Lexus LC 500 to Serve as Official Safety Vehicle for July 4th Race

Daytona Beach, Florida – Lexus and AIM VASSER SULLIVAN (AVS) return to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday after five months away from the track due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 IMSA season will resume at Daytona in a two hour and 40-minute sprint race around the legendary 12-turn, 3.56-mile Florida track on Saturday evening.

AVS returns with two Lexus RC F GT3 cars competing in Saturday’s race where Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo continue in the No. 12 Lexus, while Jack Hawksworth and Aaron Telitz team up behind the wheel of the No. 14 RC F GT3. AVS opened the season at Daytona in January with a ninth-place result by the No. 14 and a 12th-place finish for the No. 12 after a grueling 24 hours. Last season, AVS earned a runner-up podium result and a fifth-place finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the team’s first race together.

Saturday’s race was added to the schedule due to other 2020 IMSA event cancelations, and marks the first time in 10 years the series will compete in a sprint race at Daytona during Independence Day weekend. Lexus previously competed in six sprint races at Daytona during the July 4th weekend from 2004 to 2009 with two Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus-powered Prototypes in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won the sprint race at Daytona in the No. 01 Lexus Riley Prototype on July 3, 2008, with Pruett making a last lap pass in the trioval coming to the checkered flag for the memorable victory. Lexus was also victorious at Daytona in three consecutive Rolex 24 races from 2006 to 2008.

The 2021 Lexus LC 500 luxury performance coupe will serve as the Official Safety Vehicle in Saturday’s IMSA return to racing at Daytona. The 5.0-liter naturally aspirated, direct-injection V8, which includes a patriotic livery, will lead the IMSA field to the green flag as the all-new LC 500 convertible gets ready to debut in Lexus showrooms later this summer.

The IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Daytona will be broadcast live on NBCSN beginning at 6:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 4. The race action will also be live on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com throughout its entirety for authenticated subscribers. To follow all of the racing action, fans can follow Lexus Racing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by using #LexusRCF GT3, #LexusPerformance and #LexusRacing.

AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Quotes

JACK HAWKSWORTH, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3

What is your mindset getting back in the Lexus RC F GT3 for a sprint race at Daytona this weekend?

“We’ve had one race already, but it feels like we’re starting a brand-new year. It’s going to be very different going to Daytona this time. This is going to be like a Lime Rock Park or another sprint race where there’s no time to be cautious or to hold back. Qualifying is going to be absolutely critical and every lap in the race is going to be an absolute sprint. It’s a much more aggressive mindset and a much more racers mindset really instead of at the 24 and the thought in the back of your head that you have to look after everything and leave something on the table. We need to qualify really well and then we need to be as fast as we can the whole way through the race. You can’t give up position. There’s not going to be a lot of time to prepare. There’s not going to be a lot of time to build up to speed or get used to stuff. Everyone has been out of the car for five or six months, so everyone is going to be a bit rusty. It’s going to be a unique situation. If you’re just a little bit behind the eight ball because you’ve not been in the car for a while, or because the teams haven’t done a lot of pit stops, you might see more mistakes and errors than what we’ve seen in previous races which could make it quite exciting. My teammates and all of the guys on the AIM VASSER SULLIVAN team are super focused. We all want to go out there and win. Having Aaron Telitz in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 as my teammate is an extra boost. I’m super excited to get back to competing in the Lexus RC F GT3 again and to get into that competitive mindset because it has been very strange the last five months not really knowing what we’re doing, not really having any competition or anything to kind of focus on. Now, we’re back in it.”

AARON TELITZ, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3

Are you looking forward to returning to the race track to race full-time in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3?

“After months of nothing but iRacing, it's going to feel so good to fire up my Lexus RCF GT3 instead of my PC! I know the AVS boys and girls have been working hard to make sure we hit the ground running in Daytona after this long break. This is my first ever sprint race so it's all new to me. I've got great teammates with a lot of experience I can draw from so we will have a great game plan set for the shorter race. I've been on a regular exercise routine during the entire break, so I feel like I'm in good shape, but it'll still take some laps in the car to get back to feeling 100%. It's going to be hot and humid, so staying hydrated will be the key to making sure you're not falling out of the seat after a stint. I can't wait to get my first IMSA sprint race. I hope everyone tunes in to watch the unofficial ’Pre-Fireworks Show’ on the 4th of July.”

TOWNSEND BELL, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3

What is your outlook for this weekend’s sprint race at Daytona, and also commentating the IndyCar race in Indianapolis?

“It’s exciting to get back on the race track with AIM VASSER SULLIVAN in our Lexus RC F GT3 at Daytona this weekend. I will be doing the double, racing at Daytona and also my duties with NBC Sports commentating Saturday’s IndyCar race in Indianapolis, so it should be challenging and fun. Thanks to both AVS and NBC for allowing me to make it happen. I’ve never done a sprint race at Daytona so it should be interesting. Everyone will be ‘on the lead lap with only 2:40 to go at the Daytona 24,’ so it should be great. Our Lexus RC F GT3 seems to like Daytona so we should have a strong run.”

FRANKIE MONTECALVO, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3

Are you looking forward to returning to AIM VASSER SULLIVAN for the full 2020 season?

“I’m extremely excited to return to racing with AIM VASSER SULLIVAN with the Lexus RC F GT3 this weekend. It feels like it has been an unexpected off-season. It has been a long time since competing in a sprint race at Daytona, so it should be great fun and like the last hours of the 24. Running with a team like AVS, we should be strong right out of the box in our Lexus RC F GT3.”