Next weekend, former Cadillac factory driver Johnny O’Connell will drive alongside his own son, Canaan, in the No. 74 Robinson Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R as the Pirelli World Challenge returns to Utah Motorsports Campus. It will mark the first time that the two O’Connells will have raced together, despite both having some history with the motorsport series.
“When Canaan was a boy, I recall watching Mario Andretti racing with his kids and thinking that has to be the coolest thing a father can experience,” Johnny says. “Getting the chance to do that at this stage of my career – with my son – is something I could not be more thankful for.”
It’s now been about nine months since Johnny O’Connell has been in a race car, he says, but he’s “hopeful that the rust will fly off quickly and that we’ll be able to once again put in a strong performance for Chevrolet.”
Apart from getting his first chance to co-drive with his father, next weekend’s PWC race will also mark Canaan’s debut in the GTS class. The younger O’Connell last year drove in the Pirelli World Challenge TC championship at the wheel of a Chevrolet Sonic.
“Needless to say, hearing about the opportunity to co-pilot a Chevy Camaro with my Dad and Robinson Racing was, by far, the most exciting news of my life,” Canaan says. “This is a special moment in my life, and I am so thankful to everyone at Robinson Racing and Chevrolet for providing us this opportunity.”
This month’s Pirelli World Challenge race weekend at Utah Motorsports Park marks the finale of the 2018 PWC SprintX season.
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