GT’s Spotlight; GTD PRO Title Intensity; Continuity Fueling GTD Surge
By John Oreovicz
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Something notable to watch for this weekend in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway is what not to watch for – the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s prototype classes – Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2).
While these exotic categories take a short late-summer break, the Michelin GT Challenge stays true to its name, elevating the production-based Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and GTD classes to event headliner status. The slimmed-down 23-car field gives the GT runners more room to spread out than they are accustomed to in a full-field IMSA event, which often produces clean and entertaining races.
For the GTD PRO and GTD drivers, it’s a rare opportunity to focus almost exclusively forward instead of constantly watching rear view mirrors or cameras for faster oncoming prototype traffic. And what a view ahead through the windshield! VIR is a popular favorite, with plenty of elevation change and stunning variety among the 17 turns that make up a 3.27-mile lap of the Long Course. Even the names of VIR’s key corners are intriguing – like Oak Tree, Rollercoaster, Snake, Hog Pen, and NASCAR Bend.
Here’s more to watch for as the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR plays out over two hours and 40 minutes on Sunday afternoon (live, flag-to-flag, noon ET on NBC):
GT in the Spotlight
IMSA’s GT classes have a fervent fan following, including efforts such as Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and AO Racing’s character-themed Porsche. At the Michelin GT Challenge, not only do they get to bask in the spotlight they get one of America’s most challenging and respected racetracks to themselves.
“I’ve always said it’s one of my favorite stops on the schedule,” said Nick Tandy, who shares the aforementioned No. 77 ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) fielded by AO Racing with Harry King. “Being GT-only, it may be the highlight race for the GT class of the season, or one of them. And the track is just one of the best. It reminds me of the places that I grew up racing in the U.K., fast and flowing in the trees and the hills.”
Tandy is one of nine out of 46 participating drivers who are former winners at VIR; his three wins came 2015, ’19, and ’21 in IMSA’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) class that preceded GTD PRO. He’s back at VIR this year for the first time since that ’21 win with Tommy Milner, having raced part-time in IMSA in 2022 and competing in GTP from 2023 to 2025.
Other former VIR winners in the Michelin GT Challenge field include Antonio Garcia (five), Milner (three), Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, and Alexander Sims (two), and Connor De Phillippi, Robby Foley and Corey Lewis with one each.
“I think the greatest racing I ever did in my life was when I was in the peak of GTLM,” Tandy related. “And honestly, GTD PRO is becoming that sort of racing. You’ve got to be on it all the time. Generally, you always have got a chance. Even if you don’t qualify well, you will have a chance to do something in the race, and put yourself in the race, to get something going towards the end. That’s exactly how GTLM used to be.”
Corvette leads in constructor wins at VIR with 10, followed by BMW and Porsche with seven apiece. All three have additional wins at VIR as engines in prototype chassis.
Stacked GTD PRO Championship
Five of the 10 competing teams in GTD PRO still harbor championship hopes after seven of 10 races in 2026, including three clustered within 21 points.
De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen (No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO) lead Milner and Nicky Catsburg (No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R) by 15 points, with King and Tandy another six points back.
Also in contention are Christopher Mies and Frederic Vervisch (No. 65 Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3) at minus 99. The only two-time winners in the class this year, Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth (No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3) are at minus 113.
“The points battle is very, very tight right now, and it has been for most of the year,” commented Milner. “It seems like we kind of go up and down the standings with different teams occupying the top three. For us, we have to continue on the path that we’ve been on…keep scoring points as we can take advantage of opportunities when they come our way.”
A Paul Miller Racing BMW driven by Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers took GTD honors at VIR in 2023 and followed with another win in GTD PRO a year later. But an incident for the No. 1 car at Road America with its current lineup brought the field back into play this weekend.
Winward, Turner Continuity Helping in GTD Title Fight
GTD is even tighter, with the top four blanketed by just 45 points. While they’re not leading, a BMW pairing is right in the thick of the GTD points battle as well. Foley and Patrick Gallagher (No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO) sit third, 26 points behind leader Dudu Barrichello (No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo).
Between them are Ward and Ellis, who triumphed at VIR in 2022 and ’25 in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. That duo is coming off consecutive wins at the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America to go from 300 points to just 24 back entering VIR. The final realistic GTD championship aspirants are Aaron Telitz and Benjamin Pedersen, who are 45 points back in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
“It’s been a very consistent year, sitting in the top five,” Foley said. “We haven’t broken through for a win yet, but we’ve kind of always been in the mix where some others have had, let’s say, a more up-and-down year. Hopefully we can turn the wick up a little bit and try to break through for that win. That said, we just have to keep it simple and execute well and collect as many points as possible.”
Foley and Gallagher, like Ward and Ellis, are longtime co-drivers and teammates. Telitz is in his eighth year with Vasser Sullivan but first alongside Pedersen, while rookie Barrichello has had a rotation of co-drivers in his No. 27 car.
“To touch on Winward, I think they’ve been the benchmark in our category for the past few seasons,” Foley explained. “They always have incredible pace at different tracks. The team executes really well. We fought them for the championship in 2024, albeit it wasn’t very close in the end. We finished second to them. So yeah, Philip, Russell and Indy (Dontje) when he joins for the endurance races do a very good job behind the wheel. Their team does a good job in pit lane. So, they’re always right there.
“You could say the same for the 27 car, even though with Dudu, they’ve had a few different teammates with him this year from different scheduling clashes. But I think it’s kind of the same core group of drivers. They all know that car very well. The team operates at a high level.
“The top teams are always going to be doing a good job. You just have to be on the right side of the circumstance and make good decisions.”
As noted, Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway will air live on NBC Sunday starting at noon ET. Streaming coverage is available in the U.S. on Peacock, with international viewers accessing via the official IMSA YouTube channel or IMSA.TV.