Alton, Virginia – Lexus and AIM VASSER SULLIVAN (AVS) are set to compete in Saturday’s race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) on the strength of three consecutive GTD wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The two hour and 40-minute sprint race at the 17-turn, 3.27-mile Virginia road course is the fifth event on the 2020 IMSA calendar.

The AVS team has combined to register three wins, five podiums, two pole positions and have led 188 GTD laps (of 219) in the last three races since IMSA returned to action at Daytona International Speedway on July 4. Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo scored their first win in the Lexus RC F GT3 at the most recent IMSA race at Road America. Bell led 32 laps (of 34) behind the wheel of the No. 12 Lexus and battled inclement weather conditions in the closing laps to pull out the third straight victory for AVS and Lexus.

Jack Hawksworth and Aaron Telitz teamed up to earn back-to-back wins in sprint races at Daytona and Sebring International Raceway before a third-place result at Road America to give the driver duo three straight podium finishes. Along with earning their inaugural IMSA victories, Montecalvo and Telitz also scored their first career IMSA pole positions at Sebring and Road America, respectively.

The recent win streak marks the second time Lexus has won three straight IMSA races, and the first time for the Lexus RC F GT3 in GTD competition. Prior to this milestone, Lexus accomplished the feat in 2006 with three consecutive race wins for a Lexus-powered Prototype to end the IMSA season that year.

Lexus currently leads the GTD manufacturer points in the overall and Sprint Cup standings. The No. 14 Lexus leads the overall GTD championship by one point over the No. 12 RC F GT3, which ranks second. The No. 14 team also leads the IMSA Sprint Cup standings, while the No. 12 RC F GT3 duo ranks second in the Sprint Cup championship, seven points behind their AVS teammates heading into VIR.

Saturday’s IMSA race at VIR will be live at 2 p.m. ET on NBC TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold for authenticated subscribers and will be tape-delayed on NBCSN on Sunday, August 23 at 10 a.m. ET. 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

TOWNSEND BELL, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3

How much momentum does the No. 12 Lexus team have going into VIR after your win at Road America?

“Road America was great with earning our first win of the season for the AIM VASSER SULLIVAN No. 12 Lexus, but everything resets now for VIR. With another two-day event, we will need to roll off the truck strong with limited time. I love racing at VIR because it’s yet another great American natural terrain road course with a personality all its own. It will also be a busy weekend, with Indy 500 work right after, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. It should be a blast to do another double like that.”

FRANKIE MONTECALVO, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3

What is your outlook for racing at VIR?

“The race at VIR should be very exciting. Winning the race at Road America was amazing, but now it’s in our rear view. My sights are set on getting some redemption at VIR. Last year we qualified on the front row with the Lexus RC F GT3, but some contact on the first lap put us back in the pack. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m confident we have the team to fight for that podium. “

JACK HAWKSWORTH, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3

What is your mindset as you head into the race weekend at VIR?

"Coming off the back of a race we should have won at Road America and a race at VIR that we should have won in 2019, I see this as an absolutely crucial moment in our 2020 season. We have to be absolutely clinical from this point forward and finish stronger than our competition over the remaining races. I love this track and I know we have the team to get this thing done at AIM VASSER SULLIVAN. It's absolutely go time from this point forward."

AARON TELITZ, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3

Are you looking forward to racing at VIR?

"It's been a while since I've been to VIR. Last time I raced there was 2013 in FF1600 cars. Jack has already helped to get me video and notes to make sure I'm up to speed immediately as we don't have a lot of practice at these events. The good news is we have lots of momentum heading into VIR from our run of three podiums in a row, including two wins. This has been a good track for the Lexus RC F GT3 car in the past so I'm ready to continue that trend!"