PATASKALA, Ohio – After stepping in at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, Christina Nielsen will return to the No. 57 Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo for the remaining three races of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.
Nielsen will co-drive for Heinricher Racing in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Sahlen’s Six Hours of Watkins Glen and the Motul Petit Le Mans.
The all-female Heinricher Racing No. 57 Acura kicked off the season with a strong run at the Rolex 24 with Katherine Legge, Bia Figueiredo, Simona De Silvestro and Nielsen.
Program leader Jackie Heinricher was forced to sit out the opening round due to a back injury.
Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing was fortunate to sign Nielsen to step in for the 24, and the two-time IMSA champion proved to be an excellent addition. The team has moved quickly to integrate her into the endurance effort moving forward.
Now with the Twelve Hours of Sebring just around the corner, Nielsen will once again step in for Heinricher for the day to night event on March 16 and continue as co-driver for the Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans race weekends, hoping to secure her second IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title.
“I am excited to be driving with the Heinricher Racing effort and Meyer Shank Racing for the rest of the Michelin Endurance Cup events,” said Nielsen. “I’ve always known MSR to be a very good team and racing for them only impressed me more with their professional approach to everything, so hopefully we can fight for the (Michelin) Endurance Cup this year.”
Nielsen has an outstanding record in the endurance format events, all of which facilitated her 2016 Michelin Endurance Cup title along with the GTD championship that year.
Nielsen has victories at Sebring and Watkins Glen and has stood on the Sebring podium three out of the past four years that she has raced there.
“Having Christina join the Heinricher Racing effort for the Michelin Endurance Cup for the remainder of the season is incredibly exciting,” noted Heinricher. “Christina brings a long list of very accomplished achievements in racing. This further enforces the deep talent of professional drivers involved with the team and my vision.”
“It’s great to have Christina back on board with us for the long races,” added Mike Shank. “She exceeded our expectations with her performance in the Acura at Daytona, and has an incredible record at the rest of the endurance tracks, so she will be a great addition.”