BEN WADDELL BREAKS THROUGH FOR PODIUM FINISH AT SEBRING

Sebring, Fla. (17 July 2020) – After qualifying well, leading the race and coming home with a podium result, Ben Waddell continued to impress in just his third IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race start on Friday. Sharing the No. 47 Stoner Car Care Hyundai Veloster N TCR, Waddell and Ben Papadopulos combined for a run to third place at Sebring International Raceway for Forty7 Motorsports.
 
The two-day event saw qualifying staged on Friday morning ahead of an early afternoon start for the two-hour Advent Health 120. Geared up to qualify the Stoner Car Care machine, Waddell worked through the 15-minute session to lock in a quick time and secure fourth on the combined-class race grid.
 
Waddell took the green flag for the opening driving stint, quickly making progress breaking into the top three in the first lap. Maintaining the front tires became critical to make use of the green flag.
 
The race was halted due to lightning in the area resulting in an hour and 15-minute red flag period. Strapping back into the No. 47 Hyundai, Waddell started on working his way towards the front, making a daring pass on a TCR and GS car to move into second. After moving to the TCR class point on lap 14, Waddell raced his way to third overall before turning the car over to teammate Papadopulos.

The No. 47 slotted back into third following the pit stop, as Papadopulos maintained the position through seven laps before weather became a factor, causing the final four laps to be run under yellow. Papadopulos brought the No. 47 Stoner Car Care Racing duo home in third as a yellow and checkered flag marked the end of the Advent Health 120. The third place finish was a strong reward for Waddell’s rapid adjustment to IMSA competition, as he claimed his first career IMSA podium appearance in just his third series start.
 
“The No. 47 Stoner Car Care Hyundai Veloster N TCR is an amazing car,” said Waddell. “I have had to adjust my racing style to driving a front-wheel drive car, but having the engineering support of Bryan Herta Autosport along with Forty7 Motorsports has been a tremendous help. The extra, specialized data helped us execute well this weekend. I was in the zone leading the TCR field, but we knew it was time to make a driver change and pit stop when our front tires started to fall off. It feels amazing getting our first podium of the season!”
 
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge heads north to Road America for the Road America 120 – Round Three of the 2020 season on Saturday, August 1st.

Ben Waddell Ready for IMSA Return at Sebring

Sebring, Fla. (16 July 2020) – Ben Waddell returns to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) this weekend, making a second TCR class outing in the Forty7 Motorsports No. 47 Stoner Car Care Hyundai Veloster N TCR at Sebring International Raceway for the Advent Health 120. The event marks the second round of the 2020 IMSA season following a pandemic pause in IMSA race events. 
 
Having raced to the lead in his first time on board a GT car with his strong stint behind the wheel of the Stoner Car Care Aston Martin at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last October, Waddell made his TCR class debut with Forty7 Motorsports in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in January. Despite some challenging technical issues in the four hour enduro, the 24-year-old brought home a top ten finish on the high banks.
 
Waddell will take on the iconic bumps of the south Florida track for the third time in his racing career having made two race starts with the Lucas Oil Racing School Series and IMSA Prototype Challenge. He will be joined by a new teammate, Alex Papadopoulos, who brings experience with the Hyundai platform driving the Veloster N TCR in TC America with Copeland Motorsports.
 
Keen to make his return to real-life racing after an extended period of virtual competition, Waddell is primed to take on the 3.74-mile course this week. 
 
“I am extremely excited for the upcoming weekend at Sebring for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race in the Forty7 Motorsports Stoner Car Care Hyundai Veloster N TCR,” said Waddell. “Going into this weekend, I am really looking forward to working with Alex (Papadopoulos). We both have experience in the Hyundai so we hope that will translate to a solid performance, even though we have never driven together before. The team is a one car effort this weekend and we are all focused on getting as much performance out of the car as we can to be contenders. Sebring has always been a track I love and I am super excited to see what we can do.”
 
Waddell and the No. 47 Stoner Car Care Hyundai will take on the Advent Health 120 Friday, July 17th at 2:30PM ET with flag-to-flag coverage available on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

Talking With IMSA Driver Ben Waddell - Pit Lane Parley

Ben Waddell chatted with Mike from Pit Lane Parley about all things IMSA, iRacing, and his dad, Barry! Click the link below to check it out.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/620FsziR6CvwvgsvBqTgaS?si=nij8ykeSRX6m1B82qPeVdg

Stoner Car Care Driver Ben Waddell Makes Winning Transition to esports Competition

Denver, Co. (7 April 2020) – Stoner Car Care driver Ben Waddell, has been making the most during motorsports’ shift to esports during the temporary break in IMSA competition.  The Colorado native put his extensive real and virtual world racing experience to excellent use as he won the opening round of the FR Americas iRacing series at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on March 24th.

To fill the void of physical racing due to the coronavirus pandemic, several racing series have embraced the online racing platform to keep their racers active and their fans engaged. Waddell has been participating as a guest driver in the FR Americas online series as well as IMSA sanctioned iRacing events.

Running under the Swindell SpeedLab virtual tent for the virtual FR Americas race, Waddell returned to a formula car setup for the first time since racing in the 2017 F4 US Championship, where he had two podiums and two top five finishes in 20 starts with JDX Racing.

