Significant Points Fluctuations Occur at 4-Hour Mid-Ohio Round; 44 Cars Set for The Glen
By Tony DiZinno
Entry List (Click Here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge reaches the halfway point of the year with this weekend’s LP Building Solutions 120 from Watkins Glen International, Round 5 of the 10-round championship and 44-car entry list that features 30 Grand Sport (GS) and 14 Touring Car (TCR) entries. Round 4, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio, revealed who may be title contenders with some significant shakeups.
With four top-four finishes in GS to start the year, Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars are well-positioned with a 200-point lead. The pair of past GS champions now sharing the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO have parlayed a mix of great strategy and pace thus far.
“The team has been on rails so far, with Dillon at the start, great strategy and great pit stops,” said Mars, who switched to Turner at the start of the year after winning the 2025 crown with RS1. “Everyone has just showed up to do everything perfectly.”
Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky in the No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 have balanced a pair of wins with a pair of ninth or worse finishes. They’re tied for second with the consistent duo of Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz, who have four top-six finishes in as many races in the No. 27 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO.
An alternator belt issue took Bryce Ward and Daan Arrow from second leaving Monterey, 30 points behind down to fifth, 280 back. Arrow will fall out of the title battle in Watkins Glen with a schedule conflict; Winward Racing taps its two-time defending WeatherTech Championship Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) champion Philip Ellis to race alongside Ward in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 this weekend.
On the flip side of how fast things can change, a pole-turned-podium brought Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister in their No. 39 CarBahn by Peregrine Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO up from 30th leaving Monterey to 14th leaving Mid-Ohio.
The TCR battle once again features the single No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR against the armada of Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCRs. Just 110 points separate the top five in the championship, with the No. 93 Honda in amidst the Nos. 18, 33, 76 and 98 BHA Hyundais.
Bryson Morris and Mason Filippi had a relative “off” day at Mid-Ohio, finishing eighth in the No. 33 Hyundai, which saw their lead drop from 110 points to 20 as teammates Denis Dupont and Preston Brown were second in the No. 76 Hyundai.
Karl Wittmer’s last-lap pass of Dupont positioned the No. 93 Honda fourth in the championship, just 100 off leaders Morris and Filippi in the No. 33 car. They entered Mid-Ohio seventh, 220 points in arrears.
Wittmer and co-driver LP Montour are heading into the stretch of venues where their 2025 title charge took hold, as they won back-to-back at Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
“He has something about last laps,” Montour said of Wittmer. “We stayed in the fight the whole race. We knew with Karl in at the end, we had a chance. We’re on a good run.”
Audi will try to get on the board this weekend with either the Baker Racing or Gou Racing w/Stallion RS3 LMS TCRs. An Audi win would complete the set of all 18 participating OEMs winning at least one IMSA-sanctioned race in 2026 by the end of June.
Michelin Pilot Challenge teams have two one-hour practice sessions, one apiece Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, before qualifying Friday afternoon. The LP Building Solutions 120 takes place at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 27, streaming live flag-to-flag on Peacock and ad-free courtesy of Michelin via IMSA’s Official YouTube channel.
Fast Facts
LP Building Solutions 120
Watkins Glen International – Watkins Glen, New York
June 25-27, 2026
Race Day/Time: Saturday, June 27, 1:05 p.m. ET
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 1 p.m. ET (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and globally via IMSA Official YouTube channel)
Circuit Type: 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course
Classes Competing: Grand Sport (GS), Touring Car (TCR)
Race Length: Two hours
Michelin Pilot Challenge Track Records
- GS: Devin Jones, BMW M4 GT4, 1:54.077 / 107.295 mph, June 2019 (Race)
- TCR: Mat Pombo, Honda Civic FL5 TCR, 1:55.096 / 106.346 mph, June 2023 (Qualifying)
2025 LP Building Solutions 120 Winners
- GS: Jan Heylen/Luca Mars, No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS
- TCR: Karl Wittmer/LP Montour, No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR
Storylines
- McLaren’s Momentum: Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky’s No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 won its second race of the 2026 season earlier this month at Mid-Ohio to extend its run of four wins in the last six races (having finished the 2025 season with two wins). They’ll look to keep the momentum rolling this weekend.
- Hyundai vs. Honda in TCR: Karl Wittmer’s last-lap pass of Denis Dupont at Mid-Ohio put the No. 93 Honda in TCR championship contention against the quartet of Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundais. These five cars are separated by just 110 points. TCR has had four different brands win the last four years: Honda, Audi, Alfa Romeo and Hyundai.
- Audi Seeks to Complete Set: If any Audi wins in TCR, all 18 IMSA OEM brands will have one win in 2026 across all IMSA-sanctioned series.
Who’s Hot?
- No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW: Heading to a track where it often fares well, Turner Motorsport’s No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO has been the early-season GS pace setter with four top-four finishes in as many starts.
- Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundais: Through four races, the No. 33 (three), No. 76 (three) and No. 98 (one) Elantras have combined for seven of the 12 podium positions and sit first, second and third in points with the No. 18 car lurking quietly in fifth.
Who’s Good Here?
- Bill Auberlen: Four times a winner here including back-to-back with Turner in 2021 and 2022.
- LP Montour: The aptly named Canadian has two poles and one win in the LP Building Solutions 120 at the track situated five miles from the Village of Montour Falls, New York.