Liddell, Davis drive Camaro Z/28 to Indy winner's circle

Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis ran away with Round 8 of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, winning by 3.494 seconds in their Camaro Z/28.R at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Trent Hindman and John Edwards finished second in their BMW M3, but had nothing for a Stevenson Motorsports team that has now won three consecutive races.

The BMW M3 of Shelby Blackstock and Joey Atterbury rounded out the Grand Sport podium, which celebrated in a light drizzle beneath the iconic IMS pagoda.

Extends points lead

The victory extended Chevrolet’s lead in the Grand Sport (GS) manufacturer championship with four races left. Liddell won by 3.494 seconds as he and Davis took their third victory of the season. 

"Congratulations to Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis on winning today's Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Racing. “John Stevenson and his entire Stevenson Motorsports crew have worked tirelessly on the development of the Camaro Z/28.R with Chevrolet Racing and our technical partners. It is rewarding to see their hard work pay off with the fourth win for the organization, and the third win of the season for Robin and Andrew.”

The Stevenson crew had as much to do with the end result as Liddell and Davis. The top three cars pitted together with 50 minutes left, and quick pit work moved Liddell from second in the group to first. Once the class’ pit cycle completed, Liddell found himself leading by more than six seconds. 

Davis qualified seventh but picked up four spots in his stint to open the race. 

“That was a job well done by Robin, Andrew and the Stevenson Motorsports crew,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet Program Manager for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. “The last stop to move the No. 6 car into the lead was perfectly executed. That teamwork along with superb driving from Andrew and Robin were the perfect combination for another Camaro Z/28.R victory.” 

Camaros 1-2-3 as halfway approached

Camaros ran 1-2-3 early in the race before chaos struck near the halfway point. Andy Lally in the No. 9 Stevenson Camaro was hit from behind by another GS competitor. The contact spun Lally around and into the side of Lawson Aschenbach in CKS Autosport’s No. 01 Camaro. Both the No. 9 and No. 01 had led in the early going during a nip-and-tuck battle between Matt Bell in the Stevenson entry and Eric Curran in the CKS Camaro Z/28.R.

In the Street Tuner class, Remo Ruscitti’s Porsche Cayman was poised to win as the white flag waved, but his car lost power on the final lap and Corey Lewis took advantage by driving his Porsche Cayman to Victory Lane.

Next up for the series: The Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America August 8 and 9.

IMSA