Sixty-two hours of racing across ten rounds over the span of eight months spanning two countries. Now just one race remains. One hundred sixty-two drivers across fifty-four cars in four classes ready to battle for ten hours. And there is so much at stake. From bragging rights of scoring the last win before the offseason to champions being crowned, there is no shortage of headlines. Let’s dive into what to watch for at the 29th Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
GTP: Cadillac’s Coronation
Action Express set to earn their first title in three years
When GTP debuted in 2023, Cadillac swept the drivers, team and manufacturers championships. For the past two seasons, they have had to sit back and watch Porsche beat them to the punch. At the end of 2025, you could see the momentum being built for Cadillac to reclaim the throne in 2026. Cadillac won the last two races of 2025, scoring a 1-2 in one of them.
Safe to say this year has lived up to expectations. Three wins with both teams getting in on the action. But one team has been above and beyond. They have not just led the Cadillac charge, but have left the rest of IMSA in their dust. Action Express Racing have been the gold standard in 2026. Seven podiums in eight races with two wins showcase the picture of consistency the team aimed for at the start of the season. Now they will earn their just reward. Taking the green flag at Petit Le Mans will clinch the team’s championship for Action Express and the manufacturer’s crown for Cadillac.
But the celebrations will not begin just yet…
Aitken’s Moment?
There will be one matter of business that will need the utmost attention for Cadillac racing on Saturday. Jack Aitken is one race away from his first professional championship. Like his team, he has been the picture of consistency all season. But the 31-year old has not been perfect. If there is one moment he will look at with regret, it might the end of the race at Road America. Aitken battling Kevin Estre for second would have been wise to let the Porsche go and take third place points. But Aitken with the faster car took the fight to the Frenchmen. The aggressive Estre would collide with Aitken going into Turn 1 on the final restart, ending the race for both.
Now that could be a small blip on the radar, but there is a small chance that could come back to bite. In a ten-hour race, anything can – and usually does – happen. With the competition in GTP some of the strongest in sportscar racing, this will not be a walk in the park. But do not expect Aitken and company to change tactics. “It’s dangerous to start changing your methods and to change the way that you approach things,” Aitken says. “When you’re in a groove and when things are working well, you want to keep it as similar as possible.” Aitken can hang his hat on the fact he won Petit Le Mans last year with Cadillac winning the last two years. He can also take pride in having an average finish of 2.75 with the amazing strength of field in IMSA’s top class.
Aitken is in a very strong position, but not completely unassailable at this moment.
The Wunderkid in the Way
Unquestionably, Laurin Heinrich has been the talk of GTP this season. The 25-year old German, even if he doesn’t win the title, has to be a contender for driver of the year. Heinrich has driven in all three Porsche 963s in the GTP class and won races in two of them. If his performances with the Penske Porsche factory team at Daytona and Sebring did not convince you of his talent, Laguna Seca definitely did. In a year-old customer 963, Heinrich chased down Earl Bamber to win the race on the final lap. It was JDC-Miller’s first win in IMSA in five years and a first 963 customer win in GTP. The win also put Heinrich in the points lead at the time.
Porsche made the decision to re-prioritize Heinrich to focus on the IMSA title chase. A further three podiums in the last three races have justified the decision. But JDC-Miller’s disastrous Detroit outing where they finished last may be the difference here.
Heinrich enters Petit 147 points back of Aitken, which means the German – back with the No. 7 team for this week – will have it all to do. He needs the max 385 points on offer and back luck to strike Aitken to have a chance to steal a title. But just to be in contention for a second IMSA title when he was only given three races has to be amazing in itself. “Thanks to Porsche for giving me this opportunity to and give me the best opportunities to fight for this title,” says Heinrich. “I compete to win. I want to win. That’s the thing about the IMSA title, it developed growing throughout the year as my primary goal. And I’m living for that.”
Encore?
The highlight of the first season for Heart of Racing and the Aston Martin Valkyrie was a runner-up finish at Petit Le Mans. This second season has seen the car pick up pace but the results have not shown. Like 2025, Road America was a bright spot again this season. The car was set for a second runner-up finish until a penalty at the end sent them down the order. Despite the penalty, the fifth is the highlight of the season up to this point. The Valkyrie seemed to like the elevation and fast nature of Road Atlanta last year. What’s to say they can’t pull a surprise again?
So Long, Farewell…
Petit Le Mans will be the end of Acura’s nine year run in the top class of IMSA racing. From joining DPi in 2018 and staying into the GTP era starting in 2023, Acura has always been class. While they look to leave empty handed as far as championships go, Acura and Meyer Shank Racing look to ride into the sunset with another Petit win. Before the team took a year off, MSR and Acura won Petit in 2023.
Meyer Shank also announced at Indianapolis they will take a step back from IMSA. While there were opportunities to stay around in other classes, Shank was adamant he wants to compete on his own terms, fighting for wins and championships. Just as we were getting accustomed to MSR back, we have to get used to life without them again. Let’s see if both parties can bow out together with one last triumph.
