The championship battle continues Aug. 22-25 as the top drivers in IMSA take on Virginia International Raceway.
The 3.27-mile, 17-turn course known for its elevation changes will host multiple classes during a busy race weekend. The schedule will feature the Mustang Challenge featuring a fleet of Dark Horse R race cars. It will also have the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, which features a mixed class of vehicles including P3 prototypes and GT3 and GT4 production cars.
The weekend schedule continues with the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin, a series that has quickly grown in popularity at road courses across the country. The Virginia is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix will serve as the Michelin Pilot Challenge event as drivers in the Grand Sport and Touring Car Series battle on the road course.
Finally, the headline event of the weekend will be the top-level IMSA Michelin GT Challenge. This event will pit the top drivers in the GTD and GTD Pro classes against each other as they try to gain an upper hand in the championship standings. This headline event will air on Sunday from 2 - 5 p.m. ET. USA and Peacock will provide coverage.
This weekend could be pivotal in the GTD class championship battle. Defending champions Russell Ward and Philip Ellis (No. No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3) lead the standings with three races remaining on the schedule. They are 112 points ahead of Jack Hawksworth and Parker Thompson in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3.
Ward and Ellis are 117 points ahead of Casper Stevenson in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo. Stevenson regularly shares the No. 27 with Tom Gamble.
The No. 12 Vasser Sullivan team has yet to score a win this season, but it has accumulated substantial points with podium finishes. The Winward Racing team scored class wins at Sebring and Laguna Seca but also dealt with some unexpected issues that kept this championship battle close. This includes a collision at Watkins Glen.
The No. 12 team scored a win at Watkins Glen, as well as podium finishes at Daytona and Sebring. This helped the Heart of Racing Team keep the championship close as the end of the season approached.
Virginia International Raceway weekend schedule
Friday, Aug. 22 (all times Eastern)
- 4:50 - 5:40 p.m. -- VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 1 (YouTube and IMSA TV globally, Peacock Premium only in United States)
Saturday, Aug. 23 (all times Eastern)
- 8:45 - 9:35 a.m. -- Mustang Challenge Race 1 (Peacock, IMSA TV, and YouTube)
- 12:20 - 1:10 p.m. -- VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 2 (YouTube and IMSA TV globally, Peacock Premium only in United States)
- 2:15 - 4:20 p.m. -- Virginia is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix (Peacock, IMSA TV, and YouTube)
- 4:30 - 5:35 p.m. -- Michelin Challenge GT Qualifying (Peacock, IMSA TV, and YouTube)
- 5:50 - 6:40 p.m. -- Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Race 1 (IMSA TV and YouTube)
Sunday, Aug. 24 (all times Eastern)
- 9:30 - 10:20 a.m. -- VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 3 (YouTube and IMSA TV globally, Peacock Premium only in United States)
- 10:35- 11:25 a.m. -- Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Race 2 (IMSA TV and YouTube)
- 11:40 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. -- Mustang Challenge Race 2 (Peacock, IMSA TV, and YouTube)
- 2 - 5 p.m. -- Michelin Challenge GT Race (Peacock globally, USA, IMSA TV, and YouTube in the United States)