The IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship heads West for its first sprint race of the 2026 season.

When you talk street circuits, one of the first that come to mind is Long Beach, California. The coastal city in the Greater Los Angeles Metro Area has been a racing mainstay since the 1970s. In fact, the Grand Prix weekend is the city’s biggest event. And while not the main event, sportscar racing has been a prominent feature of the weekend.

At first, smaller sportscar series were sprinkled in as part of the support bill as far back as the early 1990s. Sportscar racing truly found its place at The Beach starting in 2006 when the Grand-Am Rolex Series ran a 90-minute, Prototype only race on Saturday. The following year, Long Beach joined the American Le Mans Series calendar. IMSA has been a partner ever since, with the race continuing on as part of the united championship in 2014.

IMSA’s prototypes and GT machines as the weekend’s Saturday headline race feels like tradition now. For the third straight year, the GT Daytona class joins the headline GTP prototypes in the Saturday sprint. And when we say sprint, we mean it. Just one hour and forty minutes to battle for victory…a street fight in its realest form. It’s a far cry from Florida where endurance and patience were the buzz words.

But will a change in scenery bring a change in the pecking order?

A dominant performance from Porsche Penske Motorsport was overshadowed by how it ended

GTP: The Enemy Within?

Porsche Penske Motorsport wrote all the headlines at Sebring (feels like I have been writing that a lot lately). Take your pick…the immaculate Mobil 1 911 GT1 throwback scheme. Their two cars dominated the race leaving the rest of GTP in their wake. But the headline everyone has been focusing on post-Sebring is the heated emotions of Kevin Estre towards Felipe Nasr. Estre was not happy at all after the race, displeased with both Nasr and the team for how they handled the end of the race. Things got so bad there was reportedly a “drivers-only” meeting before everyone left the track.

“We exposed our point of view…came down to basics…respect for each other and everything,” says Julien Andlauer. Nasr’s full-season teammate was pretty firm in speaking that the entire team is ready to move on to Long Beach. “We all talked about it so it doesn’t happen again.”

A New Challenge

Andlauer must be enjoying life in the Porsche Penske ranks. Two starts have yielded to two victories. But now Julien is taking on a new proposition competing in SoCal. “This is my first time at Long Beach,” the Frenchman remarked. He stated he has been prepping in the sim back at Porsche headquarters in Germany. However, it has not all been smooth sailing. “I have been struggling to get the right rhythm through the last two corners. It’s quite a challenge.”

Still, with the team’s vast notebook, Julien feels quite confident. “We have some good data from last year and should be able to correlate,” says Andlauer. “In the end, we can tell with the car in the sim, we feel like the car is in a good window…in a good balance.”

Ok…Maybe Two New Challenges…

As if learning a new track was not enough, Julien found out he will be racing his teammate. It was announced last week Laurin Heinrich will run the balance of the schedule in the #5 JDC-Miller Porsche 963 starting this weekend at Long Beach. He will still do Petit Le Mans in October with Penske. Awkward? Julien doesn’t think so, “It’s going to be more of a fun scenario.” Heinrich will partner Dutchman Tijmen van der Helm, the team confirmed.

Sorry…Three Challenges…

Oh right, let’s discuss Balance of Performance. The 963 Evo, which Penske runs, will carry 45kg additional weight for Sebring. The car will also be handicapped with a 5% decrease in max power curve. The JDC-Miller Porsche will also be handicapped, but to a lesser extent. After dominating the 36 Hours of Florida, it should come as no surprise IMSA is looking to peg back the car to give the rest of the field an opportunity to close the gap.

Point to Acura?

Last time the GTP class raced on city streets, Acura emerged victorious in Detroit last June. Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande scored the win to give Meyer Shank the first win on their return to IMSA. Long Beach is also happy hunting ground for Renger as the Dutchman is a former two-time winner here. What makes Renger so good on street courses? He provided some insight, “If you don’t have a fast or compliant car, you can’t push. What makes a driver good…at street tracks…is how close you like to drift toward the wall.” This is especially key for Long Beach with the first half of the course with cars having to be pushed to the limit using every centimeter of available space.

On the note of being pushed to the limit, Renger also spoke on the upgrades to the ARX-06. “We’ve been experiencing the car a lot,” van der Zande notes. He also says evos aren’t what you expect, “They aren’t meant to make cars faster. They’re just to make tweaks to make the car better hear and there.” Renger is hoping the tweaks made help Acura breakthrough at their namesake event. “It’s the event of the year for Acura. It’s an event Acura has never won…so we are trying to make it happen this year.”

