IMS Testing Today; Last Chance to See IndyCars in 2025

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Photo: Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing’s new driver for 2026

It’s a short field, but it could have some long-term effects on the 2026 grid. Six teams will run seven drivers from 9-5 today, with a one-hour lunch break at noon. Turn 2 mounds are open for viewing.

Today’s lineup:

A.J. Foyt Enterprises: Caio Collet
Andretti Global: Lochie Hughes
Dale Coyne Racing: Dennis Hauger
ECR: Christian Rasmussen, Alexander Rossi
Juncos Hollinger Racing: James Roe
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Mick Schumacher

Caio Collet may be in the running for the second seat at Foyt. Is Mick Schumacher a serious candidate for the 30 car?

Andretti has no seats available, and Juncos Hollinger is still searching for drivers. Roe may have an opportunity there.

I will be on site this morning, and will have an up date after the morning session.

 NTT INDYCAR SERIES To Participate in Team Test Monday, Oct. 13 on IMS Road Course 

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 NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams will participate in a team test and driver evaluations Monday, Oct. 13 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.Testing will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit,
.WHO: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Teams/Drivers Scheduled To Participate (subject to change):
A.J. Foyt Enterprises: Caio Collet
Andretti Global: Lochie Hughes
Dale Coyne Racing: Dennis Hauger
ECR: Christian Rasmussen, Alexander Rossi
Juncos Hollinger Racing: James Roe
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Mick Schumacher
WHAT: Team Test and Driver Evaluations at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
WHEN: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET, Monday, Oct. 13
WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Turn 2 Viewing Mounds will be open for public viewing

INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series Set To Return in January 2026

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From IndyCar:

  All-new qualifying series format to feature newly released INDY NXT Dallara IL-15

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025) – iRacing, INDYCAR and Thrustmaster are pleased to announce the return of the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series for the 2025-26 season.
Once again, the world’s top virtual INDYCAR drivers will compete for a $50,000 prize pool on a mix of top INDYCAR ovals, road courses and street circuits. The return of the championship will be paired with an all-new qualifying series format that features the Dallara IL-15, used in the real-world INDY NXT by Firestone, INDYCAR’s development series.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring the INDYCAR iRacing Pro Series back later this year with the help of our new series partners at Thrustmaster,” said iRacing President Tony Gardner.
“This series produced some of our most exciting eSports racing last year, and it’s an important part of our ever-expanding relationship with INDYCAR. Our new Qualifying Series format, using the Dallara IL-15 from INDY NXT by Firestone, adds another level of realism to the championship as drivers walk the same path that real-world INDYCAR stars do to reach the highest level. We’re looking forward to getting the season started!”
Said Ben Hendricks, INDYCAR senior manager of sponsorship sales and strategy: “This is an engaging and fun opportunity for some of the world’s best virtual drivers to showcase their skills against the backdrop of the most competitive and dynamic racing series on the planet. It also serves to underscore the immersive and comprehensive nature of our partnership with iRacing, as we look forward to the launch of our official game in 2026.”
The return of the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series is the latest major development in the partnership between iRacing and INDYCAR. Earlier this year, the two sides confirmed that iRacing Studios will produce a dedicated INDYCAR game in 2026 on console and PC.
INDYCAR-relevant releases on iRacing this year have included Portland International Raceway in March and the Dallara IL-15 in September, and more content will be produced in time for next year’s INDYCAR title.
The inaugural INDYCAR iRacing Pro Series ran in the fall of 2024, with many of the top tracks in the real-world NTT INDYCAR SERIES represented. Diogo Pinto claimed the championship after a consistent season that included a win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
The INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Qualifying Series will kick off later this October, while the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series will begin in January 2026. Pro Series races will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET Thursdays via iRacing social channels and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES YouTube channel and website.
More information on both series schedules will be released in the coming weeks.For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iRacing.com. 
 
