DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship gathers all four classes for the final time in a non-endurance race in 2024 when the series heads to the IMSA SportsCar Weekend from Aug. 2-4 at Road America.
The high-speed 4.048-mile track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, known as “America’s National Park of Speed,” is a favorite of drivers and fans alike. A total of 47 cars are on the pre-event entry list, with 10 listed in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, 12 in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), 10 in GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and 15 in GT Daytona (GTD).
Here’s a primer for what else you need to know ahead of the race weekend.
Fast Facts
- Race Day/Time: Sunday, Aug. 4, 3:10 p.m. ET
- Circuit Type: 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course
- Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), GT Daytona (GTD)
- Race Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes
WeatherTech Championship Track Records
- GTP: Pipo Derani, Cadillac V-Series.R, 1:47.730 / 135.271 mph, August 2023
- LMP2: James French, ORECA LMP2, 1:52.037 / 130.070 mph, August 2019
- GTD PRO: Alex Riberas, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, 2:02.918 / 118.556 mph, August 2023
- GTD: Madison Snow, BMW M4 GT3, 2:03.291 / 118.198 mph, August 2023
2023 IMSA SportsCar Weekend Winners
- GTP: Matt Campbell/Felipe Nasr, No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963
- LMP2: Ben Keating/Paul-Loup Chatin, No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07
- LMP3: Gar Robinson/Josh Burdon, No. 74 Riley Ligier JS P320
- GTD PRO: Ross Gunn/Alex Riberas, No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3
- GTD: Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow, No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3
Storylines
- GTP Resumes after Summer Break: After being the only class to race in all of the first six races of the 2024 season, the Grand Touring Prototypes (GTP) received a well-deserved six-week break before returning to action at Road America. The No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 – the defending Road America race winner and only two-time GTP winner in 2024 – holds a 93-point advantage atop the class standings with three races remaining.
- Together Again: All four WeatherTech Championship car classes (GTP, LMP2, GTD PRO and GTD) will be competing at Road America. This is the first and only time it occurs this year outside of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events. After this weekend, the four classes will race together again at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September and at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the season finale in October.
- Two-Way Tussle in LMP2 Standings: Two teams are within 12 points atop the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) standings heading into the Road America weekend. Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga and the No. 74 Riley ORECA LMP2 07 are a dozen markers ahead of Nick Boulle, Tom Dillman and the No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA. The No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen ORECA is coming off an overall win at CTMP and won last year at Road America with a different driver lineup.
- Rexy or Roxy, No. 77 Porsche Still No. 1 in GTD PRO: The No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, which leads the GTD PRO standings, has raced with the popular “Rexy” the green dinosaur livery to date this season. At Road America, the car will wear the equally popular “Roxy” the pink dinosaur colors. The No. 77 is 98 points ahead of the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo that is the reigning class winner at the track.
Who’s Good Here?
- Felipe Nasr: The Brazilian and ex-Formula 1 driver is chasing his third consecutive overall win at Road America. He took the checkered flag with co-driver Pipo Derani in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi in 2021, didn’t race in 2022, and then won with Matt Campbell last year in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 in the GTP class.
- Gar Robinson: After winning in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class each of the past two years at Road America, Robinson and the Riley team are seeking a three-peat of their own with a victory in LMP2. Robinson and co-driver Felipe Fraga lead the class standings despite not yet winning this season in the No. 74 ORECA LMP2 07.
- Dirk Mueller: The German veteran returns to Road America for the first time in five years, looking to build on a stout record at the track. He’s a five-time pole winner there, including three straight (2016-18) in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. He’s also a two-time winner, the last coming in 2017 in GTLM with Joey Hand. Mueller and Hand have reunited this year, sharing the No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 in the GTD PRO class.
Who’s Hot?
- No. 7 Penske Porsche: Since winning at Road America a year ago, the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 hasn’t finished lower than fourth place and has scored more points than any other GTP competitor in that 10-race span. Co-drivers Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron are the only two-time class winners this season, coming off a victory June 23 in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
- No. 57 Winward Mercedes: With four wins and a runner-up finish in the first six GTD races this season, Philip Ellis, Russell Ward and the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 have eased away to a 340-point lead in the class standings. They know how to win at Road America too, having taken the GTD victory there in 2022.
