As much as fans, teams, and drivers may not want the thrilling 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season to come to a close, the campaign is indeed winding down as the championships approach the final few races. Depending on the class – GTD PRO and GTD have their standalone race at VIRginia International Raceway – there are only three or four races remaining to determine the 2024 champions: Road America, VIR, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
After sitting out the race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, GTP remains in the hands of Dane Cameron, Felipe Nasr, and Porsche Penske Motorsports. With two triumphs, Daytona and Watkins Glen, three third-place finishes, and only one race where they didn’t make the podium, the No. 7 Porsche 963 squad has dominated the championship from the start and leads the championship over its closest competitors by 93 points. In fact, since Road America last year, where Nasr won with Matt Campbell, the No. 7 has outperformed all the other GTP entries. Cameron and Nasr also lead the Michelin Endurance Cup points.
Their nearest challengers are the No. 01 Cadillac Racing team with Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande in the Chip Ganassi Racing-run V-Series.R. The No. 01 team, winners at Long Beach, have solidified their position in the title hunt with a couple of second-place finishes. The gap between them and the leaders is less than the gap between first and sixth in a single race. If the No. 7 has a bad race and the No. 01 emerges victorious, it could significantly change the championship picture.
Similarly, the No. 6 PPM team could enter the title hunt if the other teams falter. Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy have secured a victory at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and currently have 1912 points, trailing the No. 01 by 39 points and their sister car by 132 points.
Beyond that, it will require a great deal of luck for any of the other teams to contend for the title when the championship arrives at Road Atlanta. Both Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acuras have celebrated victories, but the rest of the season has been mostly disappointing. Only the No. 40 has made multiple appearances on the podium. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing team has achieved three poles and second-place finishes, but the defending champions face a daunting task to repeat their title.
Further down the order, despite five different winners in six races, BMW M Team RLL, Proton Competition, and JDC-Miller MotorSports have all failed to reach the podium this season.
In LMP2, Era Motorsport claimed the first two victories of the season. However, two difficult races and changes in the driver lineup have caused them to drop to third in the championship. Instead, a rookie LMP2 team without a victory, Gar Robinson and Felipe Fraga, leads the standings with 1308 points. They have achieved three podium finishes in four races so far for Riley Motorsports in the No. 74 ORECA.
Their lead is precarious at best. Nick Boulle and Tom Dillmann, winners at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, are only 12 points behind the championship leaders for Inter Europol with PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports. Together with Jakub Smiechowski, they also lead the IMEC points in LMP2. Ryan Dalziel, the consistent driver for Era, sits in third place in the overall standings with 1173 points, trailing Inter Europol by 1296 points.
AO Racing continues to lead in GTD PRO, but the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R will face a changed driver lineup going forward, with Seb Priaulx being called away to honor his commitment to Multimatic. This leaves Laurin Heinrich as the sole leader in the championship should the team perform well at Road America.
Ross Gunn, the consistent driver in Heart of Racing’s No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, has 1857 points, 98 points behind Heinrich and Priaulx. The Vasser Sullivan Racing duo of Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth are close behind in the title race, with the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 team trailing by only 22 points at 1835. After that, there is a significant gap to the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports team of Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia, recent winners at CTMP in the Z06 GT3.R.
Paul Miller Racing is still searching for their first win since moving to GTD PRO this season. However, Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, and Neil Verhagen lead the Michelin Endurance Cup standings in the class.
With four victories and only one race outside of the podium, Winward Racing has a firm grip on the GTD points, leading by 240 points over their closest competitors. The No. 57 Mercedes AMG GT3 has emerged victorious in every Michelin Endurance Cup race, as well as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Ward, Ellis, and Indy Dontje also lead the IMEC points, although with a smaller margin.
Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, who are still in search of their first victory as a pairing in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, currently have 1750 points and are in second place thanks to their consistent performances. They lead Vasser Sullivan Racing’s Parker Thompson by 102 points.
