Bill Sweedler
| Bill Sweedler | |
|---|---|
Sweedler in 2017 | |
| Nationality | |
| Born | William Sweedler October 11, 1966 Westport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Categorisation | |
| Championship titles | |
| 2015 | United SportsCar Championship – GTD |
William Sweedler (born October 11, 1966) is an American businessman and racing driver who last competed in the GTD class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship for TR3 Racing. He is a past IMSA champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, both for Scuderia Corsa.
Business ventures
[edit]Sweedler began working at Ralph Lauren in 1989,[3] before founding Windsong Allegiance Group in 1994 and later working for Iconix Brand Group from 2005 to 2006.[4] Towards the end of the year, Sweedler founded Windsong Global and five years later co-founded Tengram Capital Partners.[5][6]
Racing career
[edit]Sweedler made his car racing debut in 2007, racing in the SCCA Mazda MX-5 Cup for PRX Comosport on a part-time schedule.[7] Two years in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA for Orbit Racing then ensued, as well as a campaign in the Challenge cup of the 2009 American Le Mans Series, in which he scored a lone podium at Lime Rock to finish fifth in points.[8]

Switching to ALMS powerhouse Alex Job Racing for 2010,[9] Sweedler took a best result of second at the 12 Hours of Sebring and three third-place finishes across the rest of the year to end the year fifth in the GT Challenge standings.[10] Remaining with Alex Job Racing for 2011, Sweedler finished second at Long Beach, Baltimore and the Petit Le Mans as he rounded out the year fourth in the GT Challenge points.[11] During 2011, Sweedler also made his 24 Hours of Daytona debut, driving for fellow Porsche outfit Chris Smith Racing in the GT class.[12]

At the start of 2012, Sweedler continued with AJR to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, the latter of which he won in the GT Challenge class.[13][14] For the rest of the year, Sweedler continued with the team as it fielded a Lotus Evora in the GT class,[15] scoring a best result of sixth at VIR to end the year 17th in the class standings.[16] Sweedler continued with the team for 2013 as they switched to a Ferrari 458 Italia GT2,[17] taking a best result of fourth at Laguna Seca as he rounded out the season 15th in the GT standings.[18]
Continuing with Ferrari machinery for 2014, Sweedler joined Level 5 Motorsports to compete in the newly-renamed United SportsCar Championship,[19] with whom he won the 24 Hours of Daytona in GTD alongside Townsend Bell, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Jeff Segal and Scott Tucker.[20] After Level 5 withdrew from the series after the race,[21] Sweedler joined AIM Motorsport for the rest of the year,[22] taking a pair of second-place finishes at Sebring and Watkins Glen en route to fourth in the points standings.[23][24]

Joining Scuderia Corsa alongside Bell for the following season,[25] Sweedler scored a lone win at VIR and a podium at the 12 Hours of Sebring to clinch the GTD title at season's end.[26][27] During 2015, Sweedler also raced for the team in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing third in LMGTE Am at his first appearance at the event.[28] In 2016, Sweedler began the year with O'Gara Motorsport, driving a Lamborghini Huracán for the 24 Hours of Daytona,[29] before switching to fellow Lamborghini customer team Change Racing for the following two rounds.[30] During 2016, Sweedler also returned to Scuderia Corsa for a one-off round of the Pirelli World Challenge and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the latter of which resulted in a historic LMGTE Am win for the all-American trio.[31]
The following year, Sweedler returned to now-Audi-aligned Alex Job Racing for select rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, scoring a best result of sixth twice and ending the year 25th in the GTD standings.[32] During 2017, Sweedler also raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Scuderia Corsa, finishing third in LMGTE Am in his third appearance at the event.[33] In 2018, Sweedler remained with Scuderia Corsa to race in the endurance rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, in which he took a best result of fifth at the 24 Hours of Daytona.[34] After a year on the sidelines, Sweedler made select appearances in GT World Challenge America for Lamborghini squad TR3 Racing in both 2020 and 2021,[35][36] before competing with them in the 24 Hours of Daytona the following year in GTD.[37]
Racing record
[edit]Racing career summary
[edit]| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | SCCA Mazda MX-5 Cup | PRX Comosport | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 18th |
| 2008 | Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA – Platinum | Orbit Racing | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 17th |
| SCCA Mazda MX-5 Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 38th | ||
| 2009 | Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA – Platinum | Orbit Racing | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 103 | 8th |
| American Le Mans Series – Challenge | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 5th | ||
| 2010 | American Le Mans Series – GTC | Alex Job Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 109 | 5th |
| 2011 | Rolex Sports Car Series – GT | Chris Smith Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 57th |
| American Le Mans Series – GTC | Alex Job Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 117 | 4th | |
| 2012 | Rolex Sports Car Series – GT | Alex Job Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 67th |
| American Le Mans Series – GTC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC | ||
| American Le Mans Series – GT | Lotus / Alex Job Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 17th | |
| 2013 | American Le Mans Series – GT | Team West/AJR/Boardwalk Ferrari | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 15th |
| 2014 | United SportsCar Championship – GTD | Level 5 Motorsports | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 293 | 4th |
| AIM Autosport | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| 2015 | United SportsCar Championship – GTD | Scuderia Corsa | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 281 | 1st |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans – LMGTE Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/a | 3rd | ||
| Ferrari Challenge North America – Trofeo Pirelli | Ferrari of Beverly Hills | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 2016 | IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD | O'Gara Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 36th |
| Change Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Pirelli World Challenge – GTA | Scuderia Corsa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18th | |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans – LMGTE Am | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/a | 1st | ||
| 2017 | IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD | Alex Job Racing | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 25th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans – LMGTE Am | Scuderia Corsa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/a | 3rd | |
| 2018 | IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD | Scuderia Corsa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 36th |
| 2020 | GT World Challenge America – Am | TR3 Racing | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 2nd |
| 2021 | GT World Challenge America – Am | TR3 Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 2nd |
| GT World Challenge America – Pro-Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | ||
| Intercontinental GT Challenge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | ||
| 2022 | IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD | TR3 Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 218 | 60th |
| Sources:[38][39] | |||||||||
† As Sweedler was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.
Complete American Le Mans Series results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Orbit Racing | GTC | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche 3.8 L Flat-6 | UTA DSQ |
LRP 2 |
MDO Ret |
ELK 5 |
LAG 4 |
5th | 39 | [40] | |||||
| 2010 | Alex Job Racing | GTC | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche 3.8 L Flat-6 | SEB 2 |
LBH 3 |
LAG 7 |
UTA 8 |
LRP 6 |
MDO 3 |
ELK 4 |
MOS 3 |
PET 7 |
5th | 109 | [41] | |
| 2011 | Alex Job Racing | GTC | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche 3.8 L Flat-6 | SEB 8 |
LBH 2 |
LRP 3 |
MOS 4 |
MDO 5 |
ELK Ret |
BAL 2 |
LAG 4 |
PET 2 |
4th | 117 | [42] | |
| 2012 | Alex Job Racing | GTC | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SEB 1 |
NC | 0 | [43] | |||||||||
| Lotus / Alex Job Racing | GT | Lotus Evora GTE | Toyota (Cosworth) 4.0 L V6 | LBH 12 |
LAG 12 |
LRP 10 |
MOS 8 |
MDO 11 |
ELK 7 |
BAL 10 |
VIR 6 |
PET 11 |
17th | 21 | |||
| 2013 | Team West/AJR/Boardwalk Ferrari | GT | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari 4.5 L V8 | SEB Ret |
LBH 7 |
LGA 4 |
LIM 9 |
MOS | ELK | BAL 7 |
COT 8 |
VIR 10 |
PET 9 |
15th | 35 | [44] |
Complete Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Chris Smith Racing | GT | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup | Porsche 4.0L F6 | DAY 19 |
MIA | BAR | VIR | LIM | WGL | ELK | LAG | NJMP | WGL | CGV | MOH | 57th | 16 | [45] | |
| 2012 | Alex Job Racing | GT | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup | Porsche 4.0L F6 | DAY 14 |
BAR | MIA | NJMP | BEL | MOH | ELK | WGL | IMS | WGL | CGV | LAG | LIM | 67th | 17 | [46] |
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Level 5 Motorsports | GTD | Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 | Ferrari 4.5L V8 | DAY 1 |
4th | 293 | [47] | |||||||||||
| AIM Autosport | SEB 2 |
LGA 14 |
DET 8 |
WGL 2 |
MOS 13 |
IMS 4 |
ELK 5 |
VIR 8 |
COA 8 |
PET 7 | |||||||||
| 2015 | Scuderia Corsa | GTD | Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 | Ferrari 4.5L V8 | DAY 6 |
SEB 3 |
LGA 4 |
DET 9 |
WGL 4 |
LIM 9 |
ELK 4 |
VIR 1 |
COA 6 |
PET 4 |
1st | 281 | [48] | ||
| 2016 | O'Gara Motorsport | GTD | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 | Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10 | DAY 15 |
36th | 35 | [49] | |||||||||||
| Change Racing | SEB 18† |
LGA 15 |
BEL | WGL | MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | AUS | PET | |||||||||
| 2017 | Alex Job Racing | GTD | Audi R8 LMS | Audi 5.2L V10 | DAY 6 |
SEB 15 |
LBH | COT | DET | WGL 14 |
MOS | LIM 8 |
ELK | VIR | LGA | PET 6 |
25th | 106 | [50] |
| 2018 | Scuderia Corsa | GTD | Ferrari 488 GT3 | Ferrari F154CB 3.9L Turbo V8 | DAY 5 |
SEB 17 |
MDO | DET | WGL 10 |
MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | LGA | PET | 36th | 61 | [51] | |
| 2022 | TR3 Racing | GTD | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo | Lamborghini 5.2 L V10 | DAY 11 |
SEB |
LBH |
LGA |
MDO |
DET |
WGL |
MOS |
LIM |
ELK |
VIR |
PET |
60th | 218 | [52] |
| Source:[38] | |||||||||||||||||||
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
[edit]| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | LMGTE Am | 330 | 24th | 3rd | ||
| 2016 | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | LMGTE Am | 331 | 26th | 1st | ||
| 2017 | Ferrari 488 GTE | LMGTE Am | 331 | 29th | 3rd | ||
| Sources:[53][38] | |||||||
References
[edit]- ^ "IMSA COMPETITION MEMO #14-28" (PDF). imsa.com. International Motor Sports Association. January 19, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 20, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- ^ "Entry List 24 Heures du Mans 2015 v2" (PDF). Dailysportscar. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. June 10, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- ^ "At Work: Bill Sweedler Juggles Private Equity Investing With Race Car Driving". wwd.com. May 15, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ "Joe Boxer Head Steps Down". wwd.com. May 22, 2006. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ "Tengram acquires Graham". nypost.com. July 13, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ "Tengram to acquire luxury menswear brand Zanella". pehub.com. June 16, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ "MX-5: Cleveland Saturday race results". motorsport.com. June 24, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "AMERICAN LeMANS SERIES: Cars, weather, and entertainment awinning combination at Lime Rock". registercitizen.com. July 19, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Alex Job Racing returns to ALMS at Sebring". autoweek.com. February 4, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Wurz, Gene, Davidson give Peugeot first Sebring victory". racecar.com. March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "ALMS: Oryx Dyson Racing scores overall win in Baltimore". autoweek.com. September 2, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Rolex 24: Pruett leads Ganassi team to victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona". autoweek.com. January 29, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Grand-Am: Alex Job Racing to field two Porsches in the Rolex 24". autoweek.com. December 19, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "McNish, Kristensen, Capello lead Audi to 12 Hours of Sebring victory". autoweek.com. March 17, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "AJR To Enter Lotus Evora GTE In 2012 ALMS". dailysportscar.com. February 21, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Lotus Alex Job Racing takes sixth with Evora in GT at VIR". motorsport.com. September 16, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "ALMS teams West Racing, Alex Job partner for Ferrari GT effort". autoweek.com. February 6, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Alex Job Racing takes exciting fourth in GT at Laguna Seca". motorsport.com. May 12, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "TRG/ AMR, Level 5 And Scuderia Corsa Confirm 2 Car GTD Entries". dailysportscar.com. November 25, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Ferrari, trionfo storico alla 24 Ore di Daytona". repubblica.it (in Italian). January 27, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Level 5 To Exit 2014 TUSCC". dailysportscar.com. February 26, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "TUSCC: 12 Hours of Sebring, Race Preview, GTs". dailysportscar.com. March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "12 Ore di Sebring: doppio podio per la Ferrari". motoremotion.it (in Italian). March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Westporter Sweedler living dream on race track". ctinsider.com. July 29, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "IMSA News Update: GTD, Sweedler & Bell To Scuderia Corsa, Nielsen To TRG AMR". dailysportscar.com. November 7, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "TUSCC: VIR, Race, Porsche Dominates; Sweedler/Bell Take First GTD Win". dailysportscar.com. August 24, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Bell, Sweedler Finally Secure Their First Sports Car Titles". sportscar365.com. October 4, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Le Mans 24 Hours: Wrapping Up GT, Corvette & SMP Ferrari Win". dailysportscar.com. June 14, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "IMSA: Bell, Sweedler confirmed for O'Gara Motorsport Lamborghini". racer.com. November 10, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "IMSA: Sweedler and Bell join Change Racing". racer.com. March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Historia secreta: Cómo el Ferrari ganador de Le Mans casi se queda sin la gloria". motorsport.com (in Spanish). July 1, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Alex Job Racing Signs Townsend Bell, Bill Sweedler for 2017". frontstretch.com. December 27, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "GTE, Genuine Balance Of Performance In Pro". dailysportscar.com. June 18, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Scuderia Corsa Adds Second Car for NAEC; Sweedler, Bell Return". sportscar365.com. December 15, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "GT World Challenge America Struggles Back Into Action AT VIR This Weekend". dailysportscar.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "GT Racing News Notebook: IMSA, GT World Challenge & British GT". dailysportscar.com. August 27, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "TR3 Set for Rolex 24 Debut With Former Class Winners". sportscar365.com. December 1, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Bill Sweedler Results". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler | Racing career profile | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2009 American Le Mans Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2010 American Le Mans Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2011 American Le Mans Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2012 American Le Mans Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2013 American Le Mans Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2011 NASCAR Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2012 NASCAR Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2016 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2017 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2018 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "Bill Sweedler – 2022 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ "William Sweedler". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Bill Sweedler career summary at DriverDB.com
- Living people
- 1966 births
- Racing drivers from Connecticut
- People from Westport, Connecticut
- American Le Mans Series drivers
- Rolex Sports Car Series drivers
- WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- Ferrari Challenge drivers
- GT World Challenge America drivers
- Level 5 Motorsports drivers
- Scuderia Corsa drivers
- TR3 Racing drivers
- Alex Job Racing drivers
- 21st-century American sportsmen