IMSA reveals 2027 schedule, expanded testing planned for endurance rounds

The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced the 2027 schedule for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

As a result, IMSA became the first major auto racing sanctioning body to announce its calendar for the following season for a third consecutive year.

“Announcing our schedule this early in the year, which has now become our tradition, is a testament to the stability of our events and our promoter relationships, and we are grateful to all of our promoter partners,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett.

“It also provides an opportunity for everybody involved – from stakeholders and participants to IMSA race fans – to adequately make their plans to attend well in advance. Nearly all of our events have seen year-over-year attendance increases the past few years, so it is conceivable that our strategy of announcing our schedules in March is paying dividends.”

Continuity remains key as next year’s schedule sees the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship return to all 11 venues that make up the entirety of the calendar.

The 2027 season will start one weekend later than it has traditionally, with the 65th Running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona set for January 28-31 on Daytona International Speedway’s 3.56-mile circuit. Following Daytona will be the signature milestone on the calendar with the 75th edition of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17-20.

Both races again will be part of the five-race IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup season and will include all four classes – Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD).

The series will then head off to California for its annual “West Coast Swing,” beginning with the 100-minute Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 16-17, and followed with a two-hour, 40-minute round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on April 30-May 2. Long Beach will feature the GTP and GTD classes, while GTD Pro joins the party for the second leg.

The streets of downtown Detroit again will feature the sights and sounds of GTP and GTD PRO machinery on June 4-5 when the series returns for another 100-minute battle as part of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. The battle among all four classes commences at Watkins Glen on June 24-27 with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, which marks the halfway point in Michelin Endurance Cup.

Three classes — LMP2, GTD Pro and GTD — will go north of the border to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as part of a two-hour, 40-minute contest on July 9-11.

All four classes reunite in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for another six-hour battle on the iconic Road America circuit on July 29-August 1, which marks the penultimate race of the endurance rounds. VIRginia International Raceway hosts its traditional two-hour, 40-minute battle for the GTD Pro and GTD classes with the Michelin GT Challenge on August 20-22.

After a nearly one-month break, all four classes will reunite at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the two-hour, 40-minute TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks for the second-to-last WeatherTech Championship race of the season on September 17-19.

All of that will set the stage for a 10-hour finale with the 30th Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on October 6-9 to close out both the 2027 WeatherTech Championship and Michelin Endurance Cup seasons.

“Each season presents an opportunity to build on IMSA’s incredible momentum, and the 2027 schedule represents the very best of our longstanding partnerships and world-class venues,” said IMSA President John Doonan.

“We are grateful for the continued collaboration with our television partner, NBC Sports, whose support allows us to showcase IMSA’s thrilling, multi-class racing to race fans everywhere. We also appreciate the cooperation from our fellow sanctioning bodies as we all work together in good faith to minimize date conflicts and create the strongest possible calendar for teams, partners, and fans.

“The 2027 season is especially meaningful as we celebrate several historic milestones: the 75th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the 70th anniversary of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the 65th Rolex 24 At Daytona and the 30th running of Motul Petit Le Mans. These iconic events represent the heart and soul of sports car racing, and we look forward to honoring their legacies with our competitors and passionate fanbase next season.”

Pre-race fan walk at Road Atlanta

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Lumen via Getty Images

The 2027 season once more begin with three days of testing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 on January 22-24. The Roar is mandatory for all teams competing in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

There is also a plan in place for expanded IMSA-sanctioned testing at the five tracks hosting endurance events next year. The sanctioned tests would be for active WeatherTech Championship competitors only. More information and specific dates will be announced later.

IMSA also confirmed its 2027 schedule for Michelin Pilot Challenge, with a 10-race calendar that includes a return to Lime Rock Park.

The two-class Pilot Challenge – featuring the Grand Sport (GS) and Touring Car (TCR) classes – will be the weekend headliner for two of its 10 event weekends next season as the series returns to Lime Rock Park in addition to being the main attraction with its annual four-hour race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix will serve as the penultimate round of the 2027 Michelin Pilot Challenge, bringing the series to the 1.5-mile bullring in Lakeville, Connecticut on the weekend of September 23-25. The two-hour race will be the first IMSA-sanctioned race at Lime Rock since the 2023 season.

“The loyal fans at Lime Rock Park have been hungry for a return of IMSA competition and we are thrilled to bring it to them in the fall of 2027,” said Doonan.

“This race will give the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge another well-deserved opportunity in the spotlight and will undoubtedly be a highlight of what we expect will be another highly competitive season in 2027.”

Eight of the 10 Michelin Pilot Challenge races will run as a companion to the WeatherTech Championship season. The season will open with the traditional four-hour battle at Daytona on the weekend of January 28-31, followed by the round at Sebring International Raceway for the first of eight two-hour races in the season on March 17-20.

The series will forego a trek to the West Coast in 2027, returning to competition with the second and final four-hour race of the season as the headliner at Mid-Ohio on June 11-13.

Watkins Glen International is next on June 24-27, followed by Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 9-11 to close out the first half of the season. Road America opens the second half on July 29-August 1, followed by VIRginia International Raceway on August 20-22 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 17-19.

It will be a quick, one-week turnaround for the series to get to Lime Rock, followed by a two-week break prior to the season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on October 6-9.

The 2027 Michelin Pilot Challenge season again opens with three days of non-mandatory testing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 on January 22-24.

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— The Motorsport.com Team