Lone Star Racing expands IMSA program to full-season effort for 2027

Lone Star Racing will expand its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program to a full-season effort in 2027, entering the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO for all IMSA endurance and sprint rounds.

Mercedes-AMG Junior Driver Lin Hodenius and Indy NXT veteran James Roe will share full-time driving duties for Lone Star Racing after a solid Michelin Endurance Cup campaign in which the team scored top-10 finishes in all five of its races, with best finishes of fourth place at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Motul Petit Le Mans in Road Atlanta.

Founded by team owner Dan Knox and managed by team principal AJ Petersen, Lone Star Racing ran select IMSA sprint events from 2016 to 2019 before returning as a Michelin Endurance Cup competitor in 2024. The team has also been a regular fixture in the Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour Race for the last few years.

“We’re super excited to jump off our first full season in the WeatherTech Championship,” said Petersen.

“To put it together for a full season effort is what we’ve been working towards for years. Working to do with proper partners, and we’re looking forward for years to come. It’s a solid foundation we’ve assembled.”

Lone Star Racing’s endurance racing results this season helped Mercedes-AMG clinch the GTD Manufacturers’ Championship, while fellow AMG customer team Winward Racing took home its third straight set of GTD championships.

“I think it came about because of good finishes in ’26. It’s all the credit to the team, top to bottom,” Petersen continued. “It’s been good to have the season we’ve had. Mercedes-AMG manufactures a great car, and it’s another good opportunity with a proven platform.

“Winward kicked into high gear at end of the season and came out with the championships, but we had great days at Sebring and Road Atlanta. Petit (Le Mans) was bad luck with P2 traffic that kept us off the podium. We’re happy to keep pushing.”

This will be the first full-time campaign in IMSA for both Roe and Hodenius. 20-year-old Dutch driver Hodenius joined Lone Star Racing for the 2025 Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and has also driven in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMGT3 class for the last two years.

"I am very excited of course to continue with Lone Star Racing after our first full year together and kind of a half season in 2025,” said Hodenius. “We showed really good progress this year, and we definitely hope to achieve more in 2027 in the full season. I think it is a good opportunity for me to grow, and the team as well as one unit, really. I am really excited for all of that. I really love working with the team. AJ Petersen really goes the extra mile for the team, with the car and with the team members themselves. It really creates this nice atmosphere where everybody wants to win.”

Roe joined Lone Star Racing in 2026 after driving Pratt Miller Motorsports’ ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 for the 2025 Michelin Endurance Cup. The 28-year-old driver from Ireland has spent five seasons in Indy NXT, with his best year coming in 2024 where he took a pole position, two podium finishes, and finished sixth in the standings.

“This is a huge opportunity, and I couldn’t be more excited to contest the full IMSA season with Lone Star Racing and Mercedes-AMG,” said Roe. “We ended last year knowing there was a lot more we could accomplish together, so having the opportunity to return, build consistency and compete at every round is incredibly motivating for me as a driver. We proved we could fight at the front in 2026, and our goal for 2027 is to turn that pace and potential into podium finishes throughout the season.

“Obviously, a full season commitment is great. We had the five races spread over the season and having this core group together will build momentum. It’s all thanks to a great group of partners and a great brand in Mercedes-AMG to make all this happen.”