Open-wheel racing and sports car racing often have significant crossover in talent, whether it be behind the wheel, behind the wrenches or behind various data screens. Several drivers that once raced in IndyCar have found a second home in IMSA. After participating in four IMSA races in 2014, Hawksworth only competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2015 and ’16 because his contract would not allow him to race anything else during the IndyCar season. Hawksworth heard about Lexus starting a GT Daytona program for the 2017 IMSA season and made a couple of phone calls to get that seat with 3GT Racing. Hawksworth races a Lexus RC F GT3 for Vasser Sullivan Racing, a team co-owned by Jimmy Vasser and James Sullivan. While Vautier and Hawksworth are both in their early 30s and have a reliable window to go back to IndyCar, Bourdais is 43 and has embraced a return to an old mistress of his in sports car racing.

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