44 Cars Set to Tackle Penultimate IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Round of 2026
By Tony DiZinno
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS) rollercoaster season continued at VIRginia International Raceway’s flowing, technical 3.27-mile layout. The GS championship lead changed hands for the fourth time in 2026, while the run of poor results for the GS race winner in their next race continued.
Heading into this week’s Round 9 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Turner Motorsport regained the lead for the first time since Watkins Glen courtesy of a third-place finish for Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars in their No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO. The No. 95 car has sat fourth, second or first through all eight races this year. It has led the standings by as much as 200 points (leaving Round 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) and trailed by as many as 140 points (in fourth, leaving Round 6 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park).
“It’s really rewarding because we started off so good, but then we had a couple unfortunate results,” explained Mars, who, in his first season with Turner, seeks his second straight GS title. “This is exactly what we needed to turn the season around. The strategy calls and pit stops got us the podium at the end. We’ve kept pushing, and it feels more deserving to get this P3.”
Machavern added, “It’s a little nerve wracking how quickly you can lose it and then take it back. What we lost is very similar to what the (No.) 13 just lost here. We have to minimize risk now to bring it home.”
They’re now at the head of a BMW 1-2, with the ever-consistent Austin Krainz and Stevan McAleer 80 points behind in the No. 27 AutoTechnic Racing BMW with six top-10s in eight races. Previous leader Robert Noaker, who entered VIR 100 points ahead, now sits 100 points back in third in the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4 after being on the receiving end of late-race contact at VIR that dropped him and new co-driver Finn Wiebelhaus to a season-worst 21st-place finish.
While four other cars and drivers – Bryce Ward’s No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4, Caio Chaves’ No. 54 PANAM Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky’s No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 and Allen Patten and Trenton Estep’s No. 66 OORE (formerly Car Blanche) Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO – remain within 300 points, they’re all going to need a banner Indianapolis race and issues for the top three cars to cut into the deficit. Cooper and Uretsky led a McLaren 1-2 in Indianapolis a year ago.
The unfortunate “2026 GS winner curse” hit Patten and Estep, who followed up their Road America win with 22nd at VIR. It’s the third straight result of 21st or worse for the GS winner in their next race, after 21st and 28th place finishes for the No. 57 car at CTMP and No. 12 RAFA Racing Toyota at Road America. Stephen Cameron Racing’s No. 19 Ford Mustang GT4 with Greg Liefooghe and Sean Quinlan, now up to 12th in points, will hope to buck that trend in Indianapolis.
Touring Car (TCR), meanwhile, could see Mason Filippi and Bryson Morris wrap the title a race early in their No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR. With a 260-point lead over teammates Denis Dupont and Preston Brown in the No. 76 Herta Hyundai, Filippi and Morris need to gain 90 points to reach the 350-point threshold that could put the title out of reach pending tiebreakers. They’ve delivered seven podiums in eight races, including two wins, and benefited as most of their competition had tough races at VIR.
“Last year we had bad luck at Indy so hopefully we don’t have that happen again, but (Michelin Raceway) Road Atlanta is honestly my favorite track, so looking forward to two good results to end the year,” Morris said.
The 44 (31 GS, 13 TCR) car grid features several changes. In the 31-car GS field, Christine Sloss returns for the first time since Sebring in the rebranded No. 10 RaceWife Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO she’ll share with Glenn McGee. CarBahn with Peregrine Racing’s rebuilt No. 39 BMW M4 GT4 EVO returns to action after Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister missed VIR. As scheduled, the No. 43 Andretti Performance Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS of Jarett Andretti and Gabby Chaves is back for its second start of the year.
Jenson Brickley’s arrival in the No. 77 Stallion Motorsports with GOU Cupra Leon VZ TCR alongside Celso Neto is one of two driver changes in the 13-car TCR grid, with Bruno Junqueira back once again in the No. 56 Baker Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR. Bryan Herta Autosport’s No. 18 Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Harry Gottsacker and Lance Bergstein is due to resume after an incident in qualifying sidelined them pre-race at VIR. The No. 55 Gou Racing with Stallion Audi RS3 LMS TCR is also back in action after missing VIR.
Michelin Pilot Challenge competitors have two practice sessions Friday. They qualify Saturday morning before racing at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live flag-to-flag coverage airs on Peacock starting at 2:25 p.m. ET and also streams live, ad-free courtesy of Michelin, on IMSA’s Official YouTube channel.
Fast Facts
Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Indianapolis, Indiana
Sept. 18-19, 2026
Race Day/Time: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2:30 p.m. ET
Live Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 2:25 p.m., Peacock in the U.S., globally on IMSA’s official YouTube channel ad-free courtesy of Michelin
Circuit Type: 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course
Classes Competing: Grand Sport (GS), Touring Car (TCR)
Race Length: Two hours
Michelin Pilot Challenge Track Records
- GS: Jesse Lazare, McLaren Artura GT4, 1:28.490 / 99.224 mph, September 2023 (qualifying)
- TCR: Chris Miller, Audi RS3 LMS TCR, 1:31.076 / 96.407 mph, September 2023 (qualifying)
2025 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 Winners
- GS: Michael Cooper/Moisey Uretsky, No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4
- TCR: Tyler Gonzalez/Eric Powell, No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Cupra Leon VZ TCR
Storylines
- The GS Rollercoaster: In order, the No. 71 Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin, No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, No. 95 Turner BMW, No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Ford and No. 95 Turner BMW have all taken turns atop the GS championship standings this year. Turner’s back on top now, but will they stay there?
- Penultimate Race Push: Teams and drivers on the fringe of title contention in both GS and TCR will look to make their final efforts to get in a realistic points window leaving Indianapolis before Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Who’s Hot?
- No. 33 Herta Hyundai: Potentially on the precipice of a title, the run of seven podiums in eight races have put Mason Filippi and Bryson Morris well clear in TCR.
- No. 60 KOHR Motorsports Ford: A quiet run of three top-five finishes in four races have made Evan Slater and Mike Skeen a top spoiler among the GS championship contenders. KOHR’s No. 60 car got a GS podium here last year with Robert Noaker and Cameron McLeod.
Who’s Good Here?
- BMW: The M4 won here in 2024 in GS and is the only active Michelin Pilot Challenge manufacturer with multiple wins at the facility, all others coming in IMSA’s first stint at the Brickyard from 2012-’14.
- Mason Filippi: Finishes of first, third and fourth in TCR in the last three years are among the best in the series at the Brickyard.