 

Schumacher Will Test with Rahal at IMS in October

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From RLL:

Formula One And Sports Car Veteran Mick Schumacher To Participate In An IndyCar Test With Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing At IMS

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (September 26, 2025) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Mick Schumacher, 26, who currently competes in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) for Alpine, will participate in an INDYCAR test with the team on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) on October 13. Schumacher, the son of legendary seven-time Formula One champion, Michael Schumacher, has made 44 starts in Formula One with a best finish of sixth place and earned four podiums in WEC to date.

Schumacher, who was born in Switzerland, most recently drove an open-wheel race car as the Mercedes F1 reserve driver while competing in WEC in 2024 and participated in tests at Silverstone, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and Circuit Paul Ricard. The test at IMS will enable Schumacher to familiarize himself with the technical specifications of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with an eye toward possible participation in the future.

During the 2025 Sonsio Grand Prix on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 8-9, RLL drivers Graham Rahal, Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco qualified second, third and fifth, respectively with Rahal leading a race high 49 of 85 laps before earning the team’s best finish of sixth place. This baseline should provide Schumacher with a good starting point.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is North America’s premier open-wheel racing competition, featuring stars from across the globe competing at speeds faster than 370 kph (230 mph). Along with hosting the world-famous Indianapolis 500, the series boasts a mix of oval, temporary street circuit and permanent road course races across North America. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is sanctioned by INDYCAR, the governing body for North America’s premier open-wheel racing series and part of the Penske Entertainment family.

The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 1. The 17-race schedule includes new venues in Arlington, Texas and Markham, Ontario, Canada. For more information about the series or team, visit www.indycar.com and www.rahal.com.

QUOTEBOARD:

MICK SCHUMACHER: “I am very much looking forward to driving my first IndyCar test. A big thank you to the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team for giving me this opportunity. The same goes for driving this car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time, a race track with a big history and that my dad has driven on before. I am excited to see which special features it holds.

“I am very curious to understand the special features and characteristics of this race car, which is different from the cars I am used to driving, yet similar, and I remain very interested in gaining experience in the diverse world of motorsport. Great to be able to see what it is all about and how difficult it is, since I hear a lot about how tough it is physically. It is not a secret that I am big fan of single seater racing after all, so this first IndyCar test will be an experience to treasure, and I am very much looking forward to driving a car where I can see my wheels.”

BOBBY RAHAL, Co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “I have followed Mick’s career from afar as well as that of his father so the thought of seeing him in one of our race cars is very exciting. I think it’s going to be a great day for RLL and also for Mick, as he gets his first experience in an Indy car. Obviously, he’s got a great deal of talent and knowing that we’ve had pretty good setups for the IMS road course, it should give him a good baseline to start from.”

JAY FRYE, President of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “This is an amazing opportunity for RLL to test an elite talent like Mick and bring two legendary motorsports families together.”

About Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher, 26, was born and raised in Switzerland and is the son of seven-time Formula One World Drivers’ Champion Michael Schumacher and his equestrian wife Corinna, as well as the nephew of former Formula One driver Ralf. He is currently competing in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine.

Initially competing under the pseudonyms Mick Betsch and Mick Junior, Schumacher finished runner-up to Enaam Ahmed at the junior direct-drive Karting World Championship and Karting European Championship in 2014. Graduating to junior formula in 2015, Schumacher finished runner-up in both ADAC F4 and Italian F4 in 2016. After finishing third in the MRF Challenge Championship in 2016-2017, Schumacher moved to FIA European Formula 3, winning the championship with Prema in 2018. Progressing to FIA Formula 2 for 2019, Schumacher won the title in 2020 with Prema.

He became a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2019, and went on to participate in rookie testing for Alfa Romeo and Haas in F1 in 2020, before he signed with the latter as a full-time driver in 2021. He made his Formula One debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix alongside Nikita Mazepin, but Haas failed to score points during the season with the VF-21, with Schumacher earning a season-best finish of 12th in Hungary.

