Ben Waddell and AJ Muss Battle to Ninth in Daytona Opener for Forty7 Motorsports

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (24 January 2020) – Forty7 Motorsports kicked off the 2020 IMSA  Michelin Pilot Challenge (MPC) season with a promising ninth-place finish in the BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway on Friday. Ben Waddell and AJ Muss shared the Stoner Car Care-Sponsored No. 74 Forty7 Motorsports Hyundai Veloster N TCR, fighting back from electrical issues and a lengthy penalty for an improper wave-by to come home with a top-ten finish.

The race was just the second-ever IMPC start for Waddell and marked his TCR class debut, while the race was the first-ever IMSA event for Muss.

“Overall, we thought we had a good setup after throwing a big change at the car before the race,” said Waddell. “I had my hopes up that we could move through the field with how well AJ was running. Having a radio issue put us on our back foot, causing hurdle after hurdle. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. I am grateful to have this opportunity with Forty7 Motorsports and am proud to represent Stoner Car Care, hopefully we can build on this weekend the next time out.”

Making his career-first pit stop, Muss entered the pits fourth in the order as the Olympic snowboarder checked off a number of firsts on the day.

“My Forty7 Motorsports Hyundai Veloster car was absolutely phenomenal,” Muss said. “I felt like I was driving it great. Unfortunately, we had an electrical issue right after my first pit stop. When I dropped the tires, my dash was going haywire and it kept flipping the screens. It didn’t show gear position, so I was counting gears in my head. I cycled the power, and the radio went dead. So I had no radio for the rest of my stint.”

Not having radio contact led to the team’s issue on the next round of pit stops, which came under caution near the midway point.

“This was my first race, so I didn’t know some of the rules like second nature,” Muss said. “With no radio, I just kind of guessed, and I came in to the pits one lap too early. When I saw the GS cars pitting, I forgot I had to wait to pit with the TCR cars.”

Adding to the challenge was a four-minute stop and hold for a procedural penalty under caution which forced Waddell to open his stint three laps down.

The final two hours proved to be a learning experience for the Denver, Colorado driver.

“There is a special driving style to the car that I will need to learn in order to be competitive,” Waddell said. “I was happy with my pace, so with some setup work and changing the way I drive – we should be running up front in no time.”

The next race for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge will be a two-hour event at Sebring International Raceway on Thursday, March 19.

About Stoner Car Care 

Stoner Car Care produces high-performance car washes, waxes, polishes, and dressings for auto enthusiasts and car care professionals. The Stoner Car Care line-up includes Invisible Glass, America’s #1 Automotive Glass Cleaner, along with many other appearance products. Whether driving, washing or waxing, Performance Matters! Stoner car care proudly formulates all of our product since 1942. www.stonercarcare.com

About Invisible Glass

Automatic Racing sees their way to victory with Invisible Glass, the top-selling automotive glass cleaner in the United States. The Invisible Glass product line includes aerosol and spray bottle cleaner, Invisible Glass with rain repellent for windshields and wiper blades. Find more online at https://www.invisibleglass.com/

Ben Waddell Set for IMSA TCR Debut at Daytona

Stoner Car Care driver looks to maintain short but strong record in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge 

 Daytona Beach, Fla. (19 January 2020) –  In his IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (MPC) debut at Road Atlanta last year, young American racer Ben Waddell led the race on board the Stoner Car Care Racing Aston Martin. Now, Waddell is looking to get back to the front again next weekend as he joins 47 Motorsports for the BMW Endurance Challenge this Friday. Waddell has been signed to co-drive the No. 74 Hyundai Veloster N TCR with fellow American and former Olympian AJ Muss.

Having established his speed and racecraft in formula car competition, the 24-year-old Denver, Colorado resident has been running with Stoner Car Care Products over the past two years in selected IMSA Prototype Challenge races, with his best finishes of fourth at Barber Motorsports Park in 2018, and fifth at Mid-Ohio in 2019.

Waddell made a big impression last season at Road Atlanta as he made his first-ever start driving a GT machine. Despite his inexperience in the category, and racing a car that had over 60,000 miles on it, Waddell found his way to the front before a closed pit lane late in the race cost him a shot at a storybook podium debut.

With the chance to pilot one of the successful Hyundai Veloster N TCR machines, Waddell is looking forward to his return to Daytona to kick off the 2020 IMSA season. The New Jersey-based 47 Motorsports team has already tasted the champagne at Daytona this year, having claimed the win in Prototype Challenge earlier this month.

