Entry List Notebook – Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic

By Mark Robinson

IMSA Wire Service

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is ready to take on a new circuit when the premier North American sports car racing series heads next week to the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.

After racing 12 times since 2007 at the nearby Raceway at Belle Isle Park, the action moves to the downtown street course constructed around the Renaissance Center, the global home of General Motors. The 1.654-mile, nine-turn circuit made its debut a year ago with the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge part of the weekend show.

The Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) classes will be featured in this year’s WeatherTech Championship 100-minute sprint, with 21 cars on the pre-event entry list. The race airs live at 3 p.m. ET Saturday, June 1 on USA Network, Peacock and IMSA Radio.

Here’s what else you need to know about this fresh event:

Fast Facts

Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic

Detroit Street Course – Detroit, Michigan

May 31-June 1, 2024

• Race Day/Time: Saturday, June 1 – 3:10 p.m. ET
• USA Network Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 3 p.m. (also available on Peacock in the U.S. and IMSA.tv outside the U.S.)
• Peacock and IMSA.tv Live Qualifying Stream: Friday, May 31 – 4:35 p.m.
• IMSA Radio: All sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Saturday, June 1 at 3 p.m. (XM 206, SiriusXM Web/App 996)
• Circuit Type: 1.654-mile, nine-turn temporary street course
• Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO)
• Race Length: One hour, 40 minutes

Event Social Media: 

• X/Twitter: @detroitgp
• Instagram: @detroitgp
• Facebook: @detroitgp

Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #DetroitGP

WeatherTech Championship Track Records

None: New circuit in 2024

2022 Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic Winners

(last WeatherTech Championship race held in Detroit, at Belle Isle Park)

• DPi: Renger van der Zande/Sebastien Bourdais, No. 01 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R
• GTD: Ben Barnicoat/Kyle Kirkwood, No. 17 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3

Storylines

• Takin’ It Downtown: The WeatherTech Championship raced a dozen times on the notoriously bumpy temporary course at Belle Isle Park from 2007-2022, but now the Detroit event returns to where it all started with a Formula 1 race in 1982 – on the city’s downtown streets. A new circuit with a unique split pit lane provides intrigue heading to the Motor City.
• Super Sprint: The Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic, at 100 minutes, is one of two ultimate sprint races on the WeatherTech Championship schedule. It calls for a very different race strategy than for the other races that are each two hours, 40 minutes or longer.
• Tight Championship Races: The two classes racing at Detroit – GTP and GTD PRO – each feature tight battles atop the point standings. The No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963, winner of the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and a podium finisher in all four races this season, holds a 50-point advantage on the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R in GTP. In GTD PRO, the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R used its May 12 win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to take a 56-point lead on the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.

Who’s Hot?

• No. 7 Porsche, No. 31 Cadillac: With a string of six podium finishes in its last seven races dating to the final three events of 2023, the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 is undeniably the strongest GTP car of late. But don’t look past the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, which won the 2023 championship and has claimed three second-place finishes already this season.

Who’s Good Here?

• Anyone’s Guess: Since this is a new circuit for everyone, it’s hard to gauge who will be strong at Detroit. If the other temporary street course on the schedule, Long Beach, is any indicator, the No. 01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R came out the winner there in GTP. The GTD PRO class did not race at Long Beach this year but the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 was victorious there in 2022.
• Jordan Taylor: They may have all come at Belle Isle, but Jordan Taylor has more wins in Detroit (5) than any other IMSA driver.

Previous Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic Winners in 2024 Field (9)

• Jordan Taylor (5): GT – 2012; DP – 2013; P – 2014, 2016, 2017
• Renger van der Zande (4): PC – 2015, 2016; DPi – 2021, 2022
• Ricky Taylor (3): P – 2014, 2016, 2017
• Dane Cameron (2): P – 2015; DPi – 2019
• Ben Barnicoat (1): GTD – 2022
• Sebastien Bourdais (1): DPi – 2022
• Ross Gunn (1): GTD – 2022
• Jack Hawksworth (1): GTD – 2019
• Felipe Nasr (1): P – 2018

Previous Chevrolet Sports Car Classic Pole Winners in 2024 Field (6)

• Bryan Sellers (2): GTD –2016, 2018
• Sebastien Bourdais (1): DPi – 2022
• Gianmaria Bruni (1): GT2 – 2007
• Pipo Derani (1): P – 2018
• Jordan Taylor (1): DP – 2013
• Richard Westbrook (1): P – 2014

Previous Chevrolet Sports Car Classic Winning Teams in 2024 Field (7)

• Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (4): DP –2013; P – 2014, 2016, 2017
• Action Express Racing (3): DP – 2012; P – 2015, 2018
• Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports (2): GT1 – 2007, 2008
• Chip Ganassi Racing (2): DPi – 2021, 2022
• Penske (2): P2 – 2007; DPi – 2019
• Vasser Sullivan (2): GTD – 2019, 2022
• Heart of Racing Team (1): GTD – 2021

Previous Chevrolet Sports Car Classic Winning Manufacturers in 2024 Field (7)

• Chevrolet – 9
• Acura – 4
• Cadillac – 4
• Porsche – 3
• Ferrari – 2
• Lexus – 2
• Aston Martin – 1