In 2022, Schumacher teamed with Kevin Magnussen and scored his maiden points finish at the British Grand Prix with eighth place, followed by a career-best sixth at the Austrian Grand Prix. He was also the official reserve driver for Ferrari in 2022. For 2023 and 2024, he served as a reserve driver for Mercedes, which included serving in the same capacity for McLaren and Williams. In 2024, he moved to the FIA World Endurance with Alpine and achieved his first podium finish at the 6 Hours of Fuji. To date in 2025, he has earned podium finishes at the 6 Hours of Imola and Spa-Francorchamps with two rounds remaining in the season in Fuji (September 28) and Bahrain (November 8).

INDYCAR Announces 17-Race 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone Schedule

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From IndyCar:

  INDY NXT by Firestone Set To Build on Impressive Growth, Momentum
INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025) – INDYCAR has announced a 17-race schedule for the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone season, which includes a series record-tying four races in March and the addition of three new doubleheader weekends as INDYCAR’s developmental series looks to even better prepare drivers and team personnel for the skills required to advance to NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition.
FOX Sports will once again provide a broadcast platform for every race, helping to build on record-setting growth across the 2025 season.The 17-race schedule is the most for the series since 2021 and is highlighted by participation in the much-anticipated inaugural INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington.
The Sunday, March 15 race on the new 14-turn, 2.73-mile Streets of Arlington circuit is a tentpole event during the 2026 INDYCAR calendar. The weekend is a first-of-its-kind venture uniting three championship organizations: INDYCAR, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers.
The thrilling mix of wheel-to-wheel action on ovals, road courses and street circuits in 2026 includes a total of five doubleheader weekends, culminating with one at the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The historic road course returns as the season finale for the 15th time in series history.For the second consecutive season, the 2026 schedule in the United States will be featured on live television with all events broadcast on either FOX Sports’ FS1 or FS2. Additionally, all practice and qualifying sessions will be featured on those networks.
As part of a multiyear partnership between INDYCAR and FOX Sports, 2025 was a breakout year for INDY NXT with every race being featured on live television for the first time. As a result, the 2025 season generated well over five times more viewership than the previous season.
“Like with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone season begins with supercharged action in March and only grows more intense from there,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said.
“Additional doubleheaders at fan-favorite events will add to the challenge of winning a season championship, which again will be celebrated at iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
“Combined with the exceptional showcase of another full season of races on FS1 and FS2, we again look forward to seeing the young stars of INDY NXT challenge for the title and advancing to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.”
For the 16th time and fifth straight year, the season opens Sunday, March 1 on the sun-splashed Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Challenging doubleheaders at Barber Motorsports Park, Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course add intrigue to the traditional series doubleheaders on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and Laguna Seca.The schedule also includes visits to the ovals at World Wide Technology Raceway, Nashville Superspeedway and the Milwaukee Mile, which all featured series records for on-track passes in 2025.
All 17 races will, once again, take place during NTT INDYCAR SERIES event weekends. Since taking over operational control of the development series in 2023, INDY NXT has enjoyed unprecedented growth by averaging over 19 starters at each race and the largest fields since the 2009 season.Five of the seven race winners during the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season were former INDY NXT drivers.
The 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge featured 20 drivers with INDY NXT experience.
FOX Sports’ network assignments and tune-in times for the 2026 events will be announced at a later date.Outside of the United States, the streaming service INDYCAR LIVE will continue to provide live coverage of all 17 INDY NXT races along with all practice and qualifying sessions
.2026 INDY NXT BY FIRESTONE SCHEDULE
Date Venue
Sunday, March 1 Streets of St. Petersburg
Sunday, March 5 Streets of Arlington
Saturday, March 28 Barber Motorsports Park Race1
Sunday, March 29 Barber Motorsports Park Race2
Friday, May 8 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Race 1
Saturday, May 9 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Race 2
Sunday, May 31 Streets of Detroit
Sunday, June 7 World Wide Technology Raceway
Saturday, June 20 Road America Race 1
Sunday, June 21 Road America Race 2
Saturday, July 4 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Race 1
Sunday, July 5 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Race 2
Sunday, July 19 Nashville Superspeedway
Sunday, Aug. 9 Portland International Raceway
Sunday, Aug. 3 Milwaukee Mile
\Saturday, Sept. 5 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Race 1
Sunday, Sept. 6 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Race 2 

