IMSA Preview: Petit Le Mans
The 2026 IMSA SportsCar Championship reaches its conclusion this weekend as Road Atlanta hosts the 29th running of Petit Le Mans.
One of North America's most prestigious endurance races once again brings together a capacity 54-car grid, with 11 GTP, 11 LMP2, 14 GTD PRO and 18 GTD entries preparing for the final battle of the season. Every car will feature a three-driver line-up for the first time since the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March, while championships remain undecided across every class.
Entry list
As expected for the final Endurance Cup round, the entry list has been strengthened by the return of several endurance specialists and factory drivers.
In GTP, Porsche Penske Motorsport is reunited with Laurens Vanthoor after the Belgian sat out the previous round at Indianapolis. The team will also give Matt Campbell his final outing before he departs at the end of the season.
Cadillac Whelen Racing is reunited with Frederik Vesti, while Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing brings back Will Stevens in the No. 10 and Colton Herta in the No. 40. BMW M Team WRT has Robin Frijns in the No. 24 and Kevin Magnussen in the No. 25. Acura Meyer Shank Racing welcomes Scott Dixon in the No. 60 and Álex Palou in the No. 93. Aston Martin THOR Team adds Alex Riberas and JDC-Miller MotorSports welcomes Kaylen Frederick.
LMP2 features an 11-car field with Intersport Racing returning after a difficult run of form. Jon Field, Oliver Jarvis and Max van der Snel will be hoping to finish the season on a positive note, while Era Motorsport returns with Naveen Rao, Ferdinand Habsburg and Jacob Abel after the team celebrated victory at Indianapolis with Nick Boulle and Christian Rasmussen.
GTD PRO once again attracts one of the strongest fields of the year. Manthey, Risi Competizione and Triarsi Competizione all return for the race, joined by Car Blanche's Aston Martin and DragonSpeed's Corvette, which moves up from GTD for the season finale.
Several notable driver changes also headline the GT field. Mattia Drudi joins Car Blanche, Sébastien Bourdais in the DragonSpeed, while McLaren factory driver Benji Goethe is set to make his IMSA SportsCar Championship debut with RLL Team McLaren in the No. 59 car. Former GTP champion Mathieu Jaminet also returns to Manthey, with Dan Harper rejoining Paul Miller Racing after helping the team win this year's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Petit Le Mans also marks the end of several chapters in IMSA. Pfaff Motorsports will make its final championship appearance, Paul Miller Racing faces an uncertain future beyond 2026, while Vasser Sullivan Racing bids farewell to the Lexus RC F GT3 after many successful seasons.
The GTD class grows to 18 entries with the return of AF Corse, Triarsi Competizione, RS1, Manthey 1st Phorm, Lone Star Racing and Magnus Racing. Luca Stolz joins Lone Star Racing, Fran Rueda switches to Inception Racing and Alec Udell moves across to Conquest Racing.
Championship Standings
Although GTP carries the largest points margin heading into the weekend, none of the four class championships has been decided.
Just four points separate the top two in LMP2, while GTD is even closer with only six points between the leading crews. GTD PRO also remains wide open, with 47 points covering the top two entries.
GTP
Jack Aitken arrives at Road Atlanta in control of the championship after another consistent season aboard the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R.
His 147-point advantage over Laurin Heinrich means the title is within reach. A finish of ninth or higher, provided the No. 31 starts the race, will be enough to secure the championship regardless of Heinrich's result.
Heinrich returns to the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 knowing only victory, combined with misfortune for Aitken, will keep his title hopes alive.
Cadillac is equally well placed elsewhere. The No. 31 crew leads the team standings by 271 points, while the manufacturer sits 136 points clear of Porsche. Simply taking the start will be enough to wrap up both championships.
LMP2
LMP2 has one of the closest title battles of the weekend.
Tom Dillmann and Jeremy Clarke hold a four-point advantage over Alex Quinn and George Kurtz, meaning whichever car finishes ahead on Saturday is expected to leave Road Atlanta as champions.
Mathematically, Daniel Goldburg and the No. 22 United Autosports USA entry, along with defending champions PJ Hyett and Dane Cameron in the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA, remain in contention.
Realistically, however, both pairings need victory and problems for the leading two cars to have any chance of pulling off an unlikely title success.
GTD PRO
Seven full-season entries remain mathematically eligible for the GTD PRO championship, although the realistic battle centres on three teams.
Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner lead the standings in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Neil Verhagen and Connor De Phillippi sit 47 points behind for Paul Miller Racing, while Andrea Caldarelli and Sandy Mitchell remain within striking distance in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Temerario GT3.
For Paul Miller Racing and Pfaff to overturn the deficit, both crews will likely need to finish several positions ahead of the championship-leading Corvette.
Chevrolet also leads the manufacturers' standings by 68 points over Ford, although that battle remains open heading into the final race.
GTD
The GTD championship is set for a straight fight between Winward Racing and Turner Motorsport.
Philip Ellis and Russell Ward lead Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley by only six points, leaving little room for error over the ten-hour contest.
Eduardo "Dudu" Barrichello still has a mathematical chance of claiming the championship for Heart of Racing Team, although the Aston Martin driver will require a near-perfect weekend while hoping the two leading crews encounter problems.
Mercedes-AMG also leads the manufacturers' standings, although Aston Martin and Ferrari both remain capable of leaving Road Atlanta with the title.
The Track
Road Atlanta has been the home of Petit Le Mans since the race's inaugural running in 1998. Located in Braselton, Georgia, the 2.54-mile, 12-turn circuit presents a relentless challenge, with drivers needing to balance outright pace while working their way through traffic for 10 hours.
The current GTP lap record belongs to Tom Blomqvist, who set a 1:09.628 in the Acura ARX-06 during qualifying in 2025. The former DPi record is still held by Dane Cameron, whose 1:08.412 aboard the Acura ARX-05 has stood since 2020.
In LMP2, Colin Braun's 1:10.634 lap in an ORECA LMP2 07 remains the benchmark, while Laurin Heinrich holds the GTD PRO record after posting a 1:17.881 in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) during the 2024 race.
Scott Andrews set the GTD qualifying record in 2024 with a lap of 1:18.281 in the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Schedule
Qualifying is Friday, October 2 – 2:20-3:35 p.m. ET (7:20-8:35 p.m. BST)
Streaming will be available on Peacock (in the U.S.) and IMSA.tv and IMSA Official YouTube channel (globally) beginning at 2:15
Race Day/Time: Saturday, October 3 – 12:10 p.m. ET (5:10 p.m. BST)
NBC Network Coverage: LIVE – Noon-3 p.m.
NBCSN Coverage: LIVE – 3-10:30 p.m.
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