a while,” Simpson told Sportscar365 about the team’s step up to P class racing.

“We all feel comfortable with it, we feel confident with it. We’re looking forward to a new challenge.

“ORECA has done a fantastic job with the new car. The difference between it and the PC car is big, but it’s still a racing car and it still has four wheels and a steering wheel.”

Chris Miller and LMP2 veteran Mathias Beche will complete the Minnesota-based team’s lineup for the season-opener.

The team posted the 9th quickest time overall in last weekend’s Roar Before the 24.

Ryan Myrehn contributed to this report