“This will be a first for me, as I’ve never driven a TCR car before but the Hyundai has had a ton of success so it should be a great platform for me,” said Waddell. “I met AJ (Muss) at the Roar and we are both really focused on learning as much as we can and delivering a solid result for Garret (Kletjian, 47 Motorsports team owner) and Stoner Car Care. My first Pilot Challenge race was a blast and with so many TCR cars in this field I think this four hour event is going to be a lot of fun.”

The BMW Endurance Challenge takes the green flag at 1:10 p.m. Eastern on Friday, with fans able to tune in via the NBC Trackpass.

NBCSN will broadcast a two-hour race recap on a future date.

About Invisible Glass

Automatic Racing sees their way to victory with Invisible Glass, the top-selling automotive glass cleaner in the United States. The Invisible Glass product line includes aerosol and spray bottle cleaner, Invisible Glass with rain repellent for windshields and wiper blades. Find more online at https://www.invisibleglass.com/

About Stoner Car Care 

Stoner Car Care produces high-performance car washes, waxes, polishes, and dressings for auto enthusiasts and car care professionals. The Stoner Car Care line-up includes Invisible Glass, America’s #1 Automotive Glass Cleaner, along with many other appearance products. Whether driving, washing or waxing, Performance Matters! Stoner car care proudly formulates all of our product since 1942

About Automatic Racing

Based in Orlando, Automatic Racing is one of the longest-running teams in the paddock, forming in 2001 and competing in all but one of the 11 MICHELIN Pilot Challenge races at Daytona. The team has been developing, preparing and racing the prestigious Aston Martin Vantage GT4 since 2012. Automatic Racing won the 2017 MICHELIN Pilot Challenge title.

Stoner Car Care Racing Blog Ben Waddell: Out Front At Road Atlanta

Going into the Motul Petit Le Mans weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, I didn’t know what to expect. Before the weekend started, I only had experience racing formula cars and prototypes, so this was my first pro race in a sports car.

Once I found out I would be given this opportunity to race in the IMSA Micheline Pilot Challenge, I was absolutely thrilled for the opportunity. With Stoner Car Care and Invisible Glass supporting me for almost five years and Automatic Racing being one of my families at the track, I was super excited to get out on track. The car I was racing, an Aston Martin, was one of the oldest cars in the GS field and has racing history that went back to 2013 so I was hoping close its final days at the pro level with a strong result.

Overall the weekend went absolutely amazing. After taking a few sessions to get used to the big Aston Martin moving around I was ready to give it my all in the race.

We had a fuel cell problem before the race, so unfortunately we started at the tail end of the pack. The race had cars from our GS class and then the slower TCR cars that carry a lot of speed in the corners and make things interesting for the drivers and the fans.

In the race my teammate Ramin (Abdolvahabi) did an amazing job to gain a few spots. We then reached the 40 minute mark in the race right as a caution came out.

That worked out great for us as I was able to get in the car with an hour and 20 left.

With pitting so early we took a gamble knowing our car was good on fuel, we also selected to not take tires to gain as many spots as possible. The Automatic Racing guys did a fantastic job on strategy as it payed off. With about 30 mins left, there was another cycle of pit stops as another caution came out and we were out front for the restart.

I knew this would be a challenge and I needed to save fuel and hope for a caution, along with having the same tires on the car from the day before in qualifying.

The old girl in her final race did amazing. I was able to hold off some of the cars behind me that had fresh tires. It was a great feeling to be out front with Stoner Car Care and everyone that has helped me. But I knew it was going to be tough because we needed the race to have a caution for us to make it on fuel. With about 6 minutes to go, we had to take to the pits for that splash of fuel to make it to the finish.

At the end of the day the results didn’t show just how much we were at a disadvantage with old tires and having to save fuel but I couldn’t be more happy for represent Automatic Racing and Stoner Car Care in full force. I hope another opportunity presents its self. But I couldn’t be more thankful for all the support and a strong showing in my IMPC debut.

Waddell Set for IMPC Debut in Stoner Car Care Aston Martin

BRASELTON, GA (9 October 2019) – Ben Waddell will make his IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) debut in the No. 99 Stoner Car Care Products Aston Martin Vantage GT4 campaigned by Automatic Racing in Friday’s Fox Factory 120 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Waddell will co-drive with Dr. Ramin Abdolvahabi in the Aston Martin sponsored by Invisible Glass, Rogue Engineering and Melbourne BMW, running in the final professional race for the car, and a series regular since 2013.

The 23-year-old Denver resident has been running with Stoner Car Care Products over the past two years in selected IMSA Prototype Challenge races, with his best finishes of fourth at Barber Motorsports Park in 2018, and fifth at Mid-Ohio in 2019.