Whelen Action Express Racing has been the team that has given Porsche the most headaches. Can they leapfrog them at Long Beach?

Driver Change, Rebound and Stability…

Cadillac will see one driver change as Frederik Vesti will deputize for Earl Bamber in the #31 Whelen Cadillac alongside Jack Aitken. Whelen Cadillac has been right in step with Porsche Penske scoring podiums in both races. With the weight penalties to the Porsches, could this be prime opportunity for the Caddys to strike? Jack Aitken is running for the championship. Combine a win with a sub-par (outside Top 5) day for Porsche and Aitken can shift the power in the title fight.

After their podium at Daytona, Sebring was a crash back to Earth for WRT and BMW. A fifth-place finish may not sound as bad, but the pace was definitely lacking. With BMW still adjusting to their own upgrades, it is not out of the realm of possibility they repeat their Long Beach pole from last year. But it will be a tall order. The team, however, must be thinking a strong Saturday will be the goal.

Finally, the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Heart of Racing continue to pound away with development of the car. Unfortunately, Sebring saw the car finish but twelve laps off the pace. Now that we are going into the sprint and regular distance rounds, does Aston Martin and Heart of Racing decide to push the envelope a little further? Long Beach, on paper, is not meant to suit the V12 prototype. But with a short sprint and nothing to lose, Heart of Racing can dial up the setup and take chances not seen before now with the Valkyrie settling into year two.

Race Predictions

Time to see who our IMSA staff here at GT REPORT think will be spraying champagne after Saturday’s street fight

Miguel Bosch, GT REPORT Editor-in-Chief: Porsche may have been given a hefty BoP punishment, but momentum and history are with the team at Long Beach. I will keep picking them until they lose. Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer in the #7 Porsche start the season three in a row.

Dylan Spaulding, GT REPORT IMSA Writer: Tension is definitely brewing in the GTP field. Following an interesting finish at Sebring, Porsche Penske to me has a lot of questions coming into Long Beach. While the team looks to be starting off on the right foot like the last two seasons, this race looks to be one where a new contender can capitalize. For me, I think the #24 BMW of Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde can break through.

David Lawrence, GT REPORT IMSA Writer: With the big weight penalty for Porsche, I can easily see Cadillac stepping in. Caddy won here in ’24. And they have been the closest to Porsche on overall performance. This weekend just feels like it’s for Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti to finally get a W after some close calls in the enduros. I’m putting my money on the #31 Whelen Cadillac for Saturday.

GTD: Will the “intruders” emerge?

Since GTD PRO was dropped from Long Beach after 2023, GTD PRO teams tend to “drop” down to GTD, change their numbers and switch up drivers to go racing in SoCal. 2026 will not be an exception. Pfaff Motorsports, AO Racing and Vasser Sullivan will all field their GTD PRO entries in the GTD class this weekend. Pfaff’s entry means this will be the first time the Temerario competes in GTD after its Sebring debut. AO dropped down last year and won with Jonny Edgar and Laurens Vanthoor. Vasser Sullivan also brought a second car down and scored a podium for their efforts. These teams are returning to California looking to emulate their 2025 success.

Despite heartbreak at Sebring, Heart of Racing is set up for a great season after a pair of podiums to start the season.

Staying Ahead

These efforts hope not to derail Eduardo Barrichello. Affectionately known as “Dudu,” the son of multi-time F1 winner Rubens is feeling right at home in his first season in IMSA. “I really enjoy learning new tracks,” says Barichello. “It’s something cool. I’m getting more used to the car and enjoying myself really.” Despite the disappointment of the last lap at Sebring denying him his first IMSA win, Dudu comes to Long Beach as GTD points leader. His two podiums to open the season has him far and away above the rest of the teams running the full season.

Long Beach will be a new experience for Dudu. “I’ve never driven a GT car on a street circuit,” he says. “I’m still trying to figure it out…but I’m super excited.” Additionally, Barichello will have a new co-driver. With his regular partners Zacharie Robichon and Tom Gamble both on WEC duty this weekend, Heart of Racing has called longtime IMSA mainstay Spencer Pumpelly to partner the Brazilian. Barichello remains confident, “He’s got some experience from racing there before. We will see…but everyone is doing such a great job…I’m confident we will hit the ground running.”

Rebounding

An early retirement from the Rolex 24 was a disaster for Wright Motorsports. So you can imagine what a podium at Sebring meant to the team. “It was absolutely everything,” said driver and team owner Adam Adelson. “To be able to finish third and score all those points is absolutely massive.” But Adelson is by no means disillusioned by how Daytona has thrown off their 2026. “We are fighting on the back foot for the rest of the season. I know how often in wildly competitive series…different winners, podium finishers, top-5 finishers…those fifth pace finishes will get you a championship.”

