A four-time winner at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and three-time Indianapolis 500 champion, Helio Castroneves will join the weekend festivities as the honorary grand marshal and give the command for drivers to start their engines on Sunday for the Acura Sports Car Challenge Presented by TLX Type S. Castroneves won at Mid-Ohio in INDYCAR in 2000 and 2001 and also was a double winner in IMSA sports cars for Acura Team Penske in 2018 and 2020.

“Having Helio (Castroneves) as an integral part of our season-opening event during this historic season is very fitting with his many past accomplishments at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and his great connection with our fans,” said Craig Rust, president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “We are looking forward to an exciting Acura Sports Car Challenge Presented by TLX Type S weekend and showcasing all the outstanding racing that IMSA brings to the track.”

Five races will take the green flag during the race weekend. The weekend’s headliner is the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Sunday (May 16) at 2:40 p.m. ET in a two-hour, 40-minute race to start off IMSA’s Sprint Cup season after two endurance races at Daytona and Sebring to begin 2021. The Acura ARX-05 DPi prototypes will look to continue their dominance at Mid-Ohio after being the overall winners the last three years. This time Pataskala, Ohio-based Meyer Shank Racing and multiple Daytona 24 Hour winning team Wayne Taylor Racing will look to put Acura back on the top of the podium in the Acura Sports Car Challenge Presented by TLX Type S.

Saturday’s feature is the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at 3:35 p.m. ET in a two-hour timed race. Also, in store for race fans is a doubleheader for the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup and an IMSA Prototype Challenge race on Sunday morning.

Fan activities include Acura Motorsports driver meet and greets at Acura’s full model lineup display in the infield of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday (May 15) at 11:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., and a Fan Forum also on Saturday in Mid-Ohio’s Super Pavilion along the front-straight in the infield at 2:50 p.m. ET with Meyer Shank Racing’s Dane Cameron and Olivier Pla and Wayne Taylor Racing’s Felipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, the defending race winner. Helio Castroneves will also have a fan meet and greet at the Acura display on Sunday (May 16) at 1:45 p.m. ET.

Tickets will only be sold in advance to the Acura Sports Car Challenge Presented by TLX Type S. No gate sales will occur due to COVID-19 event protocols. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course offers one of the best family values in all of live sports and entertainment. Children 12 and under always receive free general admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. All the ticket options and pricing are posted online at midohio.com.

Brett Eldredge and Edgar