Motown in Texas: Penske, Mustang, Corvette headline WEC race on Pink Cadillac Day

Posted by Talbot Payne on August 31, 2024

The Woodward Dream Cruise is in the books for 2024, but pink Cadillacs continue to roll across America. General Motors Co. celebrates “Pink Cadillac Day” this Sunday with an international show of American pop culture at the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. There may even be an Elvis sighting.

The six-hour sportscar race is the only U.S. stop on the World Endurance Championship’s calendar. The event is a showcase for Detroit racing brands — Cadillac, Team Penske, Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette — that have been taking on the world’s best across the globe including at the storied 24 Hours of Le Lans in France in June.

While Team Penske and its partner Porsche come into the event as the favorite in the top Hypercar class, Cadillac will headline the circus with its Pink Cadillac display that includes a wrapped, pink V-Series.R prototype race car, and the launch of a special, pink V-Series.R-liveried race car for the popular Forza Motorsport game series.

Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn will take turns behind the wheel of the pink livery, No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R at the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday.

Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn will take turns behind the wheel of the pink livery, No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R at the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday. Eric Klauser, GM

“I love the fact that we have such passionate fans in America, and I think they’ll enjoy seeing the WEC there again,” said Cadillac racer Earl Bamber, a New Zealand native who lives in Atlanta. “I think there is going to be a lot of America at the event. It’s some of the best racing in the world right now, especially in Hypercar and I think for fans going to COTA, seeing this field will be a great spectacle.”

While the Pink Caddy gets eyeballs in the paddock, Bamber and Alex Lynn will pilot the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, which is the only Hypercar entry to qualify in the top four in each of the past three races. Eighteen Hypercars are entered.

A lot has changed since the WEC last raced at COTA in February 2020.

Sportscar racing was struggling for relevance on a crowded world racing stage. But the sport has been transformed in the last two years as manufacturers have embraced the WEC series — and sister IMSA in North America — with its competitive class rules for hybrid-powered Hypercars and production-based GT cars. At the center of this transformation are Detroit automakers who have embraced sportscar racing as an opportunity to show off their thundering, V8-powered brands’ performance chops on the global stage.

This isn't your father's Pink Cadillac.
This isn’t your father’s Pink Cadillac. GM

The #2 Pink Cadillac prototype driven by Bamber and co-driver Alex Lynn will compete against Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alpine, Toyota, BMW, Peugeot and Porsche for the overall win.

Two of the five Porsche 963 Hypercar entries are fielded by Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske, which has taken the lead in the WEC championship since its 4th, 6th, and 52nd place showing at Le Mans in June. With consistent podium finishes, Porsche Penske leads the series with 126 points — four ahead of Toyota (which won the last race in Brazil) with 122 points and Le Mans-winning Ferrari with 109 points.

In the GT class, Mustang and Corvette hope to put on a good display in their home race. Corvette will have two private entries from team TF Sport. Since its breakout performance at Le Mans, where it finished third and fourth in its first appearance, the Mustangs have been a factor. Texas auto racer Ben Keating will pilot the No. 88 entry alongside Dennis Olsen and Mikkel Pedersen.

Team Penske is fielding two of the five Porsche 963 Hypercar entries in Sunday's competition.

Team Penske is fielding two of the five Porsche 963 Hypercar entries in Sunday’s competition. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News

“I can’t wait for my first race with the Mustang GT3, especially given that it’s in the USA,” said Keating, an owner of 30 auto dealer franchises.

While American V-8s thunder around the track, loud pink-colored cars will be the focus of the paddock and Pink Cadillac Day. Like the Dream Cruise, the Sept. 1 date is an enduring ode to the influence of the 1950s American automobile culture.

Eight decades ago, Presley led the pink cultural revolution by painting his black 1955 Caddy sedan pink. Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen brought the theme back to prominence in 1984 with his hit “Pink Cadillac,” and Aretha Franklin followed with her 1985 classic, “Freeway of Love” with its immortal refrain: “We’re goin’ ridin’ on the freeway of love in my pink Cadillac.”

A pink Cadillac drives by the Michigan Science Center on the second day of viewing for iconic singer Aretha Franklin on Aug. 29, 2018. GM celebrates Pink Cadillac Day this Sunday, Sept. 1.

A pink Cadillac drives by the Michigan Science Center on the second day of viewing for iconic singer Aretha Franklin on Aug. 29, 2018. GM celebrates Pink Cadillac Day this Sunday, Sept. 1. Charles E. Ramirez/The Detroit News

As Austin celebrates Pink Cadillac Day 40 years later with race cars, organizers encourage attendees to pull out their pink wardrobes and raise a toast to the King of Rock and Roll.

Race action kicks off with qualifying and Hyperpole on Saturday. The six-hour race will start at 1:30 p.m. EDT Sunday.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

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