Full send for Motown-based IMSA manufacturers coveting Detroit GP glory

Whether the Detroit Grand Prix has been headlined by Formula 1 or IndyCar, whether it’s been run downtown near the famous GM Renaissance Center or around picturesque Belle Isle Park, it’s always meant a little bit more for one of America’s long-established automakers to win a race at the Motor City.

That’s also been the case since top-level sports car racing first featured as part of the Detroit GP weekend in 2007, when the American Le Mans Series first visited Belle Isle. Since then, IMSA has made regular visits to Detroit, one of two street races on the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar.

And while the imminent showdown between Ford Racing and Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports won’t be for the overall victory, it will be one of the prominent stories of today’s race. Ford Racing swept the front row in the GTD Pro class last year, and one of its Ford Mustang GT3s won in Detroit, in clear sight of GM’s global headquarters.

“It was fantastic winning it last year with our Ford Mustang GT3s here, just a few miles from our headquarters in Dearborn,” said Mark Rushbrook, the Global Director of Ford Racing on the eve of this afternoon’s race. “It’s a very important race for us; we have a lot of employees here, friends, family members. (Executive Chair) Bill Ford is coming down to this race today, and Edsel Ford’s going to be there. It’s a point of pride for us, so we want to do well.

Chevy leads its Motown rival in Detroit wins, and is looking good to add to that tally. Jake Galstad/Lumen via Getty Images

Last year’s win helped to close the historic gap between the two manufacturers in Detroit street races. 37 times, across IndyCar and sports cars, Chevrolet and Ford have raced head-to-head, and currently it’s the Bow Tie that leads the Blue Oval, 23-14.

Rushbrook would love to close that particular gap, but he has the same attitude towards every race in which Ford competes. “The first pillar for Ford Racing is to win races and championships that matter,” he says. “This is a race that matters. We want to win here. We want to win every single weekend – we know we can’t, but we come to every race with that as our focus.

Though this year, Corvette is favored to win the matchup: Both of the Pratt Miller Corvettes have qualified on the front row and have been quickest in every practice session.

In the premier GTP class, three Cadillac V-Series.Rs will look to make the most of a “home court advantage” against rival marques like BMW, Porsche, Aston Martin, and especially Acura, which has won the first two IMSA races since the Detroit GP moved downtown.

Two of the three Cadillacs will start on the front row for today’s race, with Action Express Racing’s No. 31 Whelen Cadillac on the pole, and Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing’s black and white No. 40 trying to break through for the team’s first win since reuniting with GM.

Cadillac Racing Program Manager Keely Bosn agrees that outside the big endurance races, this is the biggest race for the brand, given its setting. “Apart from Le Mans, Daytona, this is definitely one of the top races that we set our goals and sights on to win, year after year, right in our home town and backyard,” she says.

For Cadillac, Detroit offers an evocative place to race in front of both fans and employees. Jake Galstad/Lumen via Getty Images

It’s hard not to notice that compared to the many legendary endurance races at permanent circuits, IMSA fans generally feel much less romantic towards the Detroit Grand Prix. Even the Grand Prix of Long Beach, IMSA’s other street race, seems to be greeted more warmly than the late spring trip to Detroit.

But despite a tepid initial reception, the current Detroit street circuit offers a lot more challenge and depth to it than can be seen on a two-dimensional track map. It also offers scenic views of both downtown Detroit and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, and great access for local race fans to be part of the action. And, it has to be said, last year’s Detroit IMSA race was one of the better ones all throughout 2025.

As the city has supported the Detroit Grand Prix for over 40 years, so have the American automakers who’ve backed this event, in particular Chevrolet and GM. And even as representatives of the great American automotive rivalry, both Rushbrook and Bosn want Detroit to stick around as part of the IMSA calendar for the long term.

“It’s a different circuit, right?” Bosn says. “And for good or for bad, I think this is one of the best tracks that we have in the IMSA series, for just showing what we can do as Cadillac Racing, and even with Corvette showing up here, trying to prove our worth.

“And it’s an exciting race. I think it’s great for the fans to have such access. They have incredible trackside views coming to this race, and I think that the Detroit race is definitely a key part of the IMSA schedule.”

Ford counterpart Rushbrook says, “Because we are America’s race team, we want to race throughout the country, of course. But it’s important for our employees to have access to a race. So to have something that’s this close, that they can come down here and watch our company race, it’s important to us.”