Although Tower Motorsports was able to repair its damaged Oreca following a shunt for John Farano in qualifying for January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, the team suffered mechanical issues in the opening half-hour of the race that left McLaughlin, fellow Penske IndyCar ace Josef Newgarden, Farano and Kyffin Simpson having to play catch-up.
Over the course of the race, they clawed their way back to fifth in class, just two laps down, but were left rueing what might have been. The team is now determined to deliver at IMSA Round 2, the 12 hour race around Sebring’s full 3.74-mile course.
