Many venues that host International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) events, such as Watkins Glen International, site of this Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, are steeped in tradition and motorsports history.
In fact, racing in the Watkins Glen area dates all the way back to 1948, when races took place on a combination of country roads and streets in the small town in New York’s Finger Lakes region before the facility we now know as Watkins Glen International hosted its first event in 1957.
Daytona International Speedway is another venue with a long sports car racing history, dating all the way back to 1962. IMSA’s history goes back to 1969, but it wasn’t until 1971 that the organization began sanctioning sports car races.
So, why the history lesson? Because IMSA is taking another step in embracing its rich history in announcing today a new strategic alliance with Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) that makes IMSA the presenting sponsor of HSR’s Classic 24 Hour At Daytona.
The second Classic 24 Hour At Daytona, presented by IMSA, is scheduled for Nov. 12-15, 2015. The event debuted in 2014 at Daytona International Speedway.
“What we saw when we walked around the garage at the first Classic 24 Hour At Daytona last fall was many, many classic sports cars carrying the original IMSA logo,” said IMSA President Scott Atherton. “In some cases, these cars were being fielded by teams that compete regularly in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship or other IMSA-sanctioned series, or were being driven by current or former IMSA drivers. There’s a natural connection between our two organizations that we could not pass up.”
As part of the alliance, IMSA will activate its marketing resources for the HSR Classic 24 Hour At Daytona, presented by IMSA in the month leading up to the event. As the event draws near, the IMSA.com website also will include “Throwback Thursday” features on prominent past IMSA race cars expected to compete in the event, as well as other featured content on participating cars and drivers.
“It is an absolute honor and privilege for HSR to have IMSA involved in this exciting new event,” said HSR President David Hinton. “The Classic 24 Hour is a rolling museum of the last 40 years of not only the 24-hour race at Daytona International Speedway, but IMSA history also. We look forward to welcoming back cars, drivers and race fans of the past and the present once again this November.”
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.
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