Hauger Joins Coyne; DCR in Technical Partnership with Andretti

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New release from Dale Coyne Racing:

Dale Coyne Racing Welcomes Dennis Hauger, Enters Technical Partnership with Andretti Global
Dennis Hauger - INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix - By_ Travis Hinkle_Ref Image

INDIANAPOLIS, (September 23, 2025) – Dale Coyne Racing announced today that reigning INDY NXT by Firestone Champion Dennis Hauger will pilot one of the Dale Coyne Racing Honda’s for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. In addition to adding Hauger to the team’s driver lineup, Dale Coyne Racing has entered into a technical partnership with Andretti Global for the upcoming season. Coming off a Championship-winning rookie INDY NXT season, 22-year-old Norwegian driver Hauger secured six wins, five additional podiums, seven poles, 13 top-10 finishes and 301 laps led across 14 races. Additionally, Hauger set multiple qualifying records in 2025, recording the fastest laps in track history on the Streets of Detroit, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Milwaukee Mile. Hauger’s on-track success allowed him to clinch the 2025 INDY NXT Championship at the penultimate race of the season at The Milwaukee Mile. Prior to making his debut in North American open-wheel racing, Hauger advanced through the European racing ranks, capturing the Italian F4 Championship (2019), the FIA Formula 3 Championship (2021) and earning five wins and 13 podiums over three seasons competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship (2022-2024). Hauger will take his first INDYCAR laps in offseason testing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with Dale Coyne Racing and will make his official on-track debut at the 2026 INDYCAR season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg, February 27 – March 1. DALE COYNE, OWNER, DALE COYNE RACING “This is a great opportunity for us here at DCR to bring on a talented driver and gain a strong technical partner in Andretti Global, Thanks to Dan and his belief in our sport and his dedication to elevating Dennis to the top of the ladder.” DENNIS HAUGER, DRIVER, DALE COYNE RACING “I’m excited to be joining Dale Coyne Racing for my rookie INDYCAR season. The progress the team has shown this year is really impressive, and it’s an honor to take my place on the grid with them in 2026. I want to thank Dale Coyne and everyone at the team for putting their trust in me. It’ll also be nice to see some familiar faces through the team’s technical partnership with Andretti Global. They’ve been a big part of my success since making the switch, so having their involvement in another rookie season for me will be great. I’m looking forward to contributing and starting this next chapter together.”

Battle on the Bricks Final Thoughts

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A perfect day for racing brought a good-sized crowd to IMS yesterday for the third Battle on the Bricks. They were treated to a very good race. American manufacturers finished 1-2 in GTP as two Cadillac powered cars fought for the win in the last hour, and a Ford Mustang won the GTD Pro class.

Fans Show Up

On Friday I had concerns about weekend attendance. The speedway was quite empty, and energy was lacking. The IMSA Weather Tech Series had just a single practice session around midday, which could have accounted for the lull.

On Saturday, the place had more fans than I expected. The Michelin Plot Challenge race featured down to the wire wins in both classes, with leads and podium positions changing in the final five minutes.

I was still not prepared for Sunday morning. It was a non 500 event, and I thought if I arrived at 10 am I could breeze straight to my partaking spot in Lot 2. That was not the case. I sat on CrawfordsvilleRoadfor40minutes before I reached Auburn Street, then it was another 20 minutes before I parked in a nearly filled lot.

I am not complaining. It reminded me of the morning of the Indianapolis 500. I was happy to see the turnout. I went tom the upper deck of B stand to w3atch the start. Last year I sat in this spot with three friends. We had an entire section to ourselves, and we could have easily moved to another section if we chose to do so. Yesterday, I had to search for a single open seat.

At the halfway point of the race I trekked to the mounds in turns 1 and 2 of the road course, and I found another large gathering, not quite as large a group as for the Indy Grand Prix in May, but a respectable number of fans.

