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For the first time since 2016, Indianapolis racing driver Stephen Cox will return to a road course at this Saturday’s “Fire on the Prairie” 6-Hour Endurance Race sanctioned by NASA Pro Racing at Heartland Park Topeka.

Cox will qualify the car for Mike Halley’s RealAutoSport team, which specializes in rally racing. He will then participate in two NASA sprint races before driving the first stint for the 5-driver team in the endurance race.

“This is a rally car reconfigured to road race,” Halley said. “It will be heavier than the competition and have fewer ‘go fast’ bits. This RX7 is plenty stout but it’s not as dialed into the task at hand as most of the other cars. That’s the down side of running a dual purpose machine.”

Cox is hoping his experience will balance the scales. Although he hasn’t been on a road course recently, his last seven starts in 2015 produced three wins, five podiums and a track record.

“I’m not too worried about it,” said Cox, who is supported by STA-BIL Storage, America’s #1 fuel stabilizer treatment. “Any car prepared by Mike will be competitive and ready to go. But I am a little concerned about the heat. I’ve been adjusting my workout regimen to compensate for 100 degree ambient temperatures.”

Cox will then finish his Southern Division title chase in the Super Cup Stock Car Series before moving back to road racing in Europe this fall with the FIA’s EPCS sportscar series.