Just before the "State of the Series" event on Saturday night that saw the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule - as well as the new title sponsor - unveiled, one of the top teams of the current TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Action Express Racing, announced their plans for the 2016 racing season.

The announcement took place in the media center at Road America ahead of Sunday's Continental Tire Road Race Showcase. With the team was team principal Bob Johnson, team manager Gary Nelson, drivers Christian Fittipaldi, João Barbosa, Eric Curran, and Dane Cameron, as well as Sonny Whelen of Whelen Engineering and Ken and Brenda Thompson of Mustang Sampling, the two main sponsors of the team's two Corvette Daytona Prototype entries.

Both the No. 5 Mustang Sampling and No. 31 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette DPs will return for 2016 with driver lineups identical to what they've had for this season. Fittipaldi and Barbosa will remain at the wheel of the No. 5 while Eric Curran and Dane Cameron will continue to pilot the No. 31.

"It's exciting to announce that our two teams will continue to compete full-time in 2016 for the IMSA [WeatherTech SportsCar Championship] as well as the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup," said Bob Johnson.

"Additionally, we'll have all four of our drivers back and that will only continue to add to the continuity which has developed in the engineering room throughout the 2015 season and we look for even greater things with João, Christian, Eric and Dane next season," he continued.

Nelson, team manager, noted that the team will continue racing the Chevrolet-powered Corvette DPs like they have since the Detroit-headquartered manufacturer began powering cars in North America's flagship sports car racing class in 2012.

"Over the past two years we've been able to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Twelve Hours of Sebring, Brickyard Grand Prix and of course our victory here at Road America last season which propelled us to the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup."

It was also said that with the support of the team's reliable supplier partners, the team has completed all 12,114 miles of this newest era of sports car racing in North America under the TUDOR Championship banner.

For coverage of the remainder of the 2015 TUDOR Championship season as well as coverage of next year's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, follow @VAVELSportsCar on Twitter.


Aaron Durant is the editor of the VAVEL USA Racing section. Follow him on Twitter at @DoubleA291.

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Aaron Durant
Eighteen-year-old aspiring motorsports journalist. I lead The Apex as its editor-in-chief. Read my work at TheApex.racing.