Tag: IMSA Weather Tech Championship

Race Preview- IMSA Battle on the Bricks

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Sports cars return to IMS fo0r the third consecutive year as the IMSA Weather Tech Championship presents a six hour race on the road course. The3 first event in 2023 was a sprint race- 2 hours, 40 ,imutes in length. In 20924 and this year the race will be a six hour endurance affair. In 2026, the shorter version returns as the six hour race moves to Road America.

I am not upset about the change for next season. I think the 160 minute version works better on this track. I felt the six hour race was a bit too long for the IMS configuration. Endurance races just work better on natural road courses.

The race is the seventh of eight on the IMSA schedule for the series, and the fourth of five endurance events. In addition to the overall champion, an endurance champion is also crowned.

The weekend begins with a single IMSA Weather Tech practice tomorrow at 11:15 am Eastern time. Friday also features the first races for Porsche Carrera Cup and Lamborghini Super Trofeo Cup.

Team Penske Porsches have won four of the previous races. Car 7, driven by Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy, has won at Daytona, Sebring, and Long Beach. Car 6, with Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell sharing the3 cockpit, has a victory at Weather Tech raceway Laguna Seca.

The Acuras of Meyer Shank Racing each have won a race, the 93 winning at Detroit, and the 60 at Watkins Glen.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s BMW number 24 won the last race at Road America. The BMWs finished 1-2 in 2024 at IMS.

Campbell and Jaminet lead the standings with 2214 points, 75 points ahead of Nasr and Tandy.

In LMP2, Dane Cameron and P. J. Hyett in car 99 lead with 1,682 points.

GTD Pro leaders are Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims have 2,254 points in the number 3 Corvette. They have a 30 point lead over the number 81 Ferrari driven by Albert Costa.

Phillip Ellis and Russell Ward in the number 57 Mercedes lead the GTD category with 2,147 points, a 112 point advantage over Jack Hawksworth and Parker Thompson in the number 12 Lexus.

I look for the BMWs to do well again this weekend, but I would keep an eye on the Penske Porsches and the Acuras. All three teams have IndyCar ties.

‘Plan Ahead’ for Battle on the Bricks with IMS.com

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From IMS:

 INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025) – Fans attending the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which features the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Pilot Challenge, are encouraged to “Plan Ahead” through IMS.com/PlanAhead, an interactive web page that serves as a home base for fans heading to the track this weekend.
The “Plan Ahead” page features detailed information about the entire fan experience at IMS, including directions, parking, schedule, gate regulations, digital ticket and parking guides, ADA accessibility and much more.All Speedway patrons should be aware of the following to ensure a successful day at the track:
Tickets: Tickets for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks are available for purchase at IMS.com
.Friday, Sept. 19: $20 for General Admission seating for the grandstands and infield viewing mounds. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Reserved seats in the Hulman Terrace Club, which include private club access, are $100.
Saturday, Sept. 20: $50 for General Admission seating for the grandstands and infield viewing mounds. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Reserved seats in the Hulman Terrace Club, which include private club access and gate admission, are $175.
Sunday, Sept. 21: $60 for General Admission seating for the grandstands and infield viewing mounds. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Reserved seats in the Hulman Terrace Club, which include private club access and gate admission, are $300.
Multiday tickets also are available for this event:Friday-Sunday General Admission: $120. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.Saturday-Sunday General Admission: $105. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
Friday-Sunday Hulman Terrace Club Reserved: $515. Includes private club access and gate admission.
Camping:A variety of overnight camping options are available for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, including infield camping. Visit IMS.com for options.
Public Parking:Parking for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is available in a variety of locations around the track. Parking can be purchased on site or in advance. Race fans can visit IMS.com to purchase available parking passes.Friday ParkingFree auto parking (including ADA) is available in the Hulman Lot off Georgetown Road. Availability is limited.
Paid parking is available in Lot 2 and Main Gate for $10 and Gate 1 (Parcel B) for $25. Paid ADA parking is available in Lot 2 and Lot 3P for $10 and Gate 1 for $25. Motorcycle parking is free in Gate 1 (Parcel B).Saturday ParkingFree auto parking (including ADA) is available in Lot 6A and the Hulman Lot off Georgetown Road. Availability is limited.Paid parking is available in Lot 2 and Main Gate for $20 and Gate 1 (Parcel B) for $50. Paid ADA parking is available in Lot 2 and Lot 3P for $20 and Gate 1 for $50. Motorcycle parking is free in Gate 1 (Parcel B).Sunday ParkingFree auto parking (including ADA) is available in Lot 6A and the Hulman Lot off Georgetown Road. Availability is limited.Paid parking is available in Lot 2 and Main Gate for $20 and Gate 1 (Parcel B) for $75. Paid ADA parking is available in Lot 2 and Lot 3P for $20 and Gate 1 for $75. Paid motorcycle parking is $20 in Gate 1 (Parcel B).
Cashless Operations: IMS is a cashless facility for all ticketing, parking, concessions and retail purchases. Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions.
Pedestrian Gate Entry: Gate hours: Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Public pedestrian gates open (all three days): Gate 1, Gate 2, Gate 4, Gate 6S, Gate 7SFans attending IMS for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks will pass through magnetometers as part of the gate entry process.
Weekend Street Parking: Three-hour parking on Main Street in Speedway, between 10th Street and 16th Street, will be monitored and enforced from Sept. 19-21 during the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks.
Additional Resources and Information:
No coolers larger than 18 inches by 15 inches by 15 inches can be brought into the facility, which will be strictly enforced. Fans will be allowed to bring one cooler and one standard backpack or book bag per person.
Drivers can learn the locations of work zones and highway restrictions by calling INDOT’s TrafficWise at 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or viewing an online map at 511.in.org or visiting @TrafficWise on X.
For more information regarding access to IMS, visit IMS.com. For additional information, follow on X the Indiana State Police @IndStatePolice, the Speedway Police Department @SpeedwayPD or listen to radio stations WFNI-FM 107.5/WFNI-AM 1070 or WIBC-FM 93.1.
The Speedway Police Department can be reached for non-emergency services by dialing 311 on a cell phone. The goal of 311 is to provide an easy-to-remember number for non-emergency services while freeing up 911 lines for timely emergency response.

IMSA Race Week at IMS- 53 Entries for Battle on the Bricks

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Sports cars take over the IMS road course this weekend for a six hour race on Sunday. While no current IndyCar drivers will participate, several former drivers from IndyCar and Indy Lights will take part.

Romain Grosjean will drive the number 63 Lamborghini in the GTP class, and Sebastien Bourdais is part of the team in the number 8 LMP2 entry.

Benjamin Pedersen drives the number 52 LMP2 car. Former American F1 driver Logan Sargent is one of his teammates.

Toby Sowery, who had a couple of IndyCar starts, is in the 04 LMP2 car, and Hunter McElrea drives the number 11 LMP2 entry.

Find the full entry list on the IMSA website Battle on the Bricks page. You will need to scroll down to race events.

https://www.imsa.com/events/2025-tirerack-com-battle-on-the-bricks/

The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is the penultimate event of the Weather Tech Sports Car Championship season. The final race is petit Lemans at Michelin Raceway near Atlanta on October 11.

Activity begins Thursday night with a Street Festival on Main Street in Speedway.

A new at track feature this year are pickleball courts. Four courts will be in the midway, and a fifth court will be in Pagoda Plaza. Corts are open from 9 am to 4 pm Friday and Saturday.

Team Penske Porsches have dominated the season to date, and there is no reason to doubt that they will have a good weekend at IMS.

This will be the final ye3ar for the race at its six hour length. In 2026, the race will return to the 2 hour, 40 minute sprint format. which I think better suits the facility.

I’ll be taking a look at each class this week, and i hear there may be some IndyCar news coming. I may have a thought or two about that.

Street Festival Sept. 18 in Speedway To Celebrate IMSA Endurance Race at IMS

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From IMS:

  INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025) – Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMSA will kick off the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks event weekend with the return of the IMSA Street Festival Thursday, Sept. 18 on Speedway’s Main Street.The family-friendly Street Festival will take place with free admission from 6-8 p.m. ET on Main Street in Speedway, just across the street from the Racing Capital of the World.

IMSA returns to IMS Sept. 19-21 with a six-hour endurance race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.

“The IMSA Street Festival celebrates the IMSA Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks and allows fans an opportunity to get an up-close look at the cars, drivers and teams who will be competing during the six-hour endurance race to capture a win and kiss the bricks at IMS,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.

“Speedway’s Main Street is the perfect place to kick off a full weekend of on-track sports car action at IMS.”
Activities at the event include more than 20 IMSA race cars on display for photos from a variety of classes and three pit stop demonstrations featuring one of the Penske Porsche Motorsport GTP cars that will race at IMS.

More than 70 IMSA drivers, including drivers from the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, are expected to attend and participate in two autograph sessions. IMSA stars Matt Campbell, Tom Gamble, Mathieu Jaminet, Casper Stevenson, Dries Vanthoor and Philipp Eng also will interact with fans during a Q&A session, hosted by Chris Wilner, on the IMS Stage on Main Street.

The family-friendly fan zone also will be available for attendees of all ages with various activities, including music, caricatures, face painting, partner activations and more.

All four classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will race Sept. 19-21 in the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at IMS, with prototype and GT machinery competing at the same time. Other series competing include the Michelin Pilot Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Porsche Carrera Cup North America.

Visit IMS.com for more information or to buy tickets. 
 

Qualifying Day at Long Beach; Wickens Returns

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Today’s Schedule: All times pacific.

8:30 am-9:30 am- IndyCar Practice 2

11:30 am- 1:00 pm- IndyCar Qualifying

2:00 pm- IMSA race (100 minutes) GTP and GTD

Based on yesterday’s practice, the alternates are faster, but how long will they last? Teams appeared to be saving primaries for the race, resulting in less on track action. Will Power, yesterday’s leader, completed only 20 laps.

Maybe IndyCar should shorten the first practice a bit to encourage cars to be on track for the entire session.

IMSA

BMW locked out the front row with their third straight pole of the season. The team has yet to have success in a race. The Penske Porsches are in Row 2 and poised to take their third straight victory.

Today’s race marks the return of Robert Wickens to major competition. He will start eight in the GTD field. He called his qualifying effort “frustrating.”

Wickens will be in the ble Corvette (I know) number 36.

I’ll be back after practice with the qualifying groups,

Some Thoughts on Sebring

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IMSA continues to produce great racing. While Saturday’s Sebring Twelve Hour didn’t have the wild ending that we have seen in the past, the GTP class had three cars contending most of the day.

The second half of the race appeared to be between Porsche number 7 and the number 31 Cadillac. But the Penske Porsche had the strategy to get a head and stay ahead.

Someday, BMW will win a pole and back it up by winning the race. A penalty at the start for changing lanes too early cost the pole winning 24 a chance to contend.

Now that Penske has swept Florida, the team has a chance to conquer California next month.

Notes

I want to thank my friend George Butz for again graciously allowing me to campout with his gang. George knows Sebring like the back of his hand, and he has helped me see the race from several spots I would otherwise not get to.

This weekend’s crowd was the biggest I have seen at Sebring. When I arrived Thursday afternoon, I thought the track was fuller than normal for Thursday. Fr5iday saw another swelling of fans. The bleachers on the outside of turn3 was completely full for the start of the race. We usually have no issue finding seats there.

A ray of hope– On Friday I met a teenager and his mother from Texas who were attending their first Sebring. The young man wore a McLaren IndyCar shirt.

We talked racing, and not on a superficial level. He asked what i thought of the movie Ford vs, Ferrari. I told him my opinion, and suggested he read Go Like Hell by A, J. Baime to get the full story.

He said he had read it. This kid is no more than 17 years old. The conversation gives me hope that there are future IndyCar fans out there.

Most Popular– The popularity of AO Racing’s Rexy Porsche GTD Pro car and LMP2 Spike continues to grow. Their merch trailer had a constant flow of customers. It did not hurt that Rexy won the GTD Pro class.

My one concern about the track is that it seems that they are adding too many lights. The track is lit significantly mor than it was when I first came to Sebring in 2015. I wish the track would reduce the lighting. The race gets so much better after sunset, and I think the darkness is a big part of that,

Things work out– I saw the IndyCar schedule announcement that the Grand Prix of Arlington, a new venue for 2026 would take place March 13-15. At first, I was concerned that IndyCar was once again running on the same weekend as Sebring. Then I saw the IMSA schedule for 0226 and saw that the 12 Hour moved back one week to March 21. I’m glad that there is no date conflict. I will need to make a choice on which race to attend though.

Rolex 24 Wrap Up-A Penske Repeat; Late Update: Tower Disqualified

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A late update: Tower Motorsports gas been disqualified from its LMP2 win, and the victory in the class goes to United Autosport car 22

Daniel Goldburg, Paul di Resta, Rasmus Lindh and James Allen were 44 seconds behind at the finish. The disqualification was due to excessive wear on on a skid block.

This time it wasn’t as close, and the race actually went the entire 24 hours. The Penske Porsches both finished on the podium in GTP, with 7 car driven by Nick Tandy, Felipe Nasr, and Laurens Vanthoor coming home first. It was Vanthoor’s first Rolex win.

Meyer Shank’s number 60 Acura spoiled a Penske 1-2 by getting by car 6 late in the race. It was a triumphant return to IMSA for the Meyer Shank team, who sat out last year after being disqualified from the win in 2023. The team included IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist, who joined regular drivers Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist.

There was high attrition and 14 yellow flag periods, which seemed like more as several came in rapid succession in the middle of the night. 16 cars dropped out of the race, and several others got repaired and returned to action. A five car crash in turn 1 in the ninth hour took out cars from the top three classes. There was an audible groan from the crowd in the plaza watching on the jumbotron when AO Racing’s number 77 Porsche, “Rexy,” was involved.

As usual, the Rolex 24 is 21 and a half hours of getting into position to contend during the last 150 minutes. As usual, it was a show worth waiting for. It was evident most of the race that GTP would come down to four cars- the Porsches, an Acura, and the number 24 BMW. The BMW faded from the group with about three hours left, but by then it was clear that the 7 was the best car. The fight was for second, and the Acura prevailed.

Night racing is the best.

In LMP2, Sebastien Bourdais adde to his Rolex collection in the Tower motorsports entry. He teamed with John Farano, Sebastian Alvarez, and Job Van Uitert.

GTD Pro saw a classic battle between Corvette and Mustang, which was fun to watch. The Mustang, in only its second year in IMSA, won, and the other team car finished third. Winning drivers in car 65 were Christoopher Mies, Dennis Olsen, and Frederic Vervisch.

Corvette prevailed in GTD, however, with the AWA entry, Drivers Marvin Kirchhofer, Lars Kern, Orey Fidani, and Matthew Bell piloted the car.

Alex Palou drove the number 93 Acura. The car encountered issues and finished 40 laps off the pace. Scott McLaughlin’s team finished ninth in GTD Pro.in the Trackhouse Corvette.

Notes

The amount of cautions allowed the leaders to complete only781 laps. Only the top three cars were on the lead lap at the finish.

The Lamborghini team, with Romain Grosjean as one of the drivers, did not last long and was the first car to retire.

Attendance at the Rolex 24 seems to grow each year. It is getting to the point where the track needs to exert more crowd control, especially in the general camping areas. I think reserved camping spots for everyone should be implemented. Humans are territorial by nature, and some seem to be trying to take more space than they need.

The grid walk gets more crowded every year.

Ask First -AO Racing reported that fans took some damaged parts from Rexy’s crashed car without permission. While some teams are happy to give away some parts, fans need to ask before they tak anything. Some teams can’t afford to give away anything, even if it is damaged. I would hate to see a ban on giving parts away to fans, but if this continues, the track and series might have to say no more giveaways.

Rolex 24 Preview

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Photo – IMSA

Nine fulltime IndyCar drivers from last season and a half dozen others who drove at some point in the series in 2024 will race this weekend in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

IndyCar team owners also have entries in the 61-car field, with Meyer Shank returning to competition and Chip Ganassi Racing out for this year. Penske will field two Porsches, Rahal has 2 BMWs and Meyer Shank returns with 2 Acuras in the GTP class.

Andretti Global still has a stake in Wayne Taylor Racing’s 2 Cadillac entries.

BMW was strong during the Roar this past weekend, as were the Porsches from Proton and JDC-Miller.

IndyCar Drivers

The IndyCar drivers by class, car number, and manufacturer

GTP

60- Scott Dixon, Felix Rosenqvist Acura

63- Romain Grosjean Lamborghini

93- Alex Palou Acura

LMP 2

04 Colton Herta

8 Sebastien Bourdais

71- Hunter McElrea

73- Callum Ilott, Pietro Fittipaldi

99- Christian Rasmussen

GTD Pro

14- Kyle Kirkwood, Townsend Bell Lexus

91- Scott McLaughlin Corvette

GTD

12- Kirkwood Lexus

Kirkwood will be driving both Vasser Sullivan cars.

Other drivers of note to watch:

Former F1 driver Kevin Magnussen in the BMW number 24.

Australian Supercar champion Shane van Gisbergen and teen sensation Connor Zilisch on Scott McLaughlin’s team.

Weather

Weather usually comes into play during the weekend, and as of now rain could affect qualifying. Saturday and Sunday look dry but cooler than normal. The temperature at the start of the race should be around 60 degrees, drop to the upper 40s overnight, and finish with the air at 65 degrees.

There has been worse weather for the race, both precipitation and temperature wise, but I think the event would be better served by moving it to the first weekend in February. Florida begins to warm as the second month of the year begins.

Coverage

Qualifying on Thursday will be streamed live on Peacock, beginning at 2:05 pm Eastern.

The entire race will be streamed on Peacock, IMSA TV, and YouTube.

Over the air coverage:

All times eastern

NBC

Saturday

1:30 pm-2:30 pm

Sunday

Noon-2:00 pm

USA Network

Saturday

2:30 pm-6:30 pm

Wickens Moves to IMSA

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Robert Wickens takes another step forward in his return to racing. Wickens, the 2023 champion in the Michelin Pilot Series, will drive select races in the IMSA Weather Tech Championship.

Driving a specially outfitted Corvette in the GTD class for DXDT Racing, Wickens will drive in the sprint races- Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Road America, and Virginia International Raceway. The hand controls, designed by Bosch, can be switched on or off, giving his teammate the option of using them as well.

Wickens has raced for Bryan Herta Autosport driving a Hyundai in the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series the past few years.

His announcement on X (Twitter) is below:

https://x.com/robertwickens/status/1861145208546558394?t=719frW4GNjuRIGm0TqE-4Q&s=09