DXDT Sprint Program Feels “Plug And Play” For Udell

Photo: DXDT Racing

Alec Udell says being drafted in to complete the rest of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint rounds at DXDT Racing felt like a “plug and play option” given his previous experience and successes with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R platform.

Udell won an unprecedented eight consecutive races with the team in GT World Challenge America powered by AWS last year alongside Corvette factory driver Tommy Milner, nearly taking the Pro class title, despite a mid-season start.

While Udell will be completing his first IMSA sprint round this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he has already contested the first two long-distance WeatherTech Championship races of the season at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring aboard DXDT’s GTD class Corvette.

The team’s sprint driver Robert Wickens was joined by Milner for the first non-endurance round at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, with Udell taking over for the remaining short-distance rounds, as previously reported by Sportscar365.

“I’ve done a lot of work in this platform now with the Z06 GT3.R and feel very comfortable,” Udell told Sportscar365. “So I think it’s a plug-and-play option.

“It was always something I was working towards, and I wanted to have the performance in the car that allowed me to be here. It’s been so many moving pieces that it ended up being the right thing.

“I’m just excited for the opportunity, and I’m looking forward to sharing the car with Robby,” said Udell. “He’s extremely talented across all forms of motorsport, so I’m really excited about that.”

The 29-year-old Texan said the addition of the remaining sprint races to his existing Endurance Cup schedule also benefits the team in terms of consistency, given that he is now the only shared driver between DXDT’s sprint and long-stance driver lineups.

“It comes down to the consistency,” Udell said. “Tommy is super, super experienced with the platform and is probably the benchmark for guys in the Corvette.

“To come in and have that similar experience and a similar mindset of working together with him last year brings that level of consistency, and is really helpful when you’ve got a lot of moving pieces.

“I’m fortunate and happy to be that consistent piece through the whole rest of the season between endurance and sprint. It allows us really to keep bringing the progress from each race to the next. I think that’s kind of the idea here.”

While Udell is familiar with both DXDT and his Corvette machinery, he still noted the importance of seat time and learning the nuances of a newer environment as important to his success.

“It’s always nice to have the seat time,” he said. “The more comfortable you are in the platform, the better it is. So I’ve just been really excited for the opportunity to hop back in the Z06 GT3.R. From a career perspective, it feels like another step up, and that’s always the target.

“The competition is no joke, and you just have to be so perfect with the GT3 cars and everything in strategy and execution. We’re looking for tenths of a second in the driver changes. For me, it’s hopping into a different environment, but it’s all exciting.

“The target whenever you’re in one of these races out of the quickest of your manufacturer. I think we showed at Long Beach that the car is capable of that, the team is capable of that, and it’s going to be the same thing.

“We have an awesome team here with DXDT Racing, and I think we’ve shown we can run up in the front of the pack here in IMSA.”