The Race

Sports car racing is an acquired taste, and the more I watch it, the more I like it. With four classes of cars competing at once, the skill involved for the faster cars to get around the slower classes is impressive.

The road course at IMS is a natural fit for today’s sports cars. The cars are fast, the track flows well, and it offers many passing opportunities.

At the beginning of the weekend, I was glad that the race would return to a two hour, forty minute event in 2026. I thought the six hour format was too long, based on the 2024 race. After yesterday, I am not so sure. Yesterday’s race was very good.

Some highlights and personal notes:

There was a great battle early in the GTD Pro class between the AO Racing Porsche and one of the Ford Mustangs. The two swapped the lead several times each lap, but the Porsche led at the line.

Later, The leading GTP Cadillac of Whelen Engineering had a stiff challenge first one of the Meyer Shank Acuras, and the from another Cadillac from Wayne Taylor Racing.

I love the sound of the Aston Martin. The high pitched whine as it accelerated out of the final turn and onto the main straight sent this old race fan’s heart a fluttering.

Romain Grosjean was having a great day in the Lamborghini, a team that has struggled this season. Grosjean was running fourth late in the race when contact with the number 7 Penske Porsche, knocked him back to a 10th place finish. It was nice to see the Italian team running so well.

I had not really thought about, but the number 31 Whelen car had not won in a while. I hadn’t realized it had been nearly two years since that car reached the top step of the podium. The team used to be a regular visitor to victory circle.

I was happy for two of my favorite drivers, Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber.

Overall, it was another successful weekend at IMS, and an event which took a big leap forward. I hope this race continues to grow.

Note- I will be heading down to winter headquarters for a couple of weeks, but I plan to keep with IndyCar news as it happens. I plan to be back for the road course test on October 13.


Thanks for following along this past weekend.

Whelen Cadillac Wins Overall at Indy for First IMSA Victory Since 2023

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From IMS. My thoughts on the weekend will be up tomorrow.

  INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025) – With 85 minutes remaining in the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks on Sunday, Jack Aitken was in street clothes in the pits at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Ninety minutes later, he was in a sweat-and-champagne soaked driver’s suit, celebrating a convincing overall and GTP class victory in the six-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race with Cadillac Whelen teammates Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti.

SEE: Race Results

The Whelen team earned its first victory since capturing the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2023, and this was the first victory of the season for Cadillac, which fields three cars in the class.
Pole sitter Aitken took Bamber’s spot in the cockpit of the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R during the team’s final pit stop with 82 minutes left in the race. Originally, the team planned to have Bamber stay in the car until the checkered flag but instead opted for Aitken to finish what he started on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
“We’ve got a great team from A to Z, and that includes my teammates,” Aitken said. “Any one of us could have finished it off. We just thought with the length of the race and it was going, it was better to get a fresh one (driver) in. It was intense. I’m glad we did.”
Winners in the other three classes were the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07 (drivers Mikkel Jensen, Hunter McElrea, Steven Thomas) in LMP2, the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 (Sebastian Priaulx, Mike Rockenfeller) in GT Daytona Pro and the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 (Brendan Iribe, Ollie Millroy, Frederik Schandorff) in GT Daytona.
The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac led the race and the GTP class after each of the six hours of this Michelin Endurance Cup event. But victory was anything but easy, as two full-course caution periods in the last 75 minutes of the race forced Aitken to stand on the gas on restarts and navigate lapped traffic as the clock wound down.The first of the last two full-course yellows came with one hour, 15 minutes to go when the hood flew off the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari that ended up winning the GTD class.
Aitken held off the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Sheldon van der Linde on the restart with an hour to go and expanded his lead to 1.606 seconds with 30 minutes to go.
With 18 minutes remaining, Tom Blomqvist had pushed the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 to second place behind Aitken. The MSR prototype was the quickest in qualifying Saturday with Blomqvist behind the wheel but was moved to the rear of the 12-car GTP class on the starting grid due to failing to comply with bodywork rules in post-qualifying inspection.
Ricky Taylor then passed Blomqvist with 13 minutes remaining in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R for second place but probably needed a late caution to finish with his remaining fuel.Taylor got that full-course caution with nine minutes left.
The No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA LMP2 car driven by NTT INDYCAR SERIES veteran Toby Sowery spun and backed hard into the wall after apparent contact from Indianapolis 500 veteran Ben Hanley.
Debris from the incident was cleaned just in time for a two-lap trophy dash to the checkered flag.
Aitken pulled away from Taylor on the restart and was never threatened, finishing .988 of a second ahead in a 1-2 result for Cadillac. NTT INDYCAR SERIES veterans Blomqvist and Colin Braun settled for third, 1.952 seconds behind the winners.
In LMP2, the TDS Racing team earned a class victory for the third consecutive year at this event. The team finished .714 of a second ahead of the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07 shared by Jeremy Clarke, Tom Dillmann and Bijoy Garg. Jensen drove the car to the checkered in the final stint, while McElrea added this win to a victory in August 2023 on the IMS road course in INDY NXT by Firestone.
“Very tense out there,” Jensen said. “We did the perfect race. No mistakes. Then you get a yellow at the end. Nerve-wracking finish, but you’ve got do a good restart and keep the car clean. It’s not easy to stay clear.”
Priaulx guided the Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang to victory by .594 of a second over the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 of Albert Costa and Davide Rigon in the factory-backed GTD PRO class
.In GTD, Inception Racing earned its first IMSA class victory despite losing its hood late in the race. Schandorff drove the Ferrari to victory over the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche shared by Adam Adelson, Tom Sargent and Elliott Skeer by 2.276 seconds.
The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks returns to IMS on Sept. 18-20, 2026.
Visit IMS.com for ticket renewal or application information. 

