Road America is a big weekend for IMSA. It’s the only sprint weekend of the year in which all five classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship compete in together. It’s also the weekend in which announcements for the upcoming season are made. IMSA president John Doonan gave the State of the Sport address Friday (Aug. 5) at the Tufte Center on the property at Road America. A series of announcements were made.
2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Schedule Revealed
Likely the biggest announcement made during the presentation was the announcement of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule. There are 11 rounds on the calendar, down from 12 this year.
The sole addition to the schedule is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was already announced last Friday at a press conference during the joint NASCAR/INDYCAR race weekend. The IMSA Battle On The Bricks will be a 160-minute sprint race for all five classes on Sept. 17. This race will replace Mid-Ohio on the calendar.
In addition, Detroit has been dropped from the calendar. 2022 is the final year for the race at Belle Isle Park. Next year, the event will move back to Downtown Detroit for the first time since 1991.
In regards to the class mix at events, six of the 11 rounds (the four Michelin Endurance Cup races, plus Road American and Indianapolis) will have all five classes in action, up from five in 2022. Lime Rock and VIR will remain GT-only events.
The new GTP class will race at nine events, the six with all the classes, plus Long Beach, Laguna Seca and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. GTD Pro and GTD will be in action in all 11 races. LMP2 and LMP3 each have seven race seasons including the six with everyone else, plus one extra race. LMP2 teams will be at Laguna Seca, while LMP3 teams will make the trip to CTMP.
2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Schedule
| Dates | Track6 | Event | Classes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 20 – 22 | Daytona International Speedway | ROAR Before the 24, Including Rolex 24 Qualifying Race | All | 100 Minutes (Qualifying race) |
| Jan. 27 – 29 | Daytona International Speedway | Rolex 24 at Daytona | All | 24 Hours |
| March 15 – 18 | Sebring International Raceway | Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring | All | 12 Hours |
| April 14 – 15 | Streets of Long Beach | Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach | GTP, GTD Pro, GTD | 100 Minutes |
| May 12 – 14 | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca | n/a | GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro, GTD | 160 Minutes |
| June 22 – 25 | Watkins Glen International | Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen |
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