2026 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge

The 2026 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge season is the fourth season of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge after being established in 2023 as a replacement for the IMSA Prototype Challenge. The season will begin on January 16 at Daytona International Speedway and will conclude on October 3 at Road Atlanta. This season will mark the debut of the new, third-generation LMP3 cars in this series.[1][2] On October 29, it been announced that the new BMW M2 Challenge cars (BMC) will be added alongside the LMP3 class in the endurance rounds.[3]


Classes

Calendar

The provisional schedule was released on September 16, 2025, at IMSA's annual State of the Sport Address, featuring sixteen rounds split across ten race weekends, which will be made up of 6 Sprint and 4 Endurance rounds. All ten events had confirmed dates.[4]

Round Circuit Length Classes Date
1 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida 2 x 45 minutes LMP3, GTDX, GSX January 16–19
2 Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas 2 x 45 minutes LMP3, GTDX, GSX February 27–28
3 Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida 2 hours LMP3, BMC March 6–8
4 Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas 2 hours LMP3, BMC May 7–9
5 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio 2 x 45 minutes LMP3, GTDX, GSX June 5–7
6 Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Virginia 2 hours LMP3, BMC June 19–21
7 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario 2 x 45 minutes LMP3, GTDX, GSX July 10–12
8 Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin 2 hours LMP3, BMC August 14–16
9 Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Virginia 2 x 45 minutes GTDX, GSX August 21–23
10 Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia 2 x 45 minutes LMP3, GTDX, GSX October 1–3

Entry list

LMP3

All cars in the LMP3 class use the Toyota V35A 3.5 L twin-turbo V6 engine.[1]

Team Car No. Drivers Rounds

GTDX

Team Car Engine No. Drivers Rounds
Ruckus Racing[5] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 45 Scott Blind[5] TBC
Rebel Rock Racing[6] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin AMR16A 4.0 L Turbo V8 72 Frank DePew[6] TBC

GSX

Team Car Engine No. Drivers Rounds

BMC

Team Car Engine No. Drivers Rounds

Race results

Championship standings

References

  1. ^ a b "ACO announces next-gen LMP3 from 2025". 24 Hours of Le Mans. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. July 11, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  2. ^ "IMSA Expands, Enhances Next Era of LMP3 Competition". imsa.com. International Motor Sports Association. August 1, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  3. ^ "BMW M2 Challenge Class Added to VPRC Enduros". Sportscar365. John Days Media. October 29, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  4. ^ "Expanded VP Racing Challenge 2026 Schedule Revealed". Sportscar365. John Days Media. September 16, 2025. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Grace, Jonathan (October 8, 2025). "Blind Lining Up GT3 Effort After Single-Make Success". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Dagys, John (November 14, 2025). "Rebel Rock Steps Up to Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved November 14, 2025.