News Director 
Story By: MUSTANG SAMPLING RACING – DAYTONA BEACH, FL – The 2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season will open next weekend at Daytona International Speedway with the 56th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and Mustang Sampling Racing will look to start the year with a big result in the twice around the clock classic event.
Mustang Sampling Racing won the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup titles and has spent months preparing to add to that record of success in the most challenging events on the IMSA schedule.
2010 and 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Joao Barbosa (PRT) will team with his full-season co-pilot Filipe Albuquerque (PRT) in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, with 2004 and 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Christian Fittipaldi (BRA) returning with a third victory in his sights. The driver line up marks the third consecutive season that the trio have combined for Mustang Sampling.
Last year, the team took the Rolex 24 pole on debut with the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R on the way to finishing second in the race. The 2018 season will see the effort look to benefit from the continuity that comes with having the same driver line up combined with the benefits of utilizing the capable Cadillac DPi-V.R package for a second season.
The team, which took wins at the 2010 and 2014 Rolex 24 events, has raced some 20,462 miles (5,748 laps) in the race since that 2010 debut with four podium finishes and seven top-five results.
The event will open with practice and qualifying on Thursday, with final practice on Friday ahead of Saturday’s 12:00 PM autograph session and race start (LIVE on FOX at 2:00 PM ET).
