SALINAS, Calif. (Sept. 16, 2019) – Lexus finished second in the inaugural IMSA GTD Sprint Cup Manufacturer’s Championship following a ninth-place result by Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand in the No. 14 RCF GT3 on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

The AIM VASSER SULLIVAN (AVS) No. 14 finished runner-up in the Sprint Cup team championship and Hawksworth and Heistand are third in the final Sprint Cup driver points.

Fellow AVS drivers, Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo, rank seventh in the final Sprint Cup team and driver standings. Bell and Montecalvo finished in 11^th-place behind the wheel of the No. 12 Lexus at the 11-turn, 2.238-mile Northern California road course where Lexus serves as the Official Luxury Vehicle.

After 10 races this season, the AVS Lexus RC F GT3 entries have combined to earn two wins, five podiums, nine top-fives and 15 top-10 results. Lexus is currently fourth in the overall GTD manufacturer’s championship standings with one race remaining. The AVS No. 12 Lexus drivers are currently sixth in the overall GTD driver’s championship and the No. 14 RC F GT3 sits seventh.

Sunday’s race at Laguna Seca was the seventh and final sprint race on the 2019 schedule before closing out the season in the 10-hour Petit Le Mans endurance event at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on October 12. The season-finale at Road Atlanta will be broadcast live on NBC, beginning at 12:00 p.m. EDT. The race action will also be live on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Fans can also follow Lexus Racing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by using #LexusRCF GT3, #LexusPerformance and #LexusRacing, and online at www.Lexus.com/Motorsports.

AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Quotes

JACK HAWKSWORTH, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your race today at Laguna Seca?

“It’s always a delight to come to Laguna Seca. Lexus has a big presence at the track and a lot of people are here supporting us. It was a really nice feeling to drive around the track and see all of the Lexus banners and all of the people who were here to support our AIM VASSER SULLIVAN team. Unfortunately, in the race, we struggled for some speed, but we kept plugging away and kept digging. We ended up coming away ninth in the race, but second in the Sprint Cup Manufacturer’s championship. It shows our performance has been strong all year with the AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3s and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

TOWNSEND BELL, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your race today?

“It was a tough day for the No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN team. We gave it our all. It just wasn’t there today. It’s disappointing because this is my home track and I have a lot of fond memories of this place.  It’s also the home track now for Lexus, which is celebrating its 30^thanniversary this month. The AVS team will keep working hard and see what we can do at Road Atlanta.”