Verizon IndyCar Series race winners Ryan Briscoe and Simon Pagenaud will join Corvette Racing’s GT Le Mans-class lineup in the opening round of the 2015 IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship at Daytona International Speedway. This will be Pagenaud’s Corvette Racing debut, while Briscoe returns to the team for the Rolex 24 for a second straight year.

Briscoe will first join regular Corvette Racing drivers Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 C7.R at the annual Roar Before the 24 -- a three-day test beginning Jan. 9 ahead of the season-opening Rolex 24. Pagenaud will team with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 C7.R for the same event. Pagenaud and Briscoe will also race with the team during March’s 12 Hours of Sebring.

“Corvette Racing’s driver lineup for the Daytona and Sebring races represents a highly talented collection of drivers who are intensely focused on working together toward the common goal of winning,” said Chevrolet Racing boss Mark Kent. “Both Ryan and Simon are world-class drivers who know the kind of preparation, patience and skill needed to succeed in the top levels of endurance sports-car racing.”

Briscoe -- who drives for Chip Ganassi in IndyCar -- drove for Corvette Racing in three Tudor Series races last season: the endurance events at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. In IndyCar last year he made 18 starts, with one top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. On top of his seven career IndyCar wins, Briscoe has nine Prototype wins in the former American Le Mans Series to his record.

“It’s such a massive honor to be a part of the Corvette Racing program. To come back this year and be a part of the team for the endurance events, I’m really excited. We’re hoping the pace and everything is there that we need to have to win with one of the Corvettes,” said Briscoe. “We really were strong last year and had a little bad luck. Everyone on the team is extremely hungry and I’m really looking forward to it.

“It was definitely a new experience for me last year to be racing in the GT class. I thought it went really well. The team brought me on and gave me all the tools I needed to get up to speed and feel comfortable with the race car. I feel like it’s a comfortable pairing with Antonio and Jan. I really felt like I got really good track time and could put down really good lap times to hold my own. Before you get into it, you really don’t know how it’s going to go. You just want to do your best.”

Team Penske IndyCar driver Pagenaud also boasts an impressive open-wheel and sports-car record, finishing third in the 2013 IndyCar championship and capturing nine wins in ALMS Prototypes as a factory driver.

“Thanks to Chevrolet for the opportunity, and of course thanks to Roger Penske and [Penske Racing president] Tim Cindric in allowing me to be available,” said Pagenaud. “With this type of opportunity where you have the chance to go and run in a different category with a car and team that can win, it’s exciting and gets you very motivated. I really want to win Daytona. If we can do that with Chevrolet and Corvette Racing, I’ll be super excited and over the moon.”

The 2015 Tudor Championship series begins with the Rolex 24 at Daytona from Jan. 24-25 at Daytona International Speedway. Live timing and scoring from both the Roar Before the 24 and Rolex 24 at Daytona will be available at imsa.com.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io