TireRack.com Extends Battle on the Bricks Sponsorship 

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 INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025) – TireRack.com, an independent tire tester and nationwide customer-direct tire, wheel and car accessory retailer, has extended its entitlement sponsorship of the Battle on the Bricks IMSA sports car event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
TireRack.com continues as the “Official Partner of the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks” and “Official Partner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
”“We’re excited to continue as official partners of both Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks,” TireRack.com CEO Scott Clark said. “This partnership welcomed IMSA sports car racing back to IMS and serves as a reminder that tire performance plays a critical role for every driver. Whether it’s on the track or on the street, tires matter.”
The sponsorship, which began in 2023, featured the return of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to IMS. Following endurance races in 2024 and 2025, the series returns to the Racing Capital of the World from Sept. 18-20, 2026, with a full weekend of sports car racing on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile IMS road course. The 2026 feature event will be two hours, 40 minutes in duration. In addition to Sunday’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge will headline the action Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026.
With 18 different manufacturers competing in IMSA, the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks weekend continues to be a three-day festival showcasing the pinnacle of sports car racing.
“The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is an action-packed weekend of sports car racing at IMS,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.
“Sports car fans, like myself, enjoy working on their own cars, and TireRack.com provides 24/7 access to shop for the highest-quality tires, wheels and car accessories. Having visited the TireRack.com headquarters and purchased tires from TireRack.com, I can attest to their focus on tire testing and the distribution of performance data that helps consumers make an informed tire choice. We are honored to have them as an integral part of the IMS experience.”
Tire Rack is headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, and since 1979 it has grown from a single-point retail store in Indianapolis to a huge tire and related accessories retailer with more than 10,000 authorized U.S. installers and 12 distribution centers across the country, allowing it to maintain a huge inventory.
Tire Rack offers an easy online purchasing experience, extremely competitive pricing and convenient installation through its installer network or brings installation directly to shoppers through its Tire Rack Mobile Tire Installation program. And it does year-round independent tire testing and shares its test results and advice on its website, an always-free consumer resource.
See all Tire Rack test videos and browse Tire Rack test reports on TireRack.com, and visit and subscribe to Tire Rack’s YouTube Channel.
Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information on the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks. Flag-to-flag coverage of the 2025 TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is available on Peacock, with live NBC Sports’ coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET.