Hunter McElrea has landed a drive in the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the LMP2 class.
The 2023 Indy NXT runner-up will compete for TDS Racing, sharing driving duties with its full-time pairing of Mikkel Jensen and Steven Thomas.
The deal sees McElrea set to take on the 24 Hours of Daytona in January, with the rest of the Michelin Endurance Cup races being at Watkins Glen in June, Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September, and Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in October.
Jensen/Thomas finished third in the LMP2 standings this year, with a victory at Laguna Seca along the way.
McElrea – son of Andy, whose Carrera Cup team has produced factory Porsche drivers Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans – won the Australian Formula Ford title in 2018 before heading to the United States to join the Road to Indy ladder.
Despite finishing second in US F2000 in 2019 and Indy NXT this year, now is a difficult time to break into the top table due to the rush to implement hybrids in IndyCar in 2024, and hence taking up a chance in sportscars.
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“Obviously, my main goal has been and still is getting into IndyCar,” the New Zealander, who recently tested an LMP2 at Portimao, told Speedcafe.
“Right now, unfortunately there isn’t really any opportunity available for me to get a seat.
“Rather than be on the couch, I’ve had a fantastic opportunity thanks to Steven Thomas and TDS, to stay race fit in an LMP2 and race in some of the biggest events in the world in IMSA.
“The hybrid situation is making it difficult to get a test. I’m still pushing hard for an IndyCar opportunity, but to have the chance to make a living racing cars and help TDS win the IMSA Championship while working towards this is a good situation for me.”
The Roar Before the 24 takes place at Daytona International Speedway on January 19-21, before the race event itself on January 25-28.