GTP Balance of Performance
Weight
Porsche will be coming to Petit Le Mans with lighter 963s than at Indianapolis. Both the 2026 (-11kg) and 2025 (-8kg) spec cars will be given weight reductions for this weekend. Outside of Aston Martin, everyone else will see weight increases. BMW will receive 10kg added weight while Cadillac will receive 9kg. Acura will get a 6kg weight increase.
Power
While lighter, the 2026-spec 963 will see some power drop. The newer 963 will lose power in both stages 1 and 2 (-0.6% and -1.3% respectively) while the older spec 963 will gain power in both stages (+2.1% and +0.2%). Acura and Aston Martin will maintain max stage 2 power while BMW joins Aston Martin with max stage 1 power levels. Cadillac will see a 0.2% increase in Stage 1 while Stage 2 will decrease by 0.6%.
Energy
The third and final variable of BoP is energy allowance. Acura (+3MJ), Aston Martin (+1MJ) and the 2025-spec Porsche 963 (+2MJ) all see slight increases in max energy. BMW and Cadillac will see no change in their energy numbers from Indianapolis. Finally, the 2026-spec Porsche 963 will get a 9MJ max stint decrease for this weekend’s race.
LMP2: Zero Margin
It should not be a surprise to many that LMP2 is the tightest battle – Photo Courtesy: InterEuropol Competition
The closest title battle of all four classes in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship is LMP2. This should not be much of a surprise as LMP2 has the shortest season of the four classes. But there are few who expected this points battle to be this close. The two points leaders are only separated by four points. The top four are separated by 108 points. This title could truly go either way. To truly understand what to expect, let’s breakdown our four into two.
Spotlight Contenders
In the cat bird’s seat is InterEuropol Competition. A runner-up at Daytona was followed by a disastrous Sebring where they finished outside the top 10. After a quiet Watkins Glen, InterEuropol woke up in a big way. Back-to-back wins at Mosport and Road America put them back in the race. When rivals hit early trouble at Indy, a chance to assert authority was on the cards. But a self-inflicted wound meant that while they took the points lead, points were also left on the table. Now InterEuropol and their Pro Tom Dillmann look to finish a second title in three seasons, but the feeling will be different this time around. “It’s a very different approach,” laments Dillmann. “In ’24, I had the feeling of we could only lose a championship, so I had to race very carefully.”
After a wild Rolex 24 that saw them capture victory, Crowdstrike Racing by APR were in dream land. The team took the points lead and held it all season. Despite InterEuropol’s mid-season form, a pair of seconds kept their rivals in check and Crowdstrike maintained the points lead, albeit a slim one. But Turn 1 at Indianapolis was a turning point for sure. The team fought to repair the vehicle and keep themselves in the race, but the damage was already done. Thankfully, the points loss was minimal. Now, the team looks to rise to the occasion and score big. “We’ve got nothing to lose,” comments Crowdstrike’s Alex Quinn. “No pressure at all…feels like we are going into the last round tied…we have one goal…to beat InterEuropol.”
Outsiders with a Fighting Chance
Daniel Goldburg remains the only hopeful for United Autosports in this LMP2 championship. With only seven points opportunities, every result matters. Goldburg is the personification of this philosophy. Goldburg’s worst finish is seventh at Road America. A top five in every other race and a second podium at Indianapolis has put Goldburg in with a decent – albeit long – chance, 101 points away. Once he finishes his two-and-a-half-hour minimum drive time on Saturday, his season will rest in the hands of co-drivers Rasmus Lindh and Paul Di Resta. United will be hoping to not repeat last year when mechanical problems struck at dusk while in contention.
AO Racing still have hope of defending their crown. But they have the tallest mountain to climb of the four teams in the hunt. PJ Hyett and Dane Cameron come into Atlanta 108 points out the lead. Their title defense included a win at Watkins Glen and another podium at Mosport. The team stayed consistent and clean up until Indianapolis when they were in the middle of the Lap 1 chaos. Now Spike the Dragon needs to have a perfect weekend and help from those above them. AO’s performance the last two years at Petit were only seventh and sixth.
Add seven other teams that have absolutely nothing to lose, looking for a win and you have the makings of a classic in LMP2 for Saturday’s season finale.
This concludes our prototype preview. Come back Wednesday for our preview of the GT classes.
PETIT LE MANS 2026 COVERAGE || PROTOTYPE PREVIEW | GT PREVIEW | PRACTICE 1 | PRACTICE 2 | PRACTICE 3 | THURSDAY NOTEBOOK | QUALIFYING | FRIDAY NOTEBOOK | HOURS 1-2 | HOURS 3-5 | HOURS 6-8 | POST-RACE | SATURDAY NOTEBOOK
Headline Photo: Pre-Race Ambiance at the 2025 Petit Le Mans – Photo Courtesy: Porsche Newsroom
