Sunoco Whelen Challenge Winner Phil Keen Takes First Laps at Daytona International Speedway - Speedway Digest

Radical SR3 Challenge champion Phil Keen got his first taste of the twists and turns of Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday during testing for the 53^rdanniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Keen, a 31-year-old racer from the United Kingdom, was the winner of the 2015 Sunoco Whelen Challenge and earned a driver’s seat for the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25. Keen will join Max Papis, Eric Curran and Dane Cameron in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette DP fielded by Action Express Racing, a team that has won the Rolex 24 in 2010 and 2014.

Action Express Racing was among a handful of teams on Tuesday wrapping up a two-day test of the Speedway’s 3.56-mile road course in advance of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season opener and Keen had the opportunity to spend significant track time wheeling the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP.

“It’s an awesome place, an awesome track,” Keen said. “I’m really looking forward to the (Rolex) 24 hour. I’ve always wanted to come to America to race and I’m lucky to have the chance to do it.”

Tickets for the 2015 Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Roar Before The Rolex 24, the three-day test session scheduled for January 9-11, can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

Fans can follow sports cars at www.imsa.comand go on Twitter at TUDOR United SportsCar Championship (@UnitedSportsCar). Fans can also stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter,Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest news all season long. Fans can follow the latest on DAYTONA Rising, the $400 million frontstretch renovation at the “World Center of Racing” by using #DAYTONARising on Twitter or visiting www.daytonarising.com.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.