AUSTIN, TX (May 6, 2017) – The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R team showed speed early in the weekend practice sessions, qualified fourth, and overcame running out of fuel to complete the sweep for Cadillac at Circuit of the Americas.
Christian Fittipaldi started fourth and picked up third during his first stint of the race. The Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R pitted at the 50-minute mark for four tires, fuel and a driver change to Joao Barbosa. The No. 5 Team gained their driver another spot on pit road as they passed for second as the 1-hour mark approached.
The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Team would run between second and third, but with just about 30-minutes remaining, Barbosa ran out of fuel on pit lane. His teammates’ crew helped to push the car to the pit box for a splash of gas. Joao would battle back from sixth position, and with 13-minutes remaining, he was able to get past the No. 2 to complete the podium sweep for Cadillac.
Joao Barbosa, No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R: “We’ve definitely made improvements from practice to the race,” said Barbosa. “We stretched our fuel strategy toward the end, and barely made it to pit lane, but I have to thank my teammates for pushing us into our pit box. This shows we have a great team and why we won the last three championships.”
Christian Fittipaldi, No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R: “I just paced myself at the beginning of the race,” Fittipaldi said. “These cars are pretty sensitive when they are running close behind a fast car, so you need to understand the situation and run clean laps. We came from sixth, so I’m glad to finish third today. It’s time to turn the page and move onto Detroit, where historically we’ve always run pretty strong. We’re definitely looking forward to the next race.”
The IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship will travel to Detroit for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic to run June 2-3.
Points Standings:
IMSA Weather Tech Championship: 2nd (119 points)
Tequila Patron North American Endurance Championship: 2nd (25 points)