Lone Star Racing is stepping up to a full-time campaign in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class for the 2027 season, expanding beyond its long-standing role as an Endurance Cup entry.
The Texas-based squad, founded by Dan Knox and led by A.J. Petersen, will field the #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for rising Dutch talent Lin Hodenius and Irish sports car and open-wheel veteran James Roe.
Lone Star Racing has been part of the sports car racing scene since 2014, accumulating 29 WeatherTech Championship starts and completing full Michelin Endurance Cup slates over the past three seasons. The 2027 move marks the team’s first attempt at a complete season-long Championship run.
“We’re super excited to jump off our first full season in the WeatherTech Championship,” Petersen said. “We started in 2016 doing GTD sprint rounds in IMSA and continued in ’17 and ‘19. We came back in ’24 with endurance in ’24, ’25 and ’26. To put it together for a full season effort is what we’ve been working towards for years. Working to do with proper partners, and we’re looking forward for years to come. It’s a solid foundation we’ve assembled.”
The expansion follows a breakout 2026 campaign where the team placed inside the top 10 across all five Michelin Endurance Cup rounds. With a primary driver lineup of Andrews, Hodenius, and Roe—and joined by factory driver Luca Stolz at the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans—Lone Star recorded finishes of sixth at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, fourth at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, 10th at Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, sixth at Road America, and fourth at Petit Le Mans.
Their steady runs at Sebring and Watkins Glen proved vital in helping Mercedes-AMG secure the GTD manufacturer championship during rare off days for class champions Winward Racing.
“I think it came about because of good finishes in ’26,” Petersen said. “It’s all the credit to the team, top to bottom. Been good to have the season we’ve had. Mercedes-AMG manufactures a great car, and it’s another good opportunity with a proven platform.”
Looking back at the 2026 finale, Petersen added: “Winward kicked into high gear at end of the season and came out with the championships. But we had great days at Sebring and Road Atlanta. Petit (Le Mans) was bad luck with P2 traffic that kept us off the podium. We’re happy to keep pushing.”
#80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: Scott Andrews, Lin Hodenius, James Roe
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Lumen via Getty Images
Hodenius, a Mercedes-AMG junior driver with an F4 open-wheel background, has gained experience across both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
«I am very excited of course to continue with Lone Star Racing after our first full year together and kind of a half season in 2025,” Hodenius said. “We showed really good progress this year and we definitely hope to achieve more in 2027 in the full season. I think it is a good opportunity for me to grow and the team as well as one unit really. I am really excited for all of that. I really love working with the team, A.J. Petersen really goes the extra mile for the team, with the car and with the team members themselves. It really creates this nice atmosphere where everybody wants to win.”
Roe transitions to a full-time sports car seat after spending two seasons across multiple IMSA classes, including an LMP2 stint with Pratt Miller Motorsports in 2025 before joining Lone Star in GTD in 2026.
“This is a huge opportunity, and I couldn’t be more excited to contest the full IMSA season with Lone Star Racing and Mercedes-AMG,” Roe said. “We ended last year knowing there was a lot more we could accomplish together, so having the opportunity to return, build consistency and compete at every round is incredibly motivating for me as a driver. We proved we could fight at the front in 2026, and our goal for 2027 is to turn that pace and potential into podium finishes throughout the season. I’m very thankful to Topcon, Topcon Solutions Store and Ring Power CAT for their continued support and belief in my career. We’re ready to get to work!”
Roe, who has also spent the past five seasons in Indy NXT, emphasized the benefit of a full-year program to build team chemistry.
“Obviously, a full season commitment is great,” Roe added. “We had the five races spread over the season and having this core group together will build momentum. It’s all thanks to a great group of partners and a great brand in Mercedes-AMG to make all this happen.”
Fans can meet Knox, Petersen, and Roe in person this week at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where they will make an appearance on Wednesday at the Red Line Oil booth (#22933).
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