Simultaneous to Wright’s Sebring breakthrough was the evolution of Adelson’s full season driver, Callum Illot. “At Daytona, he was trying to merge his driving style with what he was learning,” Adam remarked. While Illot is no stranger to sportscar racing, Daytona was his first GT race since 2023 (with Wright coincidentally). It was safe to say Illot shook off the dust by Sebring. “He clearly figured it out,” exclaimed Adelson. For the friends sharing the seat for the full season, what Adam calls “a dream come true,” he knows the best is yet to come. “It’s about fine tuning. Learning the uniqueness of driving a 911 and merging his knowledge of the track hopefully ends strong for us.”

Gradient Racing almost played the fuel economy game to perfection at Sebring

Surprises Aplenty?

When I think surprises, Corvette easily comes to mind. Since Sebring, Robert Wickens was announced to return to DXDT to run the sprint races partnering Mason Filippi. While the results have not shown, Filippi has shown plenty of pace. Matt Bell and Orey Fidani have scored a pair of top-6 finishes to open the season and look to build on their momentum in California.

Joey Hand almost pulled the shock of the year at Sebring, but the math was not on his side. Hand and Jake Walker hope to make good this weekend in GTD for Ford. Elsewhere, Sheena Monk and Felipe Fraga are hoping to prove Riley-Myers has pace and will be a force to be reckoned with on the streets.

Business as Normal

Turner Motorsports looks to keep their solid start going. Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher have been at the tip of the field throughout the endurance races. While a fifth at Sebring was the best they could muster, this could be a dangerous duo come the sprint races. Their BMW is fast and if you are up front it is only a matter of time before the wins come.

Winward are looking to get back to business as normal after a rare crash sent them packing before sunset at Sebring. Adam Adelson mentioned how top 5s can win a championship. That is Winward’s playbook from the last two seasons. They didn’t win every race but it was rarely a race they were not in the top 5 at the checkered. With Sebring behind them, Long Beach looks to be a reset for Philip Ellis and Russell Ward to get their season back going again.

Race Predictions

MB: They have not won this year yet, but they’re leading the championship after a 3rd and 2nd. Let’s see if they continue the upward trend. Spencer Pumpelly and Dudu Barichello score the win for the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin.

DS: I like an intruder here. Making their leap into GTD for a one-off, Vasser Sullivan has shown to be capable of winning Long Beach before. After the #89 won in 2024 (and 3rd in 2025), Vasser Sullivan should be a heavy contender heading into the race this weekend. I’ll pick Frankie Montecalvo and Jack Hawksworth to win.

DL: As for me, there is something about Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher I like this weekend. These two have been fast and they lead at both Daytona and Sebring. This race is one stop, less caring of the equipment and a fine line of hustle and finesse. I see all that for the #96 Turner BMW and they will get in the winner’s column on Saturday.

On-Track Schedule (All times PT US)

In a contrast from the opening two races, Long Beach will be a condensed two-day schedule starting with two free practices. Free Practice 1, only 60 minutes, will run from 9-10am. The second practice, a more traditional 90 minutes, is scheduled from 1:10-2:40pm.

Rounding out a busy Friday will be qualifying. Fifteen minutes each for both classes starts at 5:25pm. The one-hundred-minute sprint will go green on Saturday at 1:05pm.

TV/Radio Coverage

IMSA Radio will have live coverage of all on-track sessions for the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship with audio coverage beginning with Free Practice 1 at 11:55am ET/8:55am PT Friday morning for FP1. FP2 coverage will air at 4pm ET/1pm PT on Friday.

IMSA Radio will be Live “in sound and vision” for Qualifying on IMSA.tv and the IMSA YouTube channel around the world with Peacock streaming Qualifying in the United States. Coverage begins Friday at 8:20pm ET/5:20pm PT.

Saturday race coverage on IMSA Radio begins at 3pm ET/12pm PT. Log on to imsaradio.com to listen to all their coverage. The SiriusXM Simulcast of the IMSA Radio feed will go live at 4pm ET/1pm PT on Channel 206 (Vehicles) and 996 (SXM App).

In the United States, the race will be shown on the NBC broadcast network and streaming on Peacock. Around the world, IMSA.tv and IMSA YouTube channel will stream with IMSA Radio commentary. LIVE coverage on Saturday begins at 4pm ET/1pm PT.

Enjoy the racing everyone!