Oct. 6, 2020 By John Oreovicz IMSA Wire Service  DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jordan Taylor and Chase Elliott aren’t teammates in the truest sense of the word. But the two drivers will be working together this weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL – though they are not even competing in the same race. The connection between the pair is General Motors – and more specifically, Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop simulator, located just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Taylor co-drives the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R for Corvette Racing in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Elliott is pilot of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series. Both forms of racing will be in action this weekend on the Charlotte ROVAL in a unique IMSA/NASCAR doubleheader. Elliott is defending champion of the ROVAL Cup race, and he scored a win earlier this year in the Cup Series’ first-ever race on the Daytona International Speedway road course that, like Charlotte, features a portion of the high-banked oval along with an intricate infield section. The 24-year-old son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott credits Taylor for assisting in that win. “I talked to Jordan a lot,” Elliott said. “He was kind enough to share a lot of his notes and things from his past experience at the track, which I found to be helpful. I really appreciated the help from him and everybody that contributed. Definitely a lot of prep work went into that, and I think it showed.” As a payback, Elliott gave Taylor an idea what to expect from the Charlotte ROVAL, which features 10 turns spread over 2.32 miles and was updated with additional corners, chicanes and curbing before NASCAR first took to it two years ago. It’s a course that has produced some memorable slam-bang NASCAR action. Ryan Blaney was gifted a win in 2018 when Jimmie Johnson took out leader Martin Truex Jr. on the last lap. Last year, Elliott rallied to prevail after stuffing his Camaro into a tire barrier during a restart just past the halfway point. “I think that track is kind of choppy,” Elliott said. “It doesn’t flow very good and it’s hard to get into a rhythm and do things consistently lap after lap.” That’s the challenge Taylor and his Corvette Racing co-driver Antonio Garcia will face this weekend in the MOTUL 100% Synthetic Grand Prix on a circuit that is new to them. They had the benefit of a recent one-day test session on the ROVAL, as well as significant time in the Chevrolet simulator. Taylor and Garcia have won four WeatherTech Championship races this year and lead the GTLM standings in a highly successful first season for the Corvette C8.R. The day of on-track testing was an unexpected bonus during a campaign when almost all race car testing is handled via the simulator. For Corvette Racing, that’s an additional hurdle as it continues development of an all-new, mid-engine design. “Antonio and Tommy Milner and I were able to do some laps and get a feel for the track,” Taylor reported. “I think having a day at the simulator to kind of figure it out definitely sped up the learning process by the time we got to the track – understanding what curbs you can and can’t use, and where you want to line up the car and set up for other corners. “It was definitely a big help and I think having the Chevy simulator to use has been a big part of our whole season,” Taylor added. “Chase had a big part in developing the ROVAL stuff on the simulator, which has been a big help for us. I’m sure as the weekend unfolds, we’ll have some questions and maybe we can play on top of those guys, and vice-versa.” It’s not inconceivable that NASCAR star Elliott could join Corvette Racing for an IMSA endurance race sometime in the future. “I think it would be a blast,” Elliott remarked. “I’ve always enjoyed watching the Rolex 24-hour race (at Daytona). I know that’s one of the bigger events every year, and it kind of kicks off the racing season. “I think it would be fun to give it a shot sometime down the road. If the opportunity ever presented itself, I think I would enjoy the challenge, for sure.” The weekend schedule at the MOTUL 100% Synthetic Grand Prix calls for a one-hour practice session at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday. Saturday will see the WeatherTech Championship machines on track for a second practice from 9:45-11 a.m., followed by qualifying at 2 p.m.Live race coverage begins at 8 p.m. on NBCSN, with the green flag dropping at 8:05 p.m. In addition to the NBCSN telecast, IMSA Radio coverage airs on IMSA.com and SiriusXM Radio (Sirius channel 217, XM 202 and Internet 972). |