“Stoner Car Care Products has been a big supporter of mine,” Waddell said. “My dad (Barry Waddell) is a long-time coach and spotter for team driver Rob Ecklin for many years, and I spotted for the No. 97 Invisible Glass Aston Martin this year at Laguna Seca. So this is a great opportunity to get in the car.

“This is my first real GT car I’ve ever driven,” Waddell added. “I’ve always driven in Prototypes or Formula cars, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Waddell has history at Michelin Raceway, driving there in the Skip Barber Racing School.

“I love Road Atlanta; it’s high commitment, with high-speed corners, but also very technical,” Waddell said.  “I really enjoy the track, and the whole Petit Le Mans weekend is quite an experience with all the fans.”

Friday will mark the final IMPC race for Aston Martin chassis #004, which has logged more than 62,000 racing miles over the past seven seasons.

“That car has mega history,” team owner David Russell said. “It started off with Multimatic Motorsports, prepared by Sean Mason. Scott Maxwell and Jade Buford drove it for one season. Then Anthony Mantella bought it, and co-drove it with Mark Wilkins for one year. Then we bought it, and the car has run full seasons since 2013.”

That chassis won at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and captured a pole at Virginia International Raceway, and claimed a podium at Daytona this year with Kris Wilson and Gary Ferrara. 

“It’s the longest-running car that I recall running in the series,” Russell said. “Now, we’ll retire it for club racing.”

Russell is looking for one more solid performance from that car.

“Two years ago we finished second at Road Atlanta`, and the year before that we finished third,” Russell said. “We’ve been knocking, and maybe it’s time to get to the top step. I think the No. 99 Stoner Car Care car could be really good on the soft Michelin tire. That car is super easy on the tire, and that compound wears a bit. If we get long, green-flag runs, believe it or not, that old car’s going to be really tough to beat.”

Waddell will have his first opportunity to get better acquainted with the No. 99 Stone Car Care Products Aston Martin during Wednesday’s unofficial promoter test day. There will be three official practice sessions on Thursday, with GS qualifying set for 4:55 p.m. ET. The Fox Factory 120 takes the green flag on Friday at 1:25 p.m. ET, and will be streamed live on IMSA.com.

Solid Performance for Invisible Glass Prototype with Ben Waddell at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Bowmanville, Ontario (7 July 2019) – Despite having a difficult day of racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ben Waddell and ONE Motorsports took plenty of positives away from the endurance event north of the border this weekend. 

Sharing the No. 66 Invisible Glass ONE Motorsport Ligier JS P3 with co-drivers Mikel Miller and Patrick Lin for the fourth round of IMSA Prototype Challenge competition at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, the trio made strides in the three hour race despite having to fight understeer through much of the race distance. 

The Prototype machine is one that is new to both the team and drivers, with ONE Motorsports making continued progress with the Nissan-powered LMP3 through the race weekend. 

Miller handled the shakedown last month, and the team put in 12-hour days over the course of the weekend to get the car ready for Saturday’s three-hour race. 

Miller qualified the car in 14th position, taking the green flag and moving up to 12th before two lengthy full course caution periods stalled his forward progress. 

Earlier in the weekend, the team made a shock change that helped some of the handling issues as Lin took the wheel at the 1:16 mark. Lin took over the controls for the middle segment of the race, moving up to sixth on lap 78 as the pit stop cycle saw the order continue to evolve. Lin held on to 11th as he turned the car over to Waddell with 55 minutes remaining.  

“We had been dealing with understeer all weekend,” said Waddell. “We had some dead dampers early in the weekend that really set us back, so we were slowly dialing back the setup, and that kept us from doing long runs. So maybe we didn’t account for long runs in the heat, because Mikel had the issues right out of the box.”

The Denver native came out of pit lane in 16th position and worked his way through traffic early in the stint, only to find that the tires fell off dramatically with 30 minutes remaining. 

“My strategy was just to assess the car as quickly as I could, knowing the issues that Mikel and Will had experienced,” said Waddell. “I pushed as hard as I could in the beginning, but the tires really went off. We just didn’t hit the setup today but that’s how racing goes.”

With the race featuring several long green flag runs on the ultra-quick Canadian circuit, any small pace deficiency was exaggerated as the field strung out over the second half of the race. Despite not getting to bring home the hoped-for result, it was another positive weekend for the Invisible Glass Prototype as young Wadell looks to build his Prototype experience. 

“There were plenty of positives to take away from the weekend,” said Waddell. “This is only my third race this season, so limited seat time means I’m still learning every session. Thank you to Mikel and Will for the great job this weekend, and to ONE Motorsports for having me! It was a blast.”