INDIANAPOLIS — The 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS) rollercoaster season continued at Virginia International Raceway’s flowing, technical 3.27-mile layout. The GS championship lead changed hands for the fourth time in 2026, while the run of poor results for the GS race winner in their next race continued.
Heading into this week’s Round 9 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Turner Motorsport regained the lead for the first time since Watkins Glen courtesy of a third-place finish for Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars in their No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO.
The No. 95 car has sat fourth, second or first through all eight races this year. It has led the standings by as much as 200 points (leaving Round 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) and trailed by as many as 140 points (in fourth, leaving Round 6 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park).
“It’s really rewarding because we started off so good, but then we had a couple unfortunate results,” explained Mars, who, in his first season with Turner, seeks his second straight GS title. “This is exactly what we needed to turn the season around. The strategy calls and pit stops got us the podium at the end. We’ve kept pushing, and it feels more deserving to get this P3.”
Machavern added, “It’s a little nerve wracking how quickly you can lose it and then take it back. What we lost is very similar to what the (No.) 13 just lost here. We have to minimize risk now to bring it home.”
They’re now at the head of a BMW 1-2, with the ever-consistent Austin Krainz and Stevan McAleer 80 points behind in the No. 27 AutoTechnic Racing BMW with six top-10s in eight races.
Previous leader Robert Noaker, who entered VIR 100 points ahead, now sits 100 points back in third in the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4 after being on the receiving end of late-race contact at VIR that dropped him and new co-driver Finn Wiebelhaus to a season-worst 21st-place finish.
While four other cars and drivers – Bryce Ward’s No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4, Caio Chaves’ No. 54 PANAM Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky’s No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 and Allen Patten and Trenton Estep’s No. 66 OORE (formerly Car Blanche) Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO – remain within 300 points, they’re all going to need a banner Indianapolis race and issues for the top three cars to cut into the deficit. Cooper and Uretsky led a McLaren 1-2 in Indianapolis a year ago.
The unfortunate “2026 GS winner curse” hit Patten and Estep, who followed up their Road America win with 22nd at VIR. It’s the third straight result of 21st or worse for the GS winner in their next race, after 21st and 28th place finishes for the No. 57 car at CTMP and No. 12 RAFA Racing Toyota at Road America.
Stephen Cameron Racing’s No. 19 Ford Mustang GT4 with Greg Liefooghe and Sean Quinlan, now up to 12th in points, will hope to buck that trend in Indianapolis.
Touring Car (TCR), meanwhile, could see Mason Filippi and Bryson Morris wrap the title a race early in their No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR. With a 260-point lead over teammates Denis Dupont and Preston Brown in the No. 76 Herta Hyundai, Filippi and Morris need to gain 90 points to reach the 350-point threshold that could put the title out of reach pending tiebreakers. They’ve delivered seven podiums in eight races, including two wins, and benefited as most of their competition had tough races at VIR.
“Last year we had bad luck at Indy so hopefully we don’t have that happen again, but (Michelin Raceway) Road Atlanta is honestly my favorite track, so looking forward to two good results to end the year,” Morris said.
The 44 (31 GS, 13 TCR) car grid features several changes. In the 31-car GS field, Christine Sloss returns for the first time since Sebring in the rebranded No. 10 RaceWife Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO she’ll share with Glenn McGee.
CarBahn with Peregrine Racing’s rebuilt No. 39 BMW M4 GT4 EVO returns to action after Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister missed VIR. As scheduled, the No. 43 Andretti Performance Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS of Jarett Andretti and Gabby Chaves is back for its second start of the year.
Jenson Brickley’s arrival in the No. 77 Stallion Motorsports with GOU Cupra Leon VZ TCR alongside Celso Neto is one of two driver changes in the 13-car TCR grid, with Bruno Junqueira back once again in the No. 56 Baker Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
Bryan Herta Autosport’s No. 18 Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Harry Gottsacker and Lance Bergstein is due to resume after an incident in qualifying sidelined them pre-race at VIR. The No. 55 Gou Racing with Stallion Audi RS3 LMS TCR is also back in action after missing VIR.