As many drivers in the sport are getting accustomed to the world of virtual racing, Waddell has an edge up on the competition having utilized the iRacing platform throughout his career to accelerate his race preparations.

“Whenever I have the time, I utilize iRacing when possible,” said Waddell. “It is a fun program to continue racing when we aren’t physically able to. Participating in different events creates different levels of competition and that keeps the sport fresh and exciting. I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for the FR Americas iRacing series. Coming out of the first race with a win was a great way to start off.”

Having had to balance track time with budget, Waddell has utilized the online racing platform for as long has he can remember.

“My driving skills are completely sim-trained,” said Waddell. “I didn’t start racing in go-karts, like most drivers do, before getting into a car. I have been using iRacing since I was 13 years old and I became an alpha driver that tested the program before it was released to the public. The advanced technology of the program is a tool that helps drivers reach a new level of skill set when you get into a race car.”

Waddell has also been working on his IMSA virtual racing schedule, having been invited to race in the first IMSA sanctioned virtual race at Sebring International Raceway on March 21st. With a 2020 schedule that has already seen him race in the TCR class in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition, Waddell was eager to mix it up with a field that included drivers from nearly every facet of IMSA competition including the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The 90-minute race kicked off with Waddell starting from 24th. Equipped with the Stoner Car Care liveried Porsche 911 RSR, Waddell battled through the opening round to finish 14th in the field of 50 entries.

IMSA has announced a bi-weekly series of Thursday night races to be known as the “IMSA iRacing Pro Series,” and Waddell has elected to move to the Ford GT platform for the remainder of the races.

The series will follow the same format as the Sebring SuperSaturday – 90-minute, single-driver races using recent IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) race cars: the BMW M8, Porsche 911 RSR, Ferrari 488 and Ford GT. With the Sebring event serving as the first round of an anticipated six-round championship, the series will resume on Thursday, April 16 on the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca iRacing circuit and will be streamed at iRacings YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPEcqkRG-kf2Vk6Rn_2WZSQ.

Waddell will also participate in the FR Americas iRacing season every Tuesday at 7PM ET- streamed live on the FR Americas YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0EpATpkwxGJyJCXXq3nxrg.

IMSA iRacing Pro Series Thursday Night Thunder

April 16 – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

April 30 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

May 14 – IMSA venue to be determined

May 28 – IMSA venue to be determined

June 11 – Watkins Glen International

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Stoner Car Care Racing Driver Ben Waddell Completes Hyundai Driver’s Camp

Indianapolis, Ind. (3 March 2020) – With on-track success helping to fuel the growth of its program in North American motorsport, Hyundai recently demonstrated its commitment to the program by hosting the inaugural Hyundai Driver’s Camp presented by Bryan Herta Autosport.

The four-day long camp brought 12 Hyundai racers from around the country to Indianapolis to test physical fitness abilities, teach necessary skills from data recognition to media training, and strengthen team bonds.

Stoner Car Care Racing driver, Ben Waddell, took part in the four-day camp alongside his Forty7 Motorsports teammates AJ Muss and Wyatt Schwab. After a whirlwind few days, Waddell took some time to go into detail about what it was like learning and working with the automotive giant.

The last few days were truly an incredible experience that Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport put on for us. The first day started at PitFit Training, which is an Indianapolis-based gym that is dedicated to the fitness needs of race car drivers. We all had our baseline fitness abilities tested to create a program dedicated to our specific needs. Over the three days of training, I don’t think I have ever been that sore! The fitness program targets muscle groups that drivers use in the car but not everyday life. Learning these workouts allowed me to take those programs moving forward and to better prepare myself for when I am inside the car.

Following our morning workout, we headed to the Bryan Herta Autosport shop where we were given a tour of the facility before a media presentation by local sports reporter, Dave Furst. He gave us tips on how to make each interview we do, a good interview. 

Next, was a team bonding exercise at an escape room. Those 60-minutes of working together strengthened our relationships by forcing us to figure out the best way to communicate with each other. That experience will be able to help us during race weekends because it teaches us how to open the channels of communication that we need in order to help us put our Hyundai cars on top. 

The next couple of days operated similarly. Following our training sessions at PitFit, we had presentations from multiple people. One that stood out to me was Ross Rosenburg, Assistant  Manager, Experiential Marketing for Hyundai in the U.S. He gave us insight on Hyundai’s mission in racing and the future of its involvement in the sport. Listening to him only strengthened my level of commitment to continuing to be a part of Hyundais very promising future growth in racing.

As the camp came to an end, we participated in more team activities including (naturally…) a go kart race and playing broomball during halftime at the Indy Fuel hockey game.

As I reflect on the camp, it is truly amazing what Hyundai is doing and there is so much excitement around the brand. A big thank you to Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai USA, Katie Brannan and everyone involved in the camp for making it a wonderful experience and for allowing us to have these opportunities. I love being a part of this manufacturer and hope to contribute to Hyundai’s growing record of success. 

Ben Waddell will return to the wheel of his No. 74 Stoner Car Care Racing Hyundai Veloster N TCR at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course May 2nd for the Acura Sports Car Challenge.