Hanley Motorsports Incorporated embarks on multi-series IMSA racing endeavor

Buford, GA (Nov 4, 2026)—Hanley Motorsports Incorporated (HMI) will join forces with DXDT Racing under the HMI umbrella as the team confirms a multi-series IMSA racing program in 2027.

With BMW power, HMI will compete at three different levels of IMSA GT racing across two series—GTD and GTD Pro in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the GS class in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. The organization's mission is not simply to participate at the top level, but to establish a lasting presence built on professionalism, preparation, technical excellence, and race-winning performance.

Robert Hanley, founder of HMI, and David Askew of DXDT are both race winners in their own right and will be looking forward to continuing that winning pedigree as the teams come together for this all-new challenge.

HMI’s roots go back more than 30 years, with Robert Hanley himself running dirt cars in the beginning. Despite briefly walking away from the sport to focus on his family and continue his professional career, Hanley found himself back behind the wheel in Sports Cars in 2019, winning races and a Masters Championship. After several years driving, Robert’s commitment to motorsports evolved with Hanley Motorsports participating in Porsche Sprint Challenge and SRO competition for the 2023 season. Most recently, Robert spent the 2026 season participating in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar championship with DXDT in the GTD category, and with Bryan Herta Autosport in a joint venture with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in the LMP2 category.

Meanwhile, DXDT Racing—founded by Askew—got its start in club racing before moving to Lamborghini Super Trofeo in 2016, picking up an LB Cup championship in their very first year in the series. An SRO TC class championship followed in 2020. DXDT won a record eight wins in nine races in SRO GT3 Pro competition in 2024 before moving to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2025. DXDT scored six top-10 finishes in their debut IMSA season and have backed that up with the team’s first IMSA pole position at the Grand Prix of Long Beach in April and first podium finish in the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

HMI is already assembling a strong team for their efforts, bringing on Mitchell Simmons as Team Principal and Bryan Sellers as Competition Director. The team will operate out of the former Paul Miller Racing shop in Buford, Georgia for the 2027 season while their new facility located in Flowery Branch, Georgia is being completed.

Sellers has been a bastion of North American sports car racing. Since his debut in the American Le Mans Series in 2005, Sellers has racked up wins in every major US sports car race including the Rolex 24 at Daytona (2020), the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring (2018, 2023), Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen (2015), Motul Petit Le Mans (2013) and a hat trick of back-to-back-to-back wins at the Grand Prix of Long Beach (2012, 2022, 2023). Sellers and then co-driver Madison Snow also notched two IMSA GTD championship titles (2018, 2023) before he moved to the management team at DXDT in 2025.

Simmons, meanwhile, has been behind the scenes at all of Sellers’ and Paul Miller Racing’s successes, and more. With a background in software used on Formula 1 cars, Simmons worked in multiple championships across Europe, South Africa and Asia before returning stateside to work on ALMS and Grand Am programs. He eventually found a home at Paul Miller Racing in 2009. In addition to the wins and championships notched by Sellers and Snow, Simmons has added another Rolex 24 victory and an IMSA GTD Pro championship to his resume earlier this year.

HMI will make their IMSA debut at Daytona International Speedway in January. Further announcements regarding driver lineups will be made at a later date.

Robert Hanley “This is a dream come true for me. When I started Hanley Motorsports, the intent was always to compete at the top level in all of our endeavors. With the expertise brought by Dave, Mitchell, and Bryan, we believe we are aggressively building an organization that is capable of delivering sustained success, at the highest level of sportscar racing in North America, The IMSA Weathertech Championship. There is no question our goals and aspirations will not be easily achieved as we are fully aware of the tremendous competitors, for whom we have a great deal of respect, that will challenge us at every opportunity. We are committed and energized by what is ahead of us.

David Askew “This is such a great opportunity for all of us at DXDT Racing to grow and become something bigger than our initial foray into the IMSA paddock. We’ve really been working on setting a strong foundation in our first two years in the series and now that we have that, it’s time to take the next step and I really think this partnership with Robert will help facilitate that. I’m excited to see what’s to come for HMI and really thrilled to be along for the journey as part of this team.”

Mitchell Simmons “Robert Hanley is assembling a super team for this push into IMSA for 2027 and beyond. He’s brought on some of the best of the best across Paul Miller Racing and DXDT for this endeavor and I’m really excited to oversee such an expansive and ambitious program. IMSA is the top level of sports car racing and I know all of us want to see Hanley Motorsports out in front of such a competitive field. I’m looking forward to the challenge!”

Bryan Sellers “This kind of opportunity is exactly what I envisioned when moving over to the management side at the end of 2024. It’s really exciting to see these two impressive team owners come together to form HMI and set their sights on such an ambitious racing program in 2027. Both Robert and Dave excel at everything they do both in competition and in their business lives and it’s been such a great experience working with them to put this deal together. Plus, reuniting with Mitchell after all of our success together is a cherry on top. I can’t wait until we get our BMWs on the track and go wheel to wheel with the best of the best in IMSA.”

Adam McGregor — BMW NA Motorsport & Customer Racing Manager “BMW Motorsport is happy to welcome Hanley Motorsports to our racing family. As I have gotten to know Robert and the whole Hanley organization it has become clear that they share the same drive for excellence on the race track that BMW Motorsport does. Therefore, they are perfect to continue to build our legacy in GTD Pro class with the M4 GT3 EVO. It is also exciting to see HMI planning to expand BMW’s presence in GTD and GT4 classes of IMSA. The Rolex 24 is right around the corner and I cannot wait to see BMW M4’s in HMI’s livery on the pavement in Daytona!”