Mustang Sampling rejoins JDC-Miller

Five years after they won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring together with a Cadillac, JDC-Miller MotorSports has reunited with Mustang Sampling, which is set to serve as the primary sponsor of the team’s No. 5 Porsche 963 for the rest of the season.

Along with a new black and gold livery designed by renowned graphic designer Andy Blackmore, the team has also changed numbers from 85 to 5, the same number used by many other Mustang Sampling-sponsored IMSA entries of recent years, including that of the JDC-Miller Cadillac that won Sebring in 2021.

The driver line-up of the new-look No. 5 JDC-Miller Porsche remains the same: Tijmen van der Helm, Nico Pino and Kaylen Frederick enter Sebring after finishing seventh in this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.

"The 12 Hours of Sebring is always a special race for JDC-Miller MotorSports. The challenges inherent to the 12 Hours have always seemed to suit our team very well. We tend to thrive on adversity, and at Sebring, there is always hardship,” said John Church, managing partner of JDC-Miller MotorSports.

“Our win in 2021 taught us a valuable lesson in perseverance, as the team overcame a variety of difficulties, from the pandemic to car contact. We were hit so many times during that race that we ran out of spares in our pit box. Due to our completely different sequence, no one expected us to be in the lead late in the race. The battered and bruised car brought out the best in the crew and drivers, and we kept pushing until we secured the win. Looking back at that achievement five years later – racing during a COVID-19 environment, overcoming numerous challenges on the track and crossing the finish line first – is something to celebrate.

“Reuniting with Mustang Sampling and Ken and Brenda Thompson is truly special and doing it five years after that special win in 2021 is very exciting. We are really looking forward to the renewed relationship. Sebring will be a great start.”

Mustang Sampling CEO Ken Thompson added, “Brenda and I are thrilled to be back with JDC-Miller MotorSports. This renewed partnership feels like a full-circle moment as it coincides with the five-year anniversary of our win at the 12 Hours of Sebring. It’s a serendipitous reunion with the team, and we are grateful for the family atmosphere that runs throughout the organization – from the Church and Miller families, to the pit crew and drivers.

“The 2021 season was incredibly meaningful to us, which made returning five years later an easy decision. We look forward to bringing Mustang Sampling back to JDC-Miller MotorSports and competing together in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.”

JDC-Miller will also enter its No. 79 ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 at Sebring, driven by Gerry Kraut, Australian driver Josh Burdon and British rookie Sennan Fielding.