Wyatt Schwab Proves He has Fight in his Debut at Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 6, 2018) - Wyatt Schwab showed his fighting side this weekend at Daytona International Speedway starting from pole and finishing seventh in his first ever IMSA Prototype Challenge powered by Mazda race. 
 

Schwab took off in the practice sessions and never looked back. Based on his quick times and cool composer it was no surprise when he earned himself a pole position lap, over a second faster than the rest of the field. 

"It was clear from the start Wyatt has great potential," Team Principal, Brent O'Neill said. "With just a little coaching from us, he was able to keep pace with the fast guys in his first weekend, which is huge." 

As Schwab took the green on the first ever one hour and 45-minute IMSA Prototype Challenge he once again impressed onlookers, pulling away from the pack by the second lap. 

"I just really focused on getting my head in the game and keeping it there," Schwab said. “Staying focused is half the battle, I knew if I could do that it could be a good day.”

With laser focus and precision Schwab charged ahead of the field expanding his lead to 30 seconds after only 12 laps. 

However, Schwab's near-perfect run would come to an end sooner than expected due to a rogue piece of LMP3 debris. The damage was extensive, leaving him without a left front fender or splitter, but still, Schwab pushed on. 

"I kept reminding myself it wasn't the end," Schwab said. "There was a lot of time left in the session and I knew I could keep pushing."

Although the incident pushed Schwab two laps down into thirteenth place, he continued on. Due to this perseverance, Schwab was able to charge through the field into the seventh position, where he would hold strong until the checkered flag. 

"As far as driving the car with no splitter, fender, or downforce I'm really happy with a seventh-place finish," Schwab said. "I understand this is racing which means you're not always going to win."

Schwab and IMSA Prototype Challenge powered by Mazda field rejoins the circuit March 14th-17th for Round Two at Sebring International Speedway for the Mobile 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring event weekend.

Keep up-to-date on Wyatt Schwab as he embarks on his rookie season in the IMSA Prototype Challenge powered by Mazda series. Visit Schwab at http://WyattSchwab.com or connect on social media. Add Schwab on Facebook for stories and photos, follow him on Twitter at @SchwabWyatt for news updates or Instagram at @schwab.racing.wyatt for behind the scenes photos.