Gimple Carrying Momentum to Brickyard Sports Car Challenge

jjomalley

Following two successful outings, including a career-first ST class win at Watkins Glen, Kyle Gimple heads to Indianapolis for Round 8 of the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge ready to add another positive result to the books. Along with his co-driver Ryan Eversley, Gimple will contest the third annual Brickyard SportsCar Challenge in his No. 75 Compass360 Racing Children’s Tumor Foundation/HPD/Racing4Research.org Honda Civic Si at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday.

After starting from third place on the grid in the previous round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Gimple ran his entire stint maintaining podium position and handed the car cleanly over to Eversley. Despite an excellent drive by both Compass360 drivers, in the end the duo had to settle for a result just a step off the podium as an encore to their breakthrough win at Watkins Glen.

However, that fourth place finish netted the No. 75 Compass360 Racing duo a healthy portion of points and they head into the Indianapolis round sitting solidly in eighth place, looking to move up this weekend.

Gimple is familiar with the 2.435-mile, 14-turn road course that begins on the famous front stretch of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then winds its way through the infield. The circuit features some new formatting this year after the Verizon IndyCar Series race in May debuted a new layout for the infield road course, giving Gimple and the rest of the field an added item on the to-do list this week in learning the new track quickly.

Fortunately, he has a head start having competed in both of the previous two races of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge at the historic venue with a best finish of fifth place in 2012. He will look to get quickly up to speed as the IMSA teams take on the newly reconfigured track this year.

“The Kroger Super Weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is always a fun race,” said Gimple. “It’s such a historic place to run and the fans are always great. Ryan (Eversley) and I have really seemed to hit our stride lately so I’m looking forward to this race, I think we have a really good chance of getting another podium. It will be fun to see what the new layout races like but the main thing is to get whatever we can out of the week points wise.”

The weekend will be a busy one for Gimple and the entire Compass360 Racing crew as they share the track not only with the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship but also the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series.

After two practice sessions on Thursday, qualifications will take place at 3:00 PM (ET). The 2.5-hour Brickyard Sports Car Challenge race will go green on Friday at 2:35 PM (ET) and will be streamed LIVE on IMSA.com. It will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 August 1st at 12:00 PM (ET).