The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes on a new look this year, as the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks becomes a six-hour endurance race.
Fifty-six cars across the four WeatherTech Championship classes are entered for the penultimate race of the season that airs in its entirety on Peacock starting at 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 22. NBC joins the coverage at 3 p.m. through the finish at the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course that incorporates the front straight of the famous Indy oval.
The 2023 Battle on the Bricks, the first IMSA race at Indianapolis in nine years, was the standard two hours, 40 minutes in length. Now six hours in duration, the event becomes the fourth of five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races on the schedule as well as the 10th of 11 on the overall season slate.
As such, entries that compete only in the Michelin Endurance Cup races are back. Among those are the No. 63 Lamborghini Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63 in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class; the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 and No. 19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class; and as many as a half-dozen cars in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class.
Here’s a primer for what you need to know ahead of the race weekend:
Fast Facts
TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Indianapolis, Indiana
Sept. 20-22, 2024
Race Day/Time: Sunday, Sept. 22, 11:40 a.m. ET
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 11:30 a.m. (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial)
NBC Coverage: LIVE – 3-6 p.m.
Live Qualifying Stream: Saturday, Sept. 21 – 3:35 p.m. on Peacock (in the U.S.) and IMSA.tv (globally)
IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday, Sept. 22 at 11:30 a.m. (XM 206, Web/App 996)
Circuit Type: 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course
Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)
Race Length: Six hoursTrack Social Media:
X/Twitter: twitter.com/ims
Instagram: Instagram.com/indianapolismotorspeedway
Facebook: Facebook.com/IndianapolisMotorSpeedwayEvent Hashtags: #IMSA, #BattleOnTheBricks, #ThisIsIndy
WeatherTech Championship Track Records
GTP: Matt Campbell, Porsche 963, 1:13.672 / 119.182 mph, September 2023 (qualifying)
LMP2: Mikkel Jensen, ORECA LMP2 07, 1:16.619 / 114.597, September 2023 (race)
GTD PRO: Klaus Bachler, Porsche 911 GT3 R, 1:23.140 / 105.609 mph, September 2023 (qualifying)
GTD: Madison Snow, BMW M4 GT3, 1:23.075 / 105.692 mph, September 2023 (qualifying)2023 TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks Winners
GTP: Mathieu Jaminet/Nick Tandy, No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963
LMP2: Steven Thomas/Mikkel Jensen, No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07
LMP3: Anthony Mantella/Wayne Boyd, No. 17 AWA Duqueine D08
GTD PRO: Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon, No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
GTD: Russell Ward/Philip Ellis, No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3Storylines
Go the Distance: The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is a six-hour endurance race this year after running as the standard-length two hours, 40 minutes in 2023. As such, many teams will employ three-driver lineups (they are required for the LMP2 and GTD classes).
Penske Porsches Return to Site of First 1-2 Finish: Porsche Penske Motorsport holds the top two positions of the GTP standings heading to Indianapolis. The No. 7 Porsche 963 and co-drivers Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr lead the No. 6 Porsche 963 with co-drivers Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy by 100 points. The No. 6 won last year’s Indy race with the No. 7 finishing second.
Four-Way Fight in LMP2 Standings: Four teams are within 97 points atop the LMP2 standings. Nick Boulle, Tom Dillman and the No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 lead the class. Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga and the No. 74 Riley ORECA are 27 points back, Ryan Dalziel and the No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA are 91 points from the lead, and Ben Keating, Ben Hanley and the No. 2 United Autosports USA ORECA are 97 points behind with two races remaining.
Nail-Biter in GTD PRO: The No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R has maintained the GTD PRO points lead since fashioning back-to-back wins in May and early June. But Ross Gunn and the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 have steadily closed the gap since behind one win and a pair of third-place finishes. Gunn and the No. 23 now sit just 17 points behind Laurin Heinrich and the No. 77 Porsche.
No. 57 Winward Mercedes on Brink of GTD Title: With a 284-point lead heading into race weekend, Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 hold the largest advantage of any class. A strong finish at Indy, where they are the defending race winners, could nearly sew up the GTD championship. But with 23 cars entered in the class, a lower result could reawaken the title battle.Who’s Good Here?
Porsche Penske Motorsport: Returning to IMS following a 1-2 finish a year ago, the Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s are the obvious GTP favorites.
TDS Racing: Steven Thomas and Mikkel Jensen look to repeat their winning ways at Indy in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07.
Mercedes-AMG: The iconic German marque swept the GT classes a year ago. The No. 75 Sun Energy 1 entry is Mercedes’ lone GTD PRO entry this year, with the defending GTD winner, No. 57 Winward Racing, one of three Mercedes entries in that class.Who’s Hot?
No. 6 Porsche 963: While their teammates in the No. 7 still lead the GTP championship, Mathieu Jaminet, Nick Tandy and the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 have cut 79 points into that deficit over the past four races. In that span, the No. 6 has two wins, a second place and a third place.
No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin: Likewise, the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 has been hot over the last four races, with one win and a pair of third-place finishes. It’s allowed the No. 23 and driver Ross Gunn to slice 150 points off their deficit to the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in GTD PRO.Previous IMSA Winners at Indianapolis in 2024 Field (11)
Sebastien Bourdais (1): DP – 2012
Ryan Dalziel (1): DP – 2013
Philip Ellis (1): GTD – 2023
Jack Hawksworth (1): PC—2014
Mathieu Jaminet (1): GTP – 2023
Mikkel Jensen (1): LMP2 – 2023
Andy Lally (1): GT – 2012
John Potter (1): GT – 2012
Nick Tandy (1): GTP – 2023
Steven Thomas (1): LMP2 – 2023
Russell Ward (1): GTD – 2023Previous IMSA Pole Winners at Indianapolis in 2024 Field (4)
Ryan Dalziel (1): P – 2014
Ben Keating (1): LMP2 – 2023
Madison Snow (1): GTD – 2023
Jordan Taylor (1): DP – 2013Previous IMSA Winning Teams at Indianapolis in 2024 Field (6)
Action Express Racing (1): P – 2014
AWA (1): LMP3 – 2023
Magnus Racing (1): GT – 2012
Porsche Penske Motorsport (1): GTP – 2023
TDS Racing (1): LMP2 – 2023
Winward Racing (1): GTD – 2023Previous IMSA Winning Manufacturers at Indianapolis in 2024 Field (6)
Mercedes-AMG – 2
Porsche – 2
BMW – 1
Chevrolet – 1
Ferrari – 1
Ford – 1
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