Indianapolis, Indiana – When the gates swing open at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 19, race fans will once again step into a motorsports weekend unlike any other on the calendar. The legendary track, often called the Racing Capital of the World, will roar with a different kind of energy than the single-driver, lap-count battles of IndyCar or NASCAR. This time, endurance sports car racing takes center stage with the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, a festival of speed, strategy, and variety that stretches across three full days.
What sets this weekend apart is the unique format of sports car racing. While fans of IndyCar or NASCAR are used to races where all cars are built to the same rules and compete head-to-head for a single winner, IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship operates on a more layered playing field. Four classes of cars, ranging from futuristic hybrid-powered prototypes to production-based GT machines, will share the same 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course. At the green flag on Sunday morning, fans will not just see one contest unfolding, but four simultaneous battles, each with its own strategies, rivalries, and stories.
“This is what people love about endurance racing,” longtime fan Kevin Martinez of Chicago said, already planning his third straight September trip to IMS. “You get the fast prototypes slicing through traffic, GT cars defending their space, and constant drama with driver changes and pit stops. It’s nonstop action—there’s no chance to look away.”
A Six-Hour Test of Speed and Strategy
Unlike the lap-based sprints of other series at IMS, the WeatherTech Championship headline event is measured by time: six hours on Sunday, September 21, beginning at 11:40 a.m. ET. Teams will rotate drivers in and out of their machines, turning the race into a contest of endurance, patience, and execution. The length ensures constant waves of traffic as the fastest cars attempt to navigate through slower classes, a spectacle that keeps the track busy at every corner.
At the top is the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, the newest and most technologically advanced category in IMSA. These futuristic machines, introduced in 2023, are built around a common hybrid powertrain system. Energy harvested under braking is stored in onboard batteries and deployed when needed, blending cutting-edge hybrid technology with brute racing power. Manufacturers including Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin will each showcase their interpretation of the rules, giving fans a direct look at how global brands translate engineering philosophy into speed.
Below them, the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) cars bring another layer of intrigue. With closed cockpits and a more standardized formula, they provide a testing ground for both young talent and veteran endurance drivers. These machines not only run in IMSA but also compete globally, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which makes them a fan favorite for their international flavor.
In the GT classes, production-based race cars steal the spotlight. GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) is filled with factory-backed efforts from manufacturers such as Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, and Mercedes-AMG, while GT Daytona (GTD) features a mix of professional and amateur driver lineups in cars that fans might recognize from their local roads, albeit heavily modified for racing. Both classes provide the raw, door-to-door competition that often steals the hearts of spectators.
Familiar Faces for Indy Fans
For fans who follow IndyCar, the entry list feels like a reunion. Tom Blomqvist, a standout in endurance racing, and Romain Grosjean, a former Formula One and IndyCar driver, will line up in the GTP field for Acura and Lamborghini. Sebastien Bourdais, a four-time IndyCar champion, anchors an LMP2 effort. Rising stars like Pietro Fittipaldi and Hunter McElrea bring crossover appeal, while James Roe, currently making waves in INDY NXT, gets valuable seat time in a prototype.
Adding more intrigue, Formula One driver Logan Sargeant will share duties with Benjamin Pedersen and Naveen Rao in the LMP2 field, drawing eyes from both American open-wheel and international fans. In the GTD ranks, Jack Hawksworth, who transitioned from IndyCar nearly a decade ago, continues to shine with Lexus. Meanwhile, Eduardo Barrichello, son of Formula One and IndyCar veteran Rubens Barrichello, will compete in an Aston Martin, further connecting past and present motorsports generations.
“Seeing drivers you watched at Indy or even Formula One racing in these endurance cars is just awesome,” said Sarah Williams, a local fan who attended last year’s Battle on the Bricks. “It feels like you’re watching different worlds of racing collide at one track.”
More Than One Headliner
While Sunday’s six-hour marathon is the crown jewel, the Battle on the Bricks weekend offers a smorgasbord of action. On Saturday, September 20, the Michelin Pilot Challenge will hold its own endurance event—the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120. This two-hour contest splits into two classes: Grand Sport (GS) cars built to GT4 regulations, and Touring Car (TCR) entries, which feature smaller but highly competitive machines. With former IndyCar driver Zach Veach in the GS class and Bruno Junqueira, a past Indy 500 pole winner, in TCR, the series has plenty of star power of its own.
Then there are the single-make series, which put every competitor in identical machinery, leaving driver skill as the sole differentiator. Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America will run 50-minute races Friday and Saturday, showcasing exotic Italian machines that sound as good as they look. The Porsche Carrera Cup North America will bring identical 911 GT3 Cup cars into the spotlight with races Friday and Saturday, a chance for fans to see rising talent battle in the purest form of competition.
Together, these support events create a full menu of racing variety, ensuring there is never a dull moment on track from Friday morning through Sunday evening.
A Packed Schedule for Fans
The public schedule begins early each day, with gates opening at 8 a.m. Friday and as early as 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Between practice sessions, qualifying rounds, and races across multiple series, attendees will be treated to more than 20 hours of track activity. By the time Sunday’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race begins, fans will already have seen Porsches, Lamborghinis, GT4 cars, and TCR machines tear around the iconic road course.
“Sports car weekends at IMS feel like a festival,” said IMS spokesperson Emily Thompson. “Fans walk through the paddock, see teams up close, watch mechanics prepare cars, and interact with drivers in a way that’s very different from larger series. It’s intimate, it’s diverse, and it’s fast-paced.”
The Endurance Appeal
Endurance racing is not just about speed; it’s about resilience. Cars must last for six hours, drivers must stay sharp through long stints, and teams must execute perfect pit stops under pressure. Strategy often trumps outright pace, with tire wear, fuel conservation, and traffic management all playing critical roles in determining the winner.
For fans, it means constant layers of drama. A GTP car may dominate overall, but in GTD, a last-minute pit call or a late caution could change everything. Leaders in one class might be buried mid-pack overall, forcing fans to track battles across multiple scoreboards at once. This complexity is what makes the “race within a race” so compelling.
“It’s like watching four different championships happen at the same time,” Thompson explained. “No matter where you’re looking on the track, something important is happening.”
Tickets and Final Details
Tickets for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks are available through IMS.com, with options for single-day or weekend passes. In addition to the racing, fans will find merchandise stands, food vendors, and family-friendly attractions scattered around the grounds. With the event growing each year, IMS officials expect strong attendance as endurance racing solidifies its place in the track’s annual lineup.
The Battle on the Bricks is more than just another date on the motorsports calendar—it is a showcase of international talent, advanced technology, and the enduring spirit of competition that has defined Indianapolis for over a century. As prototypes and GT cars prepare to thunder across the yard of bricks this September, fans can expect not one race, but many, all converging on the same strip of asphalt, all unfolding in real time.
And when the checkered flag finally waves after six hours on Sunday evening, it will not just be about who won overall. It will be about the stories told in every class, the strategies that worked or failed, and the lasting impression of endurance racing at one of the world’s most hallowed tracks.
