Great Racing, Atmosphere Set for Fans to Enjoy Across Watkins Glen, CTMP, Road America and VIR
By Tony DiZinno
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – IMSA’s annual summer stretch of fun feature four traditional, historic, natural terrain road courses that form how the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season narrative comes together.
The trips to Watkins Glen International, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America and VIRginia International Raceway all showcase an aspect of the IMSA calendar unique to each venue.
“Once you get to Watkins Glen, Mosport (CTMP) and beyond, it’s my favorite part of the year,” said Roman De Angelis, co-driver of the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Aston Martin Valkyrie in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s flagship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class.
“Once you get past Daytona and Sebring, it gets more aggressive in the sprint races, the races come quicker, and you’re finally in a good rhythm.”
Four track leaders of the upcoming quartet of races weighed in on why their date is a “hot ticket.” Two of the six at Watkins Glen and Road America feature six-hour WeatherTech Championship races, while CTMP and VIR have different class structures for standard-length two-hour, 40-minute WeatherTech Championship races.
To secure your own tickets for any or all of these upcoming races, visit TheGlen.com, CanadianTireMotorsportPark.com, RoadAmerica.com and VIRNow.com.
High Demand
The anticipation is high and sales are strong for each, starting with the first of the four events, next week’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International. It’s the third of five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds.
“The entire weekend is looking great,” said WGI president Dawn Burlew, who noted Watkins Glen’s historic aspect in the community as the birthplace of road racing and Sahlen’s longstanding commitment. “Going into it, our year-over-year with tickets, sales and camping is right on where it needs to be.”
Next up is the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, for IMSA’s annual trip to Canada and its host of rabid yet quintessentially polite fans. The WeatherTech Championship Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) is the headliner for the third consecutive year along with both GT classes.
“CTMP is anticipating the largest crowd in the IMSA history at the track with reserved RV camping spots sold out months ago,” said CTMP president and general manager Myles Brandt.
Then comes Road America, with the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix. IMSA fans have long desired this race’s expansion from the two-hour, 40-minute standard race length up to six hours, where it will serve as the fourth IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup round.
“I think the demand is high and everything we’re seeing is pointing in the right direction,” said Road America president and general manager Mike Kertscher, who was keen to thank Motul for its increased presence. “Fans are excited and people are talking about it. It’s just energy. People have been asking for this in our fan surveys, the IMSA event included, asking what does a full-scale endurance race look like at Road America and when can it happen? In this particular instance the stars fell into place, and we get to do it here in ’26.”
The last of the four in the summer stretch is the WeatherTech Championship’s lone GT-only showcase, the Michelin GT Challenge for Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD), and a staple on IMSA’s calendar for the region.
“This is truly a year for motorsports all around,” said VIR CEO Connie Nyholm. “We’re headed into our IMSA race this August with an increase in ticket purchases over this time last year and expect a great turnout. We can’t wait to share another amazing weekend with fans!”
Fan Engagement Events
For fans in the area, the kickoff to the weekend comes with several promotional fan engagement opportunities ahead of on-track activity.
At Watkins Glen, there’s a new IMSA Preview Party at Seneca Lodge on Thursday, June 25, in addition to “Donuts with Dawn” Saturday morning at-track.
“We’re doing a preview party on Thursday night at the Seneca Lodge, which is a little different for us this year, so very we’re excited about that,” Burlew explained. “And then some drivers are going to help serve dinner, so that ought to be a fun evening!”
The annual Clarington Race Fest comes ahead of the CTMP round on Wednesday, July 8, the first portion of the Canadian-centric round of festivities.
At Road America, the second IMSA Elkhart Lake Welcome Party will be held Thursday, July 30, in downtown Elkhart Lake. The first took place last year around Siebkens, which along with Seneca Lodge is renowned as one of the most fabled racing taverns anywhere.
Camping Outlook
The camping atmosphere is a big part of all four tracks, but particularly at the lengthier Watkins Glen and Road America circuits which measure out at 3.4 and 4.048 miles, respectively. VIR (3.27 miles) is of similar length while CTMP is a bit shorter (2.459).
“I always say with camping that each little area is a neighborhood,” Burlew said. “Some of these folks have been camping 20-30 years with the same group. Their kids have grown up, they’ve got married, they’ve got children of their own and it’s two, three or four generations! They’ll show up Wednesday, won’t leave ’til the following Monday and make a true vacation out of this.”
Kertscher added, “We’ll typically sell out of reserved sites, but we’ll continue to sell overflow sites and look to open up new areas for that. Those are good problems to have, and the camping actually helps on race day. If there’s more folks already on property that have stayed here, it’s a lot easier for traffic management planning and things like that. We did a test after last year’s race to do a fan track walk, and it was really popular. Fans are encouraged again this year to stay late for an hour or two, open up the track, walk the course and check out it. There are always some treasures out there!”
What’s Not to Love? Staying in Only One Spot
Most fans at these venues are repeat visitors who make it a key part of their summer. Still, it can’t hurt to learn more about the facilities. Burlew and Kertscher offered some tips for any first-timers who may not have been to Watkins Glen and Road America.
“Come early,” Burlew said. “The IMSA paddock area is just amazing to walk through and you just see all the teams, drivers and everyone out and about. I think that’s the biggest ‘awe’ part of the IMSA weekend, besides the racing. It’s all on the flat, so you can see it and move from one location to another.”
Kertscher added, “Road America is known for its parklike atmosphere. Fans came here year after year and still explore and find things they haven’t seen. I’d advise folks to get here early, jump on the shuttle, take a tour and try some food whether it’s corn on the cob at the Lions’ concession stand, street tacos at Turn 1 and anything in-between. If you go here and just sit at Turn 5, we love you, but we don’t want you to miss out! It’s all about variety, just like it is with IMSA and all the car manufacturers.”
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
Brandt noted Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is excited to host Canada’s largest sports car experience featuring the WeatherTech Championship.
And Nyholm brought it home, noting the impact of what IMSA races do for the region.
“Motorsports is revitalizing our Southern Virginia region,” she said. “There’s a lot of growth happening around us, including ticket counts over this time last year! We can’t wait to engage with familiar fans and new faces this August.
“We’re seeing motorsports all over trending and taking on new life, so with all the growth happening in the industry, in our locality, and internally, it’s only up from here!”