As a new sports car racing season begins this month, Mike Johnson will lead Archangel Motorsports into its 25th year of operations, in what is set up to be a busy year for the team. With programs in four professional sports car racing championships already confirmed, and a fifth under consideration, the championship-winning effort is open for business, ready to take on the 2023 season.
“I can’t believe we are starting our 25th year,” said Johnson. “I started this in the back of a shop in Orlando 25 years ago, moved it to Road Atlanta for our Grand-Am and American Le Mans Series years, and have been back home in St. Louis since 2020. We have been running programs for quite a few teams over the last year years, and it will be another busy year running races in three to four series this year.”
Johnson founded Archangel in 1998, beginning with formula racing before starting the transition to sports cars in 2000, earning back-to-back championships in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. The team has continued a championship and race-winning streak, celebrating victory at iconic races such as the Rolex 24 At Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
This year, the team will campaign programs in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, International GT (IGT), GT America Powered by AWS, and Pirelli GT4 America, with the possibility of a few World Racing League (WRL) entries as well.
Johnson has partnered his company racing an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 with Todd Coleman Racing, with Coleman making his debut this month in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Daytona, and later participating in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. Coleman will also make appearances in the new IMSA VP Racing Series, GT America, and GT4 America.
The team will also partner with Scott Blind and Ruckus Racing, running a Porsche GT3 Cup Car in IGT, and select rounds of SRO America’s GT4 racing series.
“Scott is also considering racing in WRL, which would be a great opportunity for all,” said Johnson. “It’s a strong series with a competitive field. It’s great for customer racing, providing a strong product at a fair price. I look forward to the possibility of growing our footprint there. We’ve proven we can run a variety of cars and programs successfully, and we’re excited for what’s ahead.”
Archangel’s first race of the season takes place this month at Daytona International Speedway, with the BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona. Todd Coleman Racing with Archangel Motorsports will participate in the four-hour endurance event in the No. 69 Aston Martin Vantage GT4, on Friday, January 27 at 1:45 PM ET. The race will air live on Peacock, beginning at 1:35 PM ET.