The entry list for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s annual trek out to the West Coast with this year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has been revealed.
The first sprint race on the calendar is also one of the shortest, with a field of 28 cars between Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) classes taking to the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit for 100 minutes.
There are two changes among the 11 GTP entries as each car goes down to its two full-season drivers for the first non-endurance event of the year. Frederik Vesti fills in for Earl Bamber alongside Jack Aitken aboard the #31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R. The other notable change is Laurin Heinrich, who has contested — and won — the opening two rounds of the year in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 shifting over to the #5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 alongside Tijmen van der Helm. Heinrich will be making his first appearance on the streets of Long Beach.
There are several changes among the 17 GTD entries, including the return of Robert Wickens to the #36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R for his second season in the program. The Canadian will co-drive alongside Mason Filippi. Corey Lewis is set to make his first sprint race and second season start in Gradient Racing’s #66 Ford Mustang GT3 alongside Jake Walker. And Spencer Pumpelly fills in for Tom Gamble alongside Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello in the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.
AO Racing and Vasser Sullivan Racing continue their respective continuations of running an extra GTD entry. AO Racing will field Harry King and Mikkel Pedersen in its #177 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). The team is seeking a repeat win after Jonny Edgar and Laurens Vanthoor won in 2025. Vasser Sullivan, the 2024 GTD race winners, bring back the #89 Lexus RC F GT3 for Jack Hawksworth and Frankie Montecalvo. Additionally, Pfaff Motorsports will run a GTD car for Andrea Caldarelli and Zachary Vanier, the #46 Lamborghini Temerario GT3 following the Temerario GT3’s worldwide competition debut last month at Sebring.
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