The 2023 season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta brought the team both a VP Racing SportsCar Challenge (VPRC) Championship and Jr III Racing’s first IMSA WeatherTech win. I have to admit, both of these accomplishments were incredibly proud moments for me, and it was awesome to see the team so happy and excited to be rewarded for their hard work. The VP championship was surprising given how we started the season, it was only supposed to be a part time program. But after the speed at Daytona and then the two wins at Sebring, it was clear we could win the championship and that became the focus. Then, to make it a reality at Road Atlanta with all the crew members there was something I will remember for a very long time. Championships require everything—driver performance-team and car preparation down to the last detail-to go right. So to do that as a team was hugely gratifying.
And then, winning Petit was a dream come true. We have been so close so many times over the last two years that it felt really nice to finally break through and win one. Everyone worked so hard to get us to that point then to see Garett (Grist) cross the finish line with fireworks going off above him is a memory I will cherish for a long time. For most of my guys it was their first win in professional racing and to see their excitement was incredible. It was a long season with lots of travel and hard work so to end the season at Road Atlanta with three wins (two in VPRC and one in WeatherTech) was so nice.
The weekend was my dads (Bill Glavin Jr.) first time to Petit and it was really special to have him there. He was planning on only staying for the start of the race on Saturday but when he got to the track on Thursday and saw the energy in the team and drivers, he booked a room for Saturday night. He had a sense that it was gonna be a special race and I'm so glad he stayed to share that moment with all the guys and myself. He might not be involved in a day to day operation of the team but all the guys respect him greatly and truly love having him at the track. He even got his hands dirty on Friday when he helped us swap floors on the Weathertech car. The guys loved seeing him dive in and tackle that project. So it was really fun to have him come on stage with me at the end of Petit and accept the Entrant trophy.
Though the season has ended, the shop is busy! Lots of off season projects and maintenance going on. We have three LMP3s that are going back together to be prepared to be sold or used for some events in 2024. We are wrapping up some vintage projects and getting cars test fired for the first time in a while. Both trailers have been completely emptied out for inventory and cleaning, while both tractors are getting major maintenance work done. So it's a busy time. We have mounted a countdown clock on the shop floor that is counting down to our first test with United Autosports at Daytona. It's only 43 days away now so time is ticking. We have a lot to do but it's also nice to spend some time at home and in the shop catching up on projects. We ran a lot of events this year, especially this fall so it's nice to slow down a little bit and catch our breath.