Conway Ruled Out of Rolex 24 Due to Travel Issues - Sportscar365

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R will run with just a three-driver lineup in this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona after travel issues have ruled Mike Conway out of the car for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener.

Conway was announced as a fourth driver in the Action Express Racing-run Cadillac DPi-V.R, alongside full-season drivers Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque as well as Christian Fittipaldi, who is making his final Rolex 24 start.

“We just got off the phone with Mike, he has been delayed and is still in England,” said team manager Gary Nelson. “We are very disappointed that we won’t be able to have Mike in our car for the race.

“With the delay, it became obvious that he could not make the trip to Daytona in time for the final practice session. We all decided that it may be best for the 5 car to race the Rolex with Christian, Joao and Fillipe.

“We will continue to work with Mike in other events in the 2019 endurance championship.”

Conway is the second Mark Blundell-managed driver to face travel issues for the race, after Tom Blomqvist was ruled out of the BMW Team RLL lineup due to visa delays.

Action Express’ sister Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi will also feature a three-driver lineup in Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr and Eric Curran as originally planned.

A mechanical issue for the No. 5 Cadillac DPi saw the car not set a time in qualifying and will therefore start from the rear of the DPi field tomorrow.

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365 as well as the recently launched e-racing365 Web site for electric racing. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com/SPEED Channel, and contributes to other publications worldwide. Contact John