Hoping their “dream year” continues, Jonathan Diuguid and Raul Prados go back to their day jobs in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this weekend.
Diuguid, the managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport, and Prados, an engineer on the No. 7 Porsche 963, worked as substitutes in May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 500 after Roger Penske suspended four IndyCar team members because of the push to pass scandal from the season opener.
With Diuguid calling strategy and Prados on the timing stand for the No. 2 Dallara-Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden became the first back-to-back Indy 500 winner in 22 years.
It was the latest major triumph for Diuguid and Prado, who already had won the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona (with Newgarden as part of the four-driver lineup) as Newgarden won for the second consecutive year at IMS on a last-lap pass to take the lead.
Exclusive sitdown with Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden: ‘Truthfulness is really important to me’
‘You can’t make a better Indy 500 than you got. That was a crazy duel.’
- Nate Ryan,
- Nate Ryan,
“I think this year is probably going to go down as a dream year,” said Diuguid, who had been an IndyCar engineer for Penske with Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Scott McLaughlin. “I feel a little bit guilty in the sense that I kind of showed up and everything was going smoothly, and I got the opportunity to be here. I think Josef said the same thing after the Daytona 24 Hours. He kind of rocked up and we got the first (Porsche) win after many, many decades.
“The details are what got it done (in the Indy 500). I was talking to Raul after the race, and I said, ‘Raul, I don’t think we made any mistakes today.’ Might have made 50/50 decision one way or the other, but there was no mistakes, and that’s what it takes to be in a position like we were at the end.”
There will be another new challenge awaiting Saturday afternoon in downtown Detroit as IMSA makes its debut on the nine-turn, 1.7-mile layout that was introduced last year.
It’ll be the first Detroit race for Porsche in the premier prototype category since 2008. Team Penske won the overall at the Belle Isle course in 2007 with a Porsche RS Spyder (a P2 car that beat the P1 class).
IMSA had raced at Belle Isle from 2007-22. The inaugural Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic will be the second 100-minute sprint race on the 2024 schedule after Long Beach (which the No. 01 Cadillac of Chip Ganassi Racing won last month).
Here are the details for the IMSA Detroit Chevrolet Sports Car Classic (all times are ET):
2024 IMSA CHEVROLET DETROIT SPORTS CAR CLASSIC
WHEN: Saturday, June 1, 3:10 p.m.
DISTANCE: A one-hour, 40-minute race on a nine-turn, 1.7-mile street course in downtown Detroit.
FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 73 degrees with a 9% chance of rain at the green flag.
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 21-car field in two categories (GTP, GTD Pro)
QUALIFYING: Friday, May 31, 4:35 p.m. ET (coverage on Peaco*ck and IMSA.tv)
RACE BROADCAST
TV: The IMSA Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic will be on USA and streamed on Peaco*ck starting at 3 p.m. ET. (Peaco*ck will have flag-to-flag coverage of all IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship events in 2024. Click here for information on how to sign up for Peaco*ck.)
Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analyst Calvin Fish. Marty Snider and Dillon Welch are the pit reporters.
RADIO: All sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m. (Sirius channel 211, XM 206, Web/App 996)
IMSA DETROIT WEEKEND SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MAY 31
8-9:30 a.m. ET: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice
11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice
1:50-2:35 p.m.: Indy NXT practice
3–4:15 p.m.: IndyCar practice (Peaco*ck)
4:40–5:20 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying (Peaco*ck)
SATURDAY, JUNE 1
8–8:45 a.m.: Indy NXT practice
9:10–10:10 a.m.: IndyCar practice (Peaco*ck)
10:35–10:55 a.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship warmup
11:20-11:50 a.m.: Indy NXT qualifying
12:15– 1:45 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying (Peaco*ck)
3:10–4:50 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic (USA, Peaco*ck)
2024 SEASON RECAPS
DAYTONA: Porsche wins Rolex 24 at Daytona, ending 55-year drought for Roger Penske
SEBRING: Michael Andretti, Wayne Taylor celebrate first win together
LONG BEACH: Chip Ganassi Racing wins Long Beach without a tire change
LAGUNA SECA: Roger Penske earns 100th sports car victory
IMSA COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS
A viewer’s guide to the Rolex 24: Five things to watch this weekend
Jenson Button, Felipe Massa and Josef Newgarden among notable crossovers this year
Inside the sophisticated co*ckpit of a GTP hybrid prototype
Bubba Wallace wowed by sports car culture
Pipo Derani puts No. 31 Cadillac on pole position with record lap at Daytona
Defending Rolex 24 winner Mike Shank on IMSA comeback: “I work on it every day”
As his team grows bigger than ever, Wayne Taylor keeps an eye on the little things
NASCAR ON NBC PODCAST IMSA COVERAGE
Episode 312: Rolex 24 preview: A world-class field gathers at the World Center of Racing for a race of champions: Listen on Apple Podcasts, Listen on Spotify
Episode 313: Unable to defend Rolex 24 title, Mike Shank plots his IMSA return: Listen on Apple Podcasts, Listen on Spotify
Episode 314: Unable to defend Rolex 24 title, Mike Shank plots his IMSA return: Listen on Apple Podcasts, Listen on Spotify
