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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