ROLEX 24: Change Racing making another step up

Today's Rolex 24 At Daytona will include a field of teams full of optimism about the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season as they pursue the most coveted timepiece in all of motorsport.

Change Racing, which is the sportscar racing arm of NASCAR competitor RAB Racing, will be making its debut in the race as the opening outing for their full-season effort in the GTD Class with the No. 16 Lamborghini Huracán.

While it is the first start at the WeatherTech level for the team, the group has quickly built a road racing reputation with championships in each of its first three seasons of IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo competition since adding the Lamborghini program to their NASCAR efforts in 2013.

That success and experience in Super Trofeo is the foundation that the team is building on as it takes on the top level of sports car racing in America.

"When we started our Trofeo program three years ago, being in the Rolex 24 was why," said team principal Robby Benton. "I've always been interested in sports car racing. I knew I didn't know enough about it to just walk into it without going through the process we've had with Super Trofeo and even that hasn't gotten me all the way home. I'm still learning a lot."

Making a move up the ladder and debuting on the biggest stage in motorsport is nothing new to the team, but Benton knows that the Rolex 24 is a very special animal.

"To me this is one of the most prestigious races in the world in any discipline in motorsports," said Benton. "So I would compare this step up for us to coming to this track with the NASCAR guys. Whether we run Xfinity or sometimes where we've tried to make the Daytona 500 in Sprint Cup, there are a handful of races that no matter what form of motorsports you are interested in or follow, there are precious few that are on a pedestal and the Rolex 24 is one of them."

Change Racing has assembled a driver lineup that includes two-time Rolex 24 champion Spencer Pumpelly (ABOVE LEFT) and Corey Lewis for the full season, joined by 2009 Rolex 24 winner Justin Marks (ABOVE RIGHT) and the youngest driver in the 2016 race, Kaz Grala. With a new car and a new series, and the biggest race of the year right in front of the team, there is a lot to take on.

"We're so busy with everything we're having to do that I don't think it's really set in yet, and I doubt it will until around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday," said Benton as the race week got going. "There's so much busy work right now I don't think it has set into me that we're here and we're going to do this."

Marks' inclusion in the driver roster is a sort of homecoming, as he has transitioned with RAB Racing from a road racing start into a productive NASCAR career as well as team owner in the World of Outlaws ranks.

"Our team as it exists right now really started in its infancy with Justin (Marks) in the ARCA series," said Benton. "So to have Justin on this team, it's another opportunity to work with him and to me, it's seeing something come full circle."

The Rolex 24 At Daytona is a long-held target for the organization, and to be making the debut run in 2016 also holds a lot of significance for their partner manufacturer.

"It's not only our first IMSA WeatherTech race but it's also our first Rolex 24; it's Lamborghini's first Rolex 24, and it's Lamborghini's centennial year," Benton said. "We've tried to make the Daytona 500 now twice and haven't fought our way in, but luckily one of those bucket list races for me is this one and we're going to be able to run it. There's a lot of different moving parts in this that are meaningful that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life."

Having years of NASCAR experience under his belt, Benton is clear about how the effort level has expanded for the Rolex 24.

"This is undoubtedly the hardest thing I've ever done," said Benton of the run-up and preparation for the race. "Some of it is actually hard, some of it is just hard because of my inexperience in this arena of motorsport. We're learning a lot and learning it very fast. I'm very comfortable with where we're at in our preparation, driver line-up, and everything else, but it's just a big challenge to check off all the boxes that you need to be ready."

Marks' first raced in the Rolex 24 in 2001, and is as confident about Benton's ability to steer his team through pre-race preparation as he is impressed with how incredible the competition is.

"It's going to be so unique and different than anything that Robby or the team has ever done, but Robby's skillset is fine for this type of event," said Marks. "It's just going to be a matter of learning. Robby is a pretty selfless guy, an intelligent person, and catches on to things really quickly. This is a very grueling and tough race based on my experience, but it is an incredibly unique event so there are specific things you have to challenge yourself to do this weekend.

"My first year here was 2001 so even though I've basically only done six or seven of these things it's been over a pretty wide period of time so I've seen a huge progression in the quality of the equipment and the teams since my first race. The last time I was here was in 2010 or 2011 and just how far it's come in those four or five years is just incredible. The quality of the engineering and the level of technology and the systems in these cars has just advanced I think probably two or three times in the past five years than it did in the 10 before."

Pumpelly, who won the final race of the 2015 season aboard a Porsche, has been impressed so far in his initial engagement with his new team.

"They have picked things up really quickly," said Pumpelly. "The talent level we have at Change Racing, with all the different guys from the top to the bottom that's working on the car, is really high. That is going to be a huge help, and the co-drivers are fantastic. I see this as being a definite learning process but hopefully our learning curve will be short due to the talent level we have."

The team will look to reap the rewards of all that hard work starting on Saturday afternoon.

Source: Change Racing