Previous IMSA SportsCar Weekend Winners in 2024 Field (32)
- Joey Hand (3): GT2 – 2009; GT – 2010; GTLM – 2017
- Ben Keating (3): GTD – 2015, 2016; LMP2 – 2023
- Richard Westbrook (3): GT2 – 2008; GTLM – 2018, 2019
- Ryan Dalziel (2): LMP2 – 2021, 2022
- Pipo Derani (2): P – 2017; DPi – 2021
- Dirk Mueller (2): GT – 2010; GTLM – 2017
- Felipe Nasr (2): DPi – 2021; GTP – 2023
- Zacharie Robichon (2): GTD – 2019, 2021
- Gar Robinson (2): LMP3 – 2022, 2023
- Ricky Taylor (2): DPi – 2020, 2022
- Filipe Albuquerque (1): DPi – 2022
- Joao Barbosa (1): P – 2014
- Ben Barnicoat (1): GTD PRO – 2022
- Paul-Loup Chatin (1): LMP2 – 2023
- Philip Ellis (1): GTD – 2022
- Felipe Fraga (1): LMP3 – 2022
- Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2020
- Ross Gunn (1): GTD PRO – 2023
- Ben Hanley (1): LMP2 – 2020
- Jack Hawksworth (1): GTD PRO – 2022
- Ian James (1): P2 – 2004
- Jesse Krohn (1): GTD – 2017
- Tommy Milner (1): GTLM – 2016
- Frankie Montecalvo (1): GTD – 2020
- Alex Riberas (1): GTD PRO – 2023
- Bryan Sellers (1): GTD – 2023
- Madison Snow (1): GTD – 2023
- Nick Tandy (1): GTLM – 2015
- Jordan Taylor (1): GTLM – 2020
- Harry Tincknell (1): DPi – 2019
- Renger van der Zande (1): PC – 2014
- Russell Ward (1): GTD – 2022
Previous IMSA SportsCar Weekend Pole Winners in 2024 Field (17)
- Dirk Mueller (5): GT2 – 2008; GT – 2011; GTLM – 2016, 2017, 2018
- Ricky Taylor (3): DP – 2011; P – 2017; DPi – 2020
- Dane Cameron (2): DP – 2013; DPi – 2019
- Joey Hand (2): GT2 – 2009; P – 2015
- Ben Keating (2): GTD – 2019, LMP2 – 2021
- Alex Riberas (2): GTD – 2016; GTD PRO – 2023
- Filipe Albuquerque (1): DPi – 2022
- Ryan Dalziel (1): P – 2014
- Pipo Derani (1): GTP – 2023
- Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2022
- Daniel Goldburg (1): LMP3 – 2021
- Jack Hawksworth (1): GTD PRO – 2022
- Ian James (1): P2 – 2004
- Felipe Nasr (1): DPi – 2021
- Madison Snow (1): GTD – 2023
- Jordan Taylor (1): GTLM – 2021
- Steven Thomas (1): LMP2 – 2022
Previous IMSA SportsCar Weekend Winning Teams in 2024 Field (16)
- Corvette Racing (8): GTS – 2002, 2004; GT1 – 2005, 2006, 2007 2008; GTLM – 2016, 2020
- Chip Ganassi Racing (5): DP – 2011, 2012; GTLM – 2017, 2018, 2019
- Action Express Racing (4): P – 2014, 2015, 2016; DPi – 2021
- Penske (4): P2 – 2006, 2007; DPi – 2020; GTP – 2023
- PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (4): LMPC – 2011; PC – 2016; LMP2 – 2019, 2023
- Riley (4): GTD – 2015, 2016; LMP3 – 2022, 2023
- BMW M Team RLL (3): GT2 – 2009; GT – 2010, 2012
- Turner Motorsport (3): GT – 2013, GTD – 2014, 2017
- Era Motorsport (2): LMP2 – 2021, 2022
- Pfaff Motorsports (2): GTD – 2019, 2021
- Vasser Sullivan (2): GTD – 2020; GTD PRO – 2022
- Heart of Racing Team (1): GTD PRO – 2023
- Paul Miller Racing (1): GTD – 2023
- Wayne Taylor Racing (1): DPi – 2022
- Winward Racing (1): GTD – 2022
- Wright Motorsports (1): GTD – 2018
Previous IMSA SportsCar Weekend Winning Manufacturers in 2024 Field (10)
- Porsche – 21
- Chevrolet – 14
- BMW – 10
- Ferrari – 7
- Ford – 6
- Acura – 5
- Aston Martin – 2
- Lexus – 2
- Cadillac – 1
- Mercedes-AMG – 1