Lawson Aschenbach

Lawson Aschenbach (born November 22, 1983) is an American professional racing driver. He is a four-time Pirelli World Challenge champion, and most recently, the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge GTS Champion. He is the 2006 SPEED World Challenge (later Pirelli World Challenge) Rookie of the Year[1][2] and became the first person to win the SPEED GT Championship in his rookie season.[2] He is also the champion of the 2010 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (later IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge) ST Championship and 2014 Lamborghini Super Trofeo ProAM World Champion.[3][4] Aschenbach first raced professionally in 2005.[5] He currently races for Stevenson Motorsports in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.[6]

Lawson Aschenbach
Aschenbach at Road America in 2015
Born (1983-11-22) November 22, 1983
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Pirelli World Challenge career
Debut season2005
Current teamStevenson Motorsports
Championship titles
2006, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014Pirelli World Challenge
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
5 races run over 2 years
Car no., teamNo. 0 (JD Motorsports)
2019 position53rd
Best finish53rd (2019)
First race2015 Road America 180 (Road America)
Last race2019 Drive for the Cure 250 (Charlotte Roval)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
Statistics current as of November 18, 2019.

Amateur career

Aschenbach was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland and began kart racing at age 8.[7][8] He was introduced to kart racing by his father, who drove him to his first competitions.[9] In 1998, Aschenbach won the World Karting Association Gold Cup.[8][10] He won an additional four WKA Grand Nationals titles and the North American Karting Championship before moving onto racecars at age 16.[11][12] In 2001, Aschenbach won the SCCA Southeast National Formula Ford title.[12] He won the SCCA Pro FF2000 series’ Road to Indy Oval Crown Championship a year later.[11]

Professional career

Aschenbach began racing professionally in the SPEED World Challenge (later Pirelli World Challenge) in 2005 and had a podium finish in his first GT race.[5] In 2006, during his first full SPEED World Challenge GT season, Aschenbach won at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and placed second at both Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America. He never finished lower than ninth that season, and became the first driver to win the SPEED GT Championship in his rookie season.[13] That year Porsche won the SPEED GT Manufacturers’ Championship over second-place Dodge by three points.[13] Aschenbach began driving for Team Cadillac during the 2007 SPEED World Championship GT season and finished the season ranked third.[13] That year Aschenbach and teammate Andy Pilgrim led Team Cadillac to the SPEED GT Manufacturers’ Championship.[13]

In 2010 Aschenbach and co-pilot David Thilenius won the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (later IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge) ST Championship with team Compass360.[3] The championship was decided on the final day of racing, with Lawson and David winning the overall championship via tiebreaker.[3] Aschenbach and Compass360 won the subsequent tiebreaker with their third-place finish at Miller Motorsports Park.[14]

Aschenbach won the 2011 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car Championship while piloting a Honda Civic Si for Team Compass360.[15] He won five races and poles that season, and led Honda to the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car Manufacturers’ Championship.[13] Aschenbach clinched the championship in the second-to-last race that year and finished the season with 1,543 points.[15]

Aschenbach later joined Blackdog Speed Shop and piloted the team’s Chevrolet Camaro to the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge GTS Championship in what was his first season in the division. Aschenbach scored his first win that season in what was only his second weekend with Blackdog. He won a class-best six races that season, but trailed Jack Baldwin until the last race of the season held at Grand Prix of Houston.[16] Aschenbach’s win at Houston secured the overall championship.[16]

Aschenbach's NASCAR Xfinity Series car at Road America in 2015

Aschenbach repeated as Pirelli World Challenge GTS Champion in 2014 in his second season driving for Blackdog Speed Shop.[17] He clinched the championship during the final race day of the year, which was held at Miller Motorsports Park.[17] In the first race of a doubleheader at the track, Aschenbach placed fourth and moved within to two points of the overall lead.[17] His second-place finish in the final race of the season secured for him the overall GTS championship.[17] Aschenbach finished the season with four wins overall.[17] Later that year, he won the 2014 Lamborghini Super Trofeo ProAm World Championship at the Sepang Circuit with co-pilot Kevin Conway and Change Racing.[4]

Personal life

Aschenbach is an alumnus of Landon School.[8] He is a 2006 graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science while double majoring in engineering and mathematics.[18] Aschenbach married Beth Beattie in November 2013.[19]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Xfinity Series
NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 NXSC Pts
2015 JD Motorsports 0 Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL IOW CLT DOV MCH CHI DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA
18		 DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 66th 26
2018 JD Motorsports 01 Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV CLT POC MCH IOW CHI DAY KEN NHA IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR IND LVS RCH CLT
21		 DOV KAN TEX PHO HOM 65th 17
2019 4 DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV CLT POC MCH IOW CHI DAY KEN NHA IOW GLN MOH
28		 BRI ROA DAR IND LVS RCH 53rd 35
0 CLT
14		 DOV KAN TEX PHO HOM

Sports car racing

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series results
Year Team Make Engine Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2016 Stevenson Motorsport Audi R8 LMS Audi 5.2 L V10 GTD DAY
14		 SIR
DNF		 LAG
9		 DET
13		 WAT
6		 MSP
9		 LRP
5		 ELK
6		 VIR
2		 COA
12		 PET
5		 8th 258
2017 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS Audi 5.2 L V10 GTD DAY
4		 SIR
7		 LBH
13		 COA
10		 DET
DNF		 WAT
9		 MSP
1		 LRP
4		 ELK
3		 VIR
12		 LAG
11		 PET
DNF		 7th 283
2018 Michael Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura NSX GT3 Acura 3.5 L Turbo V6 GTD DAY
11		 SIR
7		 MDO
5		 DET
2		 WAT
DNF		 MSP
6		 LRP
DNF		 ELK
8		 VIR
9		 LAG
 PET
 7th* 211*

* Season still in progress

Championships

Pirelli World Challenge
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class
2006 Jon Groom Racing N/A Porsche 911 GT3 GT
2011 Compass360 Racing N/A Honda Civic Si TC
2013 Blackdog Speed Shop N/A Chevy Camaro GTS
2014 Blackdog Speed Shop N/A Chevy Camaro GTS

IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class
2010 Compass360 Racing David Tilenius Honda Civic Si ST

References
  1. "Rookie of the Year".
  2. "Speed World Challenge Banquet Honors Best of 2006". Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  3. "911 Grand Am Championship". Continental Tire. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  4. "Aschenbach Wins Pro Am Class - Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final".
  5. "Lawson Aschenbach Looking for Redemption in this Year's Pirelli World Challenge at Long Beach Grand Prix". Press Telegram.
  6. "Lawson Aschenbach".
  7. "Lawson Aschenbach Wins Race One at Sonoma".
  8. "Aschenbach wins at world karting championships".
  9. "Continental Tire IMSA Driver Spotlight: Lawson Aschenbach". Sports Car 365. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  10. "1998 WKA Gold Cup Points". Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  11. "Aschenbach to Pilot Porsche 997 in Speed GT". Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  12. "Lawson Aschenbach".
  13. "Pirelli World Challenge Series History". Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  14. "Updated driver lineup has Stevenson Motorsports ready for Daytona". MotorSport Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  15. "P Zero Brings Record Breaking Racing to SCCA Pirelli World Challenge".
  16. "Pirelli World Challenge 2013 Season Review".
  17. "Johnny O'Connell and Lawson Aschenbach Win Pirelli World Challenge Championships". AutoWeek.
  18. "The Need for Speed". Vanderbilt Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  19. "Rosemary Beach Wedding - The Scene". Town & Country. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
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