Vasser Sullivan Racing
American motorsports team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vasser Sullivan Racing is an American auto racing team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, established in 2018 by American businessman James Sullivan and 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series champion Jimmy Vasser.[1] A longtime competitor in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, the team are currently responsible for Lexus' racing activities in the series, with which they won the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Pro Drivers' and Teams' championships with the Lexus RC F GT3.[2] Vasser Sullivan Racing have also previously competed in the IndyCar Series in partnership with Dale Coyne Racing.
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| Founded | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Base | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Team principal(s) | James Sullivan Jimmy Vasser |
| Current series | IMSA SportsCar Championship |
| Former series | IndyCar Series |
| Noted drivers |  Ben Barnicoat Townsend Bell Sébastien Bourdais Jack Hawksworth Kyle Kirkwood Frankie Montecalvo Aaron Telitz Parker Thompson |
| Teams' Championships | 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Pro |
| Drivers' Championships | 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Pro |
| Website | https://vassersullivanracing.com/ |
Background
Prior to the creation of the team, Vasser Sullivan Racing's team owners, American businessman James Sullivan and CART champion Jimmy Vasser, had previously worked together since 2011. Sullivan founded motocross and rallycross team SH Racing after graduating from Baylor University in 2003, majoring in entrepreneurship and marketing.[3] Vasser was a co-owner of KV Racing Technology, an IndyCar Series outfit formed alongside Australian venture capitalist Kevin Kalkhoven. Both teams came together to form KVSH Racing, competing in Global Rallycross and the IndyCar Series.[4][5] They left the series in 2016, which followed with KV Racing Technology folding in 2017 after a failed partnership with Carlin Motorsport.[1][6] A year later, Sullivan and Vasser partnered with Dale Coyne Racing for the 2018 IndyCar Series, and thus established the 'Vasser Sullivan' name for the first time.[1]
Racing history
IndyCar Series
In 2018, James Sullivan and Jimmy Vasser partnered up with Dale Coyne Racing, supporting four-time Champ Car World Series champion and longtime KVSH driver Sébastien Bourdais' entry for the 2018 IndyCar Series.[1] Competing as Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan, the team won in their first race together, as Bourdais won the 2018 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, taking advantage of a collision at the race's final restart between frontrunners Robert Wickens and Alexander Rossi.[7] After earning another podium at the 2018 Grand Prix of Portland, Bourdais completed his first year with the team with one victory and two podiums, finishing 7th overall. Bourdais and the team did not achieve the same level of consistency in their second season, scoring a podium at the 2019 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, but falling to 11th overall in the 2019 IndyCar Series standings.
Santino Ferrucci took over Bourdais' full-time seat in the 2020 IndyCar Series,[8] following Bourdais' departure from the team and subsequent move to the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[9] Ed Jones replaced Ferrucci a year later for the 2021 IndyCar Series, however, had trouble producing results.[10] At the conclusion of the season, Dale Coyne Racing and Vasser Sullivan Racing concluded their partnership after four seasons of competition.[11]
IMSA SportsCar Championship
Vasser Sullivan Racing entered sports car racing for the first time in the 2019 IMSA SportsCar Championship, winning the bid to become Lexus' North American factory team and replacing 3GT Racing in the process.[12] The team also formed a partnership with Canadian racing team AIM Autosport, as they entered the series together as AIM Vasser Sullivan.[13][14] The combined effort recorded their first win in the third race of the 2019 season with Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand finishing at the front of the GTD class at the 2019 Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio. After three seasons together, which saw numerous wins and podiums, Vasser Sullivan Racing announced that AIM Autosport would be departing from the team at the end of 2020.[15] The team saw a significant overhaul in that year's off-season, as engineers, mechanics, and additional technical personnel hired from experienced IMSA, IndyCar, and NASCAR teams, including newly-hired team manager Greg Cates, who had multiple seasons of experience including with previous Lexus factory team 3GT Racing.[16]
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The team expanded further heading into the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, signing Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth to drive the #14 GTD Pro car. Barnicoat joined the team at the behest of Hawksworth, who reached out to him to bring him into the team.[17] Following the addition of Barnicoat, Aaron Telitz was moved to the #12 car alongside Frankie Montecalvo.[18] Richard Heistand and Townsend Bell would return to join the No. 12 crew at the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona while Kyle Kirkwood joined the #14 squad in the same race and for the remaining endurance races that season.
Heading into 2023, Vasser Sullivan Racing brought in more experience for each of its teams. Veteran race engineer Geoff Fickling and mechanic Travis Morgan were appointed as race engineer and car chief for the #14 team, respectively. Chris Andrews and NASCAR crew member Jesse Goldin were also appointed as race engineer and car chief for the #12 team, respectively.[19] Vasser Sullivan Racing won the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Pro Drivers' and Teams' championships with the #14 duo of Barnicoat and Hawksworth, securing the titles at the green flag of the 2023 Petit Le Mans, as the team carried a significant points margin from 2nd.[2][20]
Hawksworth and Barnicoat were retained as full season drivers for the 2024 season.[21] Vasser Sullivan Racing also placed third in the IMSA GTD championship but elected to swap in Parker Thompson into a full-season role alongside Frankie Montecalvo for the 2024 season. Aaron Telitz returned in an endurance driver role.[22]
For 2025, the team elected to restructure its driver lineup, with Ben Barnicoat paired alongside Aaron Telitz in the #14 car in the IMSA GTD Pro class, while Jack Hawksworth and Parker Thompson will split duties of the #12 car in the GTD class.[23] For the Michelin Endurance Cup, Kyle Kirkwood joined the #14 team while Frankie Montecalvo competed with the #12 team. Townsend Bell also returned with the #12 crew at the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona.[24]
Race results
Complete IndyCar Series results
(key)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Drivers | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Pos. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | STP | PHX | LBH | ALA | IMS | INDY | DET | TXS | ROA | IOW | TOR | MDO | POC | GAT | POR | SNM | |||||||||
| Dallara DW12 | Honda HI18TT 2.2 L V6t | Sébastien Bourdais |
18 | 1 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 13 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 19 | 6 | 4 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 7th | 425 | |||
| 2019 | STP | COA | ALA | LBH | IMS | INDY | DET | TXS | ROA | TOR | IOW | MDO | POC | GAT | POR | LAG | |||||||||
| Dallara DW12 | Honda HI19TT 2.2 L V6t | Sébastien Bourdais |
18 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 11th | 387 | |||
| 2020 | TXS | IMS | ROA | IOW | INDY | GAT | MDO | IMS | STP | ||||||||||||||||
| Dallara DW12 | Honda HI20TT 2.2 L V6t | Santino Ferrucci |
18 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 18 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 23 | 13th | 290 | ||||||
| 2021 | ALA | STP | TXS | IMS | INDY | DET | ROA | MDO | NSH | IMS | GAT | POR | LAG | LBH | |||||||||||
| Dallara DW12 | Honda HI21TT 2.2 L V6t |  Ed Jones |
18 | 15 | 20 | 12 | 22 | 14 | 28 | 9 | 17 | 23 | 26 | 6 | 14 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 19th | 233 | ||||
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
† Points only counted towards the WeatherTech Sprint Cup and not the overall GTD championship.
* Season still in progress.