JDC-Miller adds Heinrich for WeatherTech Championship sprint races

Laurin Heinrich’s 2026 calendar is filling up quickly after winning Daytona and Sebring, as today, it was announced that the German driver will run the remaining IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint races for JDC-Miller MotorSports.

Heinrich will drive the No. 5 Mustang Sampling-sponsored JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 alongside regular co-driver Tijmen van der Helm, starting with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 17–18. He will then drive the black and gold privateer Porsche at the upcoming GTP sprint races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, and at the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Heinrich will not be with the team at Watkins Glen due to prior commitments, and at Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Heinrich will honor the third race of his initial three-race Endurance Cup schedule for Porsche Penske Motorsport.

A JDC-Miller MotorSports representative confirmed to RACER that Heinrich will not be with the team at the Motul SportsCar Endurance Challenge in Road America, and that Nico Pino and Kaylen Frederick are expected to remain with JDC-Miller for the remaining three Michelin Endurance Cup events.

“[I’m] Incredibly thankful to be given this opportunity, collecting more valuable experience in the 963 and also joining a renowned team such as JDC-Miller Motorsports,” Heinrich said in a statement released on social media. “I will share the car with Tijmen van der Helm for the first time and can’t wait to get to work.”

After winning the 2024 IMSA GTD Pro title for AO Racing, Heinrich moved up to Porsche Penske Motorsport as a top-tier Porsche works driver. In his first IMSA races for the factory GTP team, Heinrich won the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring alongside Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer.

Since then, Heinrich’s schedule has grown beyond just the three races and will include many GT3 appearances in the newest Porsche 911 GT3 R. The 24-year-old will compete in the European Le Mans Series’ LMGT3 class for High Class Racing, he will race in the Nürburgring 24 Hours’ top class (SP9 Pro) for Lionspeed GP, and will run select GT World Challenge Asia rounds for Chinese team Origine Motorsport.