IMSA releases 2019 schedule

Continuity is the theme running through IMSA’s 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar as all of the current tracks will be retained and no new venues will be used.

The only provisional event is Detroit, which is the subject of a City Council vote to continue as a circuit for the combined Verizon IndyCar Series and IMSA weekend in early July.

IMSA’s Prototype class will compete in 10 rounds, GT Daytona will partake in 10 events that count toward the championship, and if Detroit is confirmed, it would be a non-points event. It would, however, count toward the new WeatherTech Sprint Cup championship for GTD entrants to pursue during the seven standard-length events like Mid-Ohio, Detroit, etc.

IMSA’s factory GT Le Mans class is the only category left with 11 points-paying races.

“As we head to the conclusion of the 2018 season, our event promoters have enjoyed record, or near-record attendance for WeatherTech Championship events, and our 2019 schedule will allow those same promoters to build on that momentum,” said IMSA President Scott Atherton.

“IMSA has been fortunate for the past several years to have a schedule that includes the very best road courses and road racing events in North America, and we are thrilled to confirm our return to these same venues in 2019.”

One interesting scheduling choice can be found in the timing of IMSA’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca event in September, which takes place the week prior to IndyCar’s Monterey return. With North America’s two primary road racing properties loading into the same track within a matter of days, it will be interesting to see whether local fans will choose one over the other, or attend both.

IMSA has dropped its annual test at Sebring from its plans, making the Roar Before The 24 its only official test. Times and dates for IMSA’s WeatherTech Championship broadcasts on NBC and NBCSN will be announced at a later date. All races will be available on the NBC Sports App.

2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule:

Date	Venue	Classes/Duration	TV
Jan. 4-6	Roar Before The Rolex 24 At Daytona Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida	DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD 3-day test	N/A
Jan. 24-27	Rolex 24 At Daytona Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida	DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD 24 hours	NBCSN
March 13-16	Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Sebring International Raceway Sebring, Florida	DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD 12 hours	NBCSN/CNBC
April 12-13	BUBBA burger SportsCar Grand Prix Long Beach, Calif.	DPi/LMP2/GTLM 100 minutes	NBCSN
May 3-5	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio	DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD 2 hours, 40 minutes	NBCSN
May 31-June 1	Chevrolet Detroit Belle Island Grand Prix Detroit, Michigan*	DPi/LMP2 (GTD Sprint Cup) 100 minutes	NBCSN
June 28-30	Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen Watkins Glen, New York	DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD 6 hours	NBCSN
July 5-7	Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada	DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD 2 hours, 40 minutes	NBC
July 19-20	Northeast Grand Prix Lakeville, Connecticut	GTLM/GTD 2 hours, 40 minutes	NBCSN
Aug. 2-4	Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin	DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD 2 hours, 40 minutes	NBCSN
Aug. 23-25	VIRginia International Raceway Danville, Virginia	GTLM/GTD 2 hours, 40 minutes	NBCSN
Sept. 13-15	WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California	DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD 2 hours, 40 minutes	NBC
Oct. 10-12	Petit Le Mans Brazelton, Georgia	DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD 10 hours	NBC/NBCSN

*Subject to final local government approval

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Marshall Pruett

The 2026 season marks Marshall Pruett's 40th year working in the sport. In his role today for RACER, Pruett covers open-wheel and sports car racing as a writer, reporter, photographer, and filmmaker. In his previous career, he served as a mechanic, engineer, and team manager in a variety of series, including IndyCar, IMSA, and World Challenge.

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