The trio of Cadillac DPi-V.Rs will start tomorrow’s running of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Long Beach Grand Prix first, second, and third. 

Felipe Nasr had the wheel of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R for the 15-minute qualifying session on the beachfront circuit. The team showed speed in the previous two practice sessions on the day being fastest in each with Nasr posting the fastest lap. The Action Express Racing team is looking for their third Long Beach win in as many races tomorrow. Nasr and teammate Derani are just 98 points out of the championship lead going into race.

“It is always great to get another pole,” Nasr said. “Especially here around the streets of Long Beach. It is a very close field. We have all the Cadillac cars in the top three. It has been a very close competition in DPi all day in practice. We got the job done today. We came here with the mindset of maximizing the points. We did that today and that is a big part of the plan. We have a great Whelen Engineering Cadillac in our hands to fight for the win tomorrow. We have to make some points. We need to execute in the race and get the most of the out of the car tomorrow. The team and Pipo have put us in a good position to fight for the win.”

Kevin Magnussen qualified the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R. He was able to post his fastest lap just before the red flag stopped the session with a time of 1:11.724. The Dane will hand over to teammate Renger van der Zande tomorrow in the 100-minute race. 

“I think P2 is pretty good for tomorrow,” Magnussen said. “Of course, you always want pole position, but we didn’t get that today. I think we have a fast V-Performance Academy Cadillac. There’s a race tomorrow and that is where the trophies are.”

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R was qualified by Loic Duval. The French duo of Duval and Tristan Vautier showed speed all day running in the top three in practice. Duval put in a time of 1:11.827 that will have him starting third right behind the pole sitter. 

“We saw it coming,” Duval said. “The Cadillac is strong here. We saw in free practice two that we were fighting with the other the guys for fast lap. It is nice to be P3. We had a hard time in the last few races, so it is good for the team to be fast here. I am a competitor. It’s a shame that I couldn’t go for the pole it was close. It is still a positive effort by the team. I am confident for the race tomorrow that we can make the podium and maybe get by some guys. It will be a strategic race, so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Cadillac Long Beach Qualifying Results:

1. No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani, 1:11.620

2. No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen, 1:11.724

3. No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval, 1:11.827

The IMSA WeatherTech Championship Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will be broadcast live on NBCSN Saturday, Sept. 25 starting at 5 p.m. ET. Flag-to-flag coverage is also live on TrackPass and the NBC Sports App with the radio broadcast available on RadioLeMans.com.

Image credit: Cadillac/Richard Prince

Cadillac DPi-V.R racing history, 2021, Whelen Engineering Cadillac wins at Road America. Whelen Engineering Cadillac wins the WeatherTech 240 at The Glen. Chip Ganassi Racing won their first race with Cadillac at the Detroit Grand Prix. The Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R won the Sebring 12 hours. In the season opener Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Ally Cadillac team placed second with NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

The 2020 season saw the Konica Minolta Cadillac team win the season opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and post a win at Petit Le Mans. The Whelen Engineering team won Sebring in July. The Konica Minolta Cadillac team won the IMSA Endurance Cup championship.

In 2019 Konica Minolta Cadillac took the win at the season opening Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona, the Whelen Engineering Cadillac squad followed that up by winning the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The Mustang Sampling Cadillac team also posted a win at Long Beach on the year.

The 2018 season saw the Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R win the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona; Cadillac won the IMSA Prototype Manufacturer Championship; Whelen Engineering Cadillac drivers Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr win IMSA Prototype Drivers' Championship; Whelen Engineering Cadillac wins the IMSA Prototype Team Championship; Cadillac wins Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup (TPNAEC) Manufacturer Championship; Whelen Engineering Cadillac drivers Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr win TPNAEC Drivers' Championship; Whelen Engineering Cadillac wins TPNAEC team championship.

In 2017 Cadillac teams won every title in the inaugural season of the IMSA DPi formula including: Cadillac wins DPi manufacturer championship; Cadillac wins TPNAEC (Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup) manufacturer title; Jordan and Ricky Taylor 2017 IMSA WeatherTech DPi driver champions; Konica Minolta Cadillac team champions; Mustang Sampling Cadillac drivers Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Filipe Albuquerque won the TPNAEC DPi driver championship; Mustang Sampling Cadillac won the TPNAEC DPi team championship; Whelen Engineering drivers Dane Cameron and Eric Curran finish second in the driver's championship; Mustang Sampling Cadillac drivers Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi finish third in the driver's championship; Cadillac teams combine to win seven races in 2017: Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Long Beach, Circuit of the Americas, Detroit, Watkins Glen, and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. 

A leading luxury auto brand since 1902,Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. Today Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio featuring distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com. Cadillac's media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.

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The Cadillac Racing media guide can be viewed at media.cadillac.com. For additional information please contact Kyle Chura, kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.