By alley - Oct 18, 2017, 2:21 PM ET

Visit Florida weighing Cadillac switch

Could Cadillac Racing's Daytona Prototype international stable grow before the 2018 IMSA season arrives?

Multiple sources have told RACER the Visit Florida Racing team, which was part of Chevy Racing's factory Corvette Daytona Prototype family through the 2016 season, is the likely destination for a new Cadillac DPi. If confirmed, it would bring the brand's DPi tally to four entries.

Team owner Troy Flis, who wouldn't be drawn on the manufacturer in question, acknowledged DPi talks are taking place and a final decision is imminent.

"We're still looking at all options, and it has been tough to get commitments from some people, but we're looking at going back to a manufacturer program," he told RACER. "We also had such a great experience with Ligier, and we're just trying to get everything figured out. We hoped to have a direction by now, but it will probably take until the end of the week. We have another partner we're talking to, and once we get that ironed out, we can move forward with our 2018 plans."

Prior to Petit Le Mans, a Cadillac representative

told RACER

the plan was to stay with its three-car effort spread across Action Express Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing, but it would appear those plans have evolved since the Oct. 9 event. It's believed that based on conversations held at the 10-hour WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale in Road Atlanta, a move to rejoin the GM Racing stable after spending the year as a privateer has gained momentum.

Questions as to whether the team will continue with Visit Florida as its primary sponsor could also shape its chassis selection. With the Florida tourism marketing initiative keen on having VFR promote the state at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, choosing a WEC P2 (DPis aren't allowed at the famous French endurance race) was necessary as team entered the 2017 season.

As Flis explains, the need to compete internationally on behalf of a sponsor is looking unlikely, which has opened the door to returning to a factory-based program.

"We're talking to multiple manufacturers on that side, but our relationship with the [GM] side was strong last year, and we left on great terms," he said. "They knew we were looking for a chassis partner that would allow us to do Le Mans, and that's not as much on the plate as it once was, so we're looking to do the best we can in the IMSA series and with a DPi. It's good to have the relationships that we have and that we have success to offer them."

VFR started off the year with a Riley/Multimatic Mk. 30-Gibson WEC-spec LMP2 for Renger van der Zande and Marc Goossens, and aside from a podium at Daytona, chassis limitations blighted the program's potential. A late-season change to Ligier's JS P217 provided an instant boost, as the Dutchman and Belgian scored a popular win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. With the VFR program on an upswing, shifting into the DPi field with Cadillac would give the defending Manufacturers' champions another solid entry to pit against Acura, Mazda, and Nissan.

The team could also be searching for one or more drivers to pilot the DPi-V.R. Van der Zande is coveted by a number of Prototype teams, both DPi and WEC P2, and it's also unclear whether Goossens will continue in his full-time role.

For Flis, his early offseason has been relentless as rebuilding portions of VFR's hurricane-affected shop, selecting a WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype chassis, and signing one or more drivers have come together is immediate priorities.

"It isn't an easy time, but we'll get through it all," he said. "On the driver's side, it's what kind of commitment can we offer them and we've been very fortunate to have good quality guys. The best situation is to keep both, but we know there are other teams and manufacturers that would love to have them, so we're just trying to keep the changes to as few as possible."