It's a tough break for the DXDT Racing team and their fans this week. The IMSA GTD squad has been forced to pull out of this Sunday's race at Laguna Seca after a fire broke out in their team hauler on Wednesday.

The incident, which program manager Bryan Sellers described to Sportscar365 as a "substantial" fire, started when a left-rear truck axle failed. The resulting damage was severe enough that the team couldn't field their No. 36 Corvette Z06.R for the weekend. While they considered bringing a spare chassis from their headquarters, there simply wasn't enough time to make it happen.

This is especially disappointing for driver Robert Wickens, who was set to race again this weekend. The Canadian open-wheel veteran has been on an incredible comeback journey since a devastating 2018 IndyCar crash left him partially paralyzed. He was scheduled to co-drive with Mason Filippi, just as they did at the last IMSA round in Long Beach, where the team started on pole and led early before finishing sixth after an on-track incident.

Here's where the timing gets particularly rough for Wickens: since he only competes in the sprint rounds, and the GTD class doesn't race at Detroit at the end of this month, he'll have to sit out the six-hour endurance race at Watkins Glen in June. That event will see Filippi paired with DXDT's endurance co-drivers instead.

The good news? The team expects to be back in action for the next GTD sprint race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in July—Wickens' home track. For now, the focus is on getting the transporter repaired and the Corvette back in fighting shape for the rest of the IMSA season. It's a setback, but one this determined team is ready to overcome.