in Sunday’s Michelin GT ChallengeDan Knox and Mike Skeen Co-Drive Lone Star Racing No. 80 ACS Manufacturing Viper GT3-R Lone Star Racing will make its VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut in tomorrow’s Michelin GT Challenge at VIR with team owner and driver Dan Knox and his co-driver Mike Skeen in the No. 80 ACS Manufacturing/Lone Star Racing Dodge Viper GT3-R.The featured two-hour and 40-minute VIR race can be seen live on FOX Sports 1 (@FS1) tomorrow, Sunday, August 28, at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Knox qualified the No. 80 Viper today, clocking with a top lap time of 1:48.115 (108.8 mph) around the 3.27-mile VIR track to take the 12th and final starting spot in the GT Daytona (GTD) field.“With everybody being within a few seconds of each other it's a pretty tight field,” Knox said. “I was here four years ago in an ACR Viper but it's changed so much since then and this is a much different car, much more down force. We improved three seconds from practice yesterday and just need another couple seconds, or a second-and-a-half, and we'd be right where we need to be. We're getting there.”The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is one of four scheduled IMSA races for Lone Star this year as Knox and the team evaluate a full season of competition in 2017. Knox and Skeen will co-drive together for the third time in tomorrow’s race.“I think for sure this was the best we’ve ever been off the trailer as far as the car,” Skeen said. “We came right into the first practice with a really strong platform and Dan has taken a big step us as well. This morning he got up to speed with several long runs, got some good practice in and he’s bringing up the pace. It definitely helps that we’re running again just two weeks after Road America, keeping him fresh and in the car.”

Lone Star and its competition have been dealing with temperatures in the 90-degree range and high humidity the last two days at VIR. Similar conditions are expected on race day.“The humidity really gets you,” Knox said. “After you've been in the car about 30 minutes, it really starts taking a toll on you no matter how much conditioning you do. The temperatures inside the car are excessive, I am going to just drink lots of water and stay hydrated.”Teams are also learning the ins and outs of the recently repaved racing surface at VIR.“I think we’re all a little bit surprised by how narrow the grip is,” Skeen said. “There’s a one line track now so we’re all fighting with staying on the grippy section of the track where everything is rubbered-in and the top layer of the pavement is worn. It will make for an interesting race trying to do battle off line and deal with lack of grip there, but it’s the same for everybody.”Race-day Sunday opens with a 20-minute warmup at 8:05 a.m. EDT, the final tune-up for the Michelin GT Challenge, which goes green at 1:35 p.m. EDT.Noteworthy- While Skeen gets to race at his home track this weekend, Knox and the Lone Star Racing team will in turn be at their home-state venue in the following race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) next month. “I’m looking forward to COTA for sure because that’s Dan’s biggest level of experience,” Skeen said. “For me, I love VIR and the car is working really well, so if we can work the strategy and keep competitive I think we’re going to look really good at the end.”- Sunday’s race is a GT-only show, with the GTD class sharing the track only with the more powerful race cars of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. The two classes of prototype race cars that are usually in action at most IMSA WeatherTech events are idle this weekend. “I think the multi-class structure is always interesting and incorporates another skill that is common in sports car racing, but it probably doesn't change the outcome in most cases,” Skeen said. “Everyone has to deal with it when the prototypes are out there. That being said, sometimes it is nice to be able to focus on your own performance, especially during practice when you want to work on the setup without too much interruption.”About Lone Star Racing: Based at Motorsport Ranch within the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area in Cresson, Texas, Lone Star Racing is in its third season campaigning the No. 80 ACS Manufacturing Dodge Viper GT3-R. The team is running a four-race IMSA GT Daytona (GTD) program in 2016 after debuting in the class with a seventh-place finish last year at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). Although Lone Star Racing is new to IMSA, its team members have won races across North America spanning sprint and endurance racing formats. The crew has worked together on many different teams and various types of cars, developing a strong bond and proven capability that gives them a competitive and winning advantage. The team races with the support of primary partner ACS Manufacturing, Inc. (www.acsmanufacturing.com). Look for Lone Star Racing and Dan Knox on Facebook and follow the team on Twitter